"Ten letters of introduction, one card of same, and one life secret!" repeated Gourley, dazedly. "Here, Otto. Hold the fort. I'll go myself."
The cashier's place was promptly occupied by a moon-faced Teuton. Presently Gourley, whose misanthropy had in this instance merely made an office-boy of him, returned to the window and said, in the insolent tones of a puglistic _agent provocateur_:
"He says to send in the letters of introduction."
"My friend," said the stranger, so impressively that the cashier was made uneasy, "are you sure Mr. Richards said that?"
"Well--ah--he said," stammered Gourley, "to ask you--er--would you please send in the letters. He will read them, and as soon as possible he will--ah--see you."
"H'm!" muttered the stranger, skeptically. Then, as a man rids himself of angry thoughts, he shook his head and, without another word, went out.
"Ha! I knew it all along," said Gourley, triumphantly, to his assistant, Otto. "It beats the Dutch what schemes these damned book agents get up to see people during business hours. But I called his bluff that time!"
Less than ten minutes later the French-looking man with the down-east voice opened the door, tapped at the cashier's window, and told Gourley, sternly:
"Here are the ten letters and the one card. They are very important! I'll be obliged, sir, if you will yourself give them into Mr. Richards's own hands. The life secret I, of course, will impart to him myself. Make haste, please. I have only five business days and three hours left."
Gourley laid the letters on Mr. Richards's desk and said, in the accusing tone old employees use when they are in the wrong: "Here are the letters of introduction from the book agent I spoke to you about. He acts damned impudent to me, but I didn't want to make any mistake."
Richards, a man of fifty, fastidiously dressed, but relieved from even the implication of foppishness by a look in his eyes at once shrewd and humorous, said, with a smile, "Well, he certainly has enough letters to be anything, even a rich man."
"Funny letters of introduction," said the cashier--"all sealed and--" His jaw dropped. That made him cease talking.
Mr. Richards had taken from the first envelope not a letter, but a ten-thousand-dollar gold certificate!