"Sorry, shall I? How do you make that out?"
"Why, because I'll make your fortune for you if you'll give me half a chance--leastways, I daresay it's made already, but I'll double it for you, anyhow."
"And pray how do you propose to do that?"
"Why, I'll put you on to the biggest thing that ever you were put on to."
"You mean that you'll round on your comrades. I see. Is that it?"
The stranger did not seem to altogether like the fashion in which Mr. Ireland summed up his intentions.
"You may call it what you please, but if I hadn't been used bad first of all myself, I wouldn't have said a word; red-hot irons wouldn't have made me. But when a chap's been used like I've been used, he feels like giving of a bit of it back again; that's fair enough, ain't it?"
"Chuck the patter, Bill. Go on with what you have to say."
"Look here, Mr. Ireland, you give me ten thick 'uns, enough to take me to 'Merriker; I'll go there, and I'll put you on to them as had something to do with them there Duchess of Datchet's diamonds what's been and got theirselves mislaid."
It was Daisy who answered. She seemed to speak in sudden and uncontrollable excitement. "I don't know what ten thick 'uns are, but if you do what you say I'll give you fifty pounds out of my own pocket."