Sir Paul looked at him sharply. “No,” he said, thoughtfully, “not in the least, though I confess that I have to some extent exhausted its ordinary attractions. Now I propose to plunge a little deeper into its secrets and its mysteries. In this direction I am, of course, looking to you to help me.”
The captain nodded. “Quite so,” he agreed, “but I hope you realise that up to the present I have had nothing but your promises of favours to come—and times are hard.”
For answer, the baronet took out his pocket-book and counted out ten one-hundred-pound notes upon the table.
“This,” he said, “should be a sufficient guarantee of my good faith for the present. Mark you, I have had some experience of your kind before, and I do not propose to pay down a lump sum for services which you may subsequently find it inconvenient to render.
“Now I will come to the point at once. I don't propose to spend a thousand pounds for nothing—and when I say nothing, I mean for the privilege of knowing you alone. I am desirous of making the acquaintance of your friends and colleagues at once.”
Melun laughed, showing his fine teeth. “I have not the slightest objection,” he said, “and, as a matter of fact, you have chosen a particularly convenient day, for it is on Wednesdays that the heads of my business meet to discuss a few personal matters.
“To-day I will not disguise from you the fact that the discussion will be yourself. I have made known some details of your offer—but not all of them, because my friends are not so gifted with imagination as myself, and I must confess that your proposal is regarded with considerable suspicion.”
The captain moved aside and looked thoughtfully out of the window for a few moments; then he turned round on his heel sharply.
“I will be perfectly frank with you,” he said with an amazingly good attempt at breezy honesty. “All of my friends are not particularly nice people, and if they had any idea that you were likely to play them false, not even the consideration of tapping your vast wealth would restrain them from putting you out of the way.”
“There is such a thing,” said Westerham, lightly, “as killing the goose which lays the golden eggs.”