"May I ask your name?" "Morgan; Stephen Morgan." "Are you also a solicitor?" "Not yet, exactly; I think I may describe myself as Mr. Oldfield's confidential agent. Come in, Nash; don't stop out there; then we can have the door closed--it'll be snugger." Mr. Nash had stayed in the hall, as if unwilling to associate himself with Morgan's reception of the new-comer; indeed from his bearing one might almost have suspected him of an inclination to march out of the flat, and leave Morgan to deal with Mr. Clifford; possibly he was deterred by the prosaic accident that his hat was in the sitting-room. When Morgan bade him go in he went in, and Morgan closed the door behind him. Clifford looked from one to the other, as if there was something in the attitude of the two men which he could not make out. "May I ask what you gentlemen are doing here?" "You may ask; but, so far as I can see, it's no business of yours." "Quite so; still--at the same time----" "Yes, Mr. Clifford; at the same time?" "I wondered." "There's no harm in your wondering, Mr. Clifford; none at all." Mr. Clifford turned to Nash, as if he preferred his appearance to Morgan's. "Can you tell me, Mr. Nash, where Mr. Oldfield is? or how I can place myself in communication with him? As you are possibly aware, he has not been at the office now for some time, and his continued absence--and I may add, silence, because I have heard nothing from him--is occasioning much inconvenience." "To whom?" This was Morgan. Clifford seemed to hesitate, then replied--"To me." "To you? Mr. Oldfield hasn't been in the habit of studying your convenience, has he, Mr. Clifford?" The new-comer flushed, as if he felt that the other's words were meant unpleasantly. When he answered he looked the speaker straight in the face. "Mr. Oldfield has been in the habit of studying not only my convenience, but every one's convenience, Mr. Morgan; if you suppose the contrary, I know him better than you do. And, just now, the circumstances are peculiar. I am to be married next week, and I can hardly carry out in their entirety the arrangements I have made unless I know what Mr. Oldfield's movements are likely to be." "I see; you are to be married next week?" "Mr. Oldfield knows that I am to be married next week." "Does he? What's the lady's name?" "Mr. Oldfield also knows the lady's name; I told him." "Did you? Then I fancy he's forgotten." "I never knew Mr. Oldfield forget anything that was of importance to any one in whom he was interested; so I take leave to doubt your fancy, Mr. Morgan." Mr. Morgan looked at the speaker, for some moments, in rather a peculiar way; then he thrust his hands deeper into his trousers pockets, leaned back his head, and laughed. Clifford flushed again. "What is the jest, Mr. Morgan?" "Jest? Clifford, you're a funny one! you're all the jest I want." "Sir!"