"If you have no objection."
Curtis read the note instantly, and, so delicate is the perceptiveness of the ear, he could almost follow the trend of the detective's unspoken thought by a hiss of breath or a muttered "Hum," as a name was mentioned or a reason given for some particular action.
"Like the majority of women, she conveys the most important fact in a postscript," was Steingall's dry comment when Curtis had reached the end.
"Where shall I find this man, Schmidt?" inquired Curtis.
"Are you in a hurry, then, to begin the suit for dissolution?"
"That does not account for my anxiety to meet Schmidt."
"He is a stoutly-built individual, with a large, soft neck, and eyes which would protrude most satisfactorily under pressure. Is that what you mean?"
"I want to make his acquaintance, and soon—that is all."
"Now, Mr. Curtis, don't destroy the good opinion I have formed of you. Let well enough alone. Schmidt has done you a splendid turn, and it would be foolish on your part to requite a benefactor by trying to strangle him."
"Mr. Steingall, I am tired, and very, very uncertain of myself——"