“Have you the letter?”
“Yes sir!” and Jotty clutched the breast of his ill-fitting jacket, “but I want another quid or two for it.”
“You know how to make a bargain, young man,” said Latimer humorously; “just hand over that letter at once.”
“I sha’n’t. So there,” said Jotty, turning obstinate again. “It’s wuth another quid anyhow. An’ I sawr him es wrote it when he called t’ see him es wos good t’ me afore.”
“Oh this person called to see Mr. Grison before, did he.”
“Onct or twice he did. Allays at night, and then they torks.”
“What about?”
“I dunno, sir. I never heard. Him es was good t’ me, he allays turned me out wen the gent came.”
“Oh,” said Dick meditatively, “so this visitor was a gent?”
“Yes sir. A real gent, wiff slap-up clothes and——”