"That is my name, yes, sir. Er—Mr. Grafton," and, as though to refresh his memory, the colonel glanced at the card on his desk.
"You are a private detective?"
"Yes."
Mr. Grafton was evidently sparring for time. He seemed uneasy—he looked uneasy, and it required no very astute mind to know that he was uneasy—out of his element.
"For all the world like a gasping fish on the bank," was the simile the colonel used.
"I have a case I wish you would take up for me," went on the merchant.
"It is somewhat peculiar."
"Most cases that come to us are," and the colonel smiled.
"And it is delicate."
"I could say that of nearly every one, also."
"So that I may rely on your silence and—er—discretion?"