"'You won't do that,' he said very quiet. And, by Gad, when he fixed me with those eyes, I thought of a dozen horrible deaths I might die, and I knew that I couldn't split on him if I wanted to. A wonderful man. In the end I had to accept his hard terms.
"Well, that's all. From the start it worked like a charm. With the horrible death of Ames Benton fresh in their minds, the millionaires fell all over themselves to subscribe for protection. We started at a moderate figure, and gradually jacked up their dues. You'd open your eyes if I told you the amount of money that passes through this little office every month."
"Give me an idea," said Jack.
"That's something I'll never tell any man," said Anderson with a slightly drunken leer.
"Do you only operate in the city here?"
"Yes. He may have other agencies outside. He may have other agencies right here in town for all I know. It was part of our agreement that I was to approach nobody except the men whose names he furnished. I haven't all the millionaires on my books by a long sight."
"Do you mean to tell me you've been in business with this man for three years and don't even know his right name?"
"It's a fact, and what's more I've never laid eyes on him from that day to this."
"Come off!" said Jack incredulously.
"It's a fact, I tell you. It stands to reason, don't it, that he couldn't be seen around here?"