"Sit down, Sergeant," Treves said. "Help yourself to a drink." He waved towards the whisky bottle and a siphon on the table. Upon Manton refusing the drink, Treves pushed towards him a box of cigarettes. Then read Captain Gilbert's missive through a second and a third time, and seemed to be considering it deeply with brows drawn together. "Do you know what is in this letter?" he questioned at last.
"No."
"Captain Gilbert told you nothing?"
"Nothing whatever, beyond saying that you might be willing to make some sort of offer."
"Well, he makes an extraordinary suggestion," went on Treves, leaning back in his chair. "It's all brought about by your resemblance to me." His eyes sought the letter again. "He tells me you are a public school boy and all that, and gives me here an outline of your little trouble at Scarthoe Head. Well, for certain reasons known to himself and to me, he thinks you may be able to make yourself useful to me. That is," he added, "if you are willing to undertake a somewhat delicate piece of work."
Manton looked inquiringly at Treves; he was not sure of the young man.
"Perhaps you will let me know the nature of the work."
"The fact of the matter is, Manton," Treves resumed, dropping his voice confidentially, "I am in want of help. Owing to certain peculiar circumstances, I want somebody to make use of my name and my personality for a short time."
He took up his whisky and Manton observed an almost imperceptible tremor of his fingers as they closed about the glass.
"Now, your extraordinary likeness to me, and the fact that you are in need of cash—well, do you see the point?"