"Very sorry."
"I will come in again before you close, if you don't mind."
"Not at all; come whenever you please. We are open until five o'clock here."
Ralph left his name and then quitted the offices. He did not bother taking the elevator down, but used the winding stairs instead.
He had reached the second floor, and was about to start down for the street when he caught sight of a man standing on the stone steps below. The man was Jackson Walters.
"The rascal!" muttered Ralph, to himself. "How fortunate to catch sight of him!"
He sprang down the steps two at a time. Walters heard him coming, and looked around. But before he could attempt to move away, Ralph had him tightly by the arm.
"So I've caught you, have I?" he said, bluntly. "Why—er—really—you have the advantage of me," stammered Jackson Walters, coldly.
"I guess I have, and it's a good thing, too," returned Ralph.
"I—er—don't know you."