“Certainly.”
Again I took his seat and he folded the letter so that only one line was visible.
“Rua de Catania. It is one of the headquarters,” was the line.
“It’s a little unusual for a magistrate to give lessons in forgery, isn’t it?” I asked as I studied the writing and then wrote as good an imitation of it as I could, and returned to my seat.
Again he made an examination letter by letter, very laboriously.
“Well?” I asked, growing impatient at his long silence.
“I am greatly perplexed, Mr. Donnington. And I must ask you one or two questions. How did you come to know of the house mentioned here?”
“Wait a bit, please. I have complied with the test you put; what is the result? And what is my position now?”
“I put my questions in a perfectly friendly spirit—as M. Volheno would put them were he here.”
“And that writing test?”