“Did I?” was my careless reply.
“You’ll never do it single-handed,” he darkly continued, “but if you could make it worth my while I’m ready to give you the straight tip, which will book him for twenty years.”
“What do you mean?”
“Twenty years to him is surely worth as many pounds to me?” he suggestively returned.
“Perhaps, but I’m not in a position to offer anything; indeed, I’d much rather do the work myself.”
“You can’t, for Peter’s got a gent at his back who’ll stand any amount of bleeding, and he doesn’t need to put out a hand now. Now, if you could only help me to find out who that gent is, I believe he’d stand a poney to get rid of Peter.”
I watched Dick’s face keenly for some moments in silence.
“You don’t know who the gent is, then?” I said at last, suspiciously.
“No; I’ve tried hard to find out, and I’ve watched Peter all over the town to no purpose. He’s too blessed fly for me.”
“Have you any idea what hold Peter has upon the gent?” I asked, after a pause to think.