“I am afraid there is,” answered Joe, and told his tale from beginning to end.

“That's an odd sort of a yarn, Joe. It's queer you didn't recognize the men before.

“It is queer, sir, but I can't help that. It flashed over me just as I looked into the window of the old lodge.”

“You haven't made any mistake?”

“No, sir.”

“Humph!” Andrew Mallison mused for a moment. “I don't really see what I can do in the matter. We can't prove that those men are wrongdoers, can we?”

“Not unless they tried some game on this Mr. Maurice Vane.”

“They may have sold him some worthless mining shares. That sort of a trick is rather old.”

“I think we ought to make a search for this David Ball, or Malone, or whatever his name is.”

“I'm willing to do that.”