"Let's get to business. Are you going back by
the next train along with me? or are you going to stop with the young
lady?"
"I will follow you by a later train," Moody answered.
"Then I must give you my instructions at once," Sharon continued. "You
get better acquainted with Hardyman's valet. Lend him money if he wants
it--stick at nothing to make a bosom friend of him. I can't do that part
of it; my appearance would be against me. _You_ are the man--you are
respectable from the top of your hat to the tips of your boots; nobody
would suspect You. Don't make objections! Can you fix the valet? Or
can't you?"
"I can try," said Moody. "And what then?"
Old Sharon put his gross lips disagreeably close to Moody's ear.
"Your friend the valet can tell you who his master's bankers are,"
he said; "and he can supply you with a specimen of his master's
handwriting."
Moody drew back, as suddenly as if his vagabond companion had put a
knife to his throat. "You old villain!" he said. "Are you tempting me to
forgery?"
"You infernal fool!" retorted Old Sharon. "_Will_ you hold that long
tongue of yours, and hear what I have to say. You go to Hardyman's
bankers, with a note in Hardyman's handwriting (exactly imitated by me)
to this effect:--'Mr. H. presents his compliments to Messrs. So-and-So,
and is not quite certain whether a payment of five hundred pounds has
been made within the last week to his account. He will be much obliged
if Messrs. So-and-So will inform him by a line in reply, whether there
is such an entry to his credit in their books, and by whom the payment
has been made.
Pages:
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132