"Ah! then, as I thought, you have had a great deal to put up
with from him," Garvey said, with his eyes fixed on his companion's
face. "And, no doubt, he is still as bitter against me as he was
years ago when the disease first showed itself?"
Although this last remark was a deliberate question and the
questioner was waiting with fixed eyes for an answer, Shorthouse
elected to take no notice of it. Without a word he pulled the
elastic band from the blue envelope with a snap and plainly showed
his desire to conclude the business as soon as possible. The
tendency on the other's part to delay did not suit him at all.
"But never personal violence, I trust, Mr. Shorthouse," he
added.
"Never."
"I'm glad to hear it," Garvey said in a sympathetic voice, "very
glad to hear it. And now,
