He looked at me inquiringly, but Wise answered. “Wait a bit, Rivers, as to that. If you’ll agree, I’ll grubstake you for a fortnight or so, and you can help me. Really, I mean it, for as a stranger you can go to places, and see people, where I can’t show my familiar face. Then, when you get the two rewards you can repay me my investment in you. And if you fail to nail the ten thousand, I’ll take your note.”
“I’ll go you!” said Rivers, after a moment’s thought. “You’re a brick, Penny Wise!”
A tap at the door announced Norah, and with her came Jenny Boyd. Nor was Jenny dragged unwillingly,—she seemed eager to enter,—but her absurd little painted face wore a look of stubbornness and her red lips were shut in a determined pout.
“Jenny knows who ‘The Link’ is, and she won’t tell,” Norah declared, as a first bit of information.
“Oh, yes, she will,” and Penny Wise winked at the girl. He really gave a very knowing wink, as who should say: “We understand each other.”
As they had never met before, I watched to see just how Jenny would take it, and to my surprise she looked decidedly frightened.
Wise saw this too,—doubtless he brought about the effect purposely,—but in a moment Jenny regained her poise and was her saucy self again.
“I don’t know for sure,” she said, “and so I don’t want to get nobody into trouble by suspicioning them.”
“You won’t get anybody into trouble,” Wise assured her, “unless she has made the trouble for herself. Let’s play a game, Jenny,—let’s talk in riddles.”
Jenny eyed him curiously, and then, as he smiled infectiously, she did, too.