Produced by Suzanne Shell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) HARD PRESSED BY FRED M. WHITE AUTHOR OF "THE CRIMSON BLIND" "THE CORNER HOUSE" "THE YELLOW FACE" ETC., ETC. NEW YORK R. F. FENNO & COMPANY 18 EAST 17th STREET WARD, LOCK & CO., LONDON CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I A MODERN SPORTSMAN 11 II AN UNEXPECTED MEETING 18 III A LIVING FORTUNE 25 IV A GREAT TEMPTATION 32 V THE SHADOW OF DOUBT 39 VI A TRIAL SPIN ON THE DOWNS 47 VII A LEAF FROM THE PAST 54 VIII ROGUES IN COUNCIL 62 IX IN THE TOILS 70 X CONFESSION 78 XI ON THE EDGE 86 XII A LION IN THE PATH 94 XIII "AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN" 102 XIV THE POST CLUB 110 XV JOLLY & CO. 117 XVI THE NOOK 124 XVII A FAIR DAY'S SPORT 132 XVIII AN EVENING VISIT 139 XIX THE EMPTY HOUSE 146 XX INSIDE 153 XXI THE EAVESDROPPERS 160 XXII A SOLDIER OF FORTUNE 167 XXIII A CHANGE OF AIR 174 XXIV A STRANGE VISITOR 181 XXV THE DERELICT 188 XXVI A SECOND TRIAL 195 XXVII DRIVING IT HOME 202 XXVIII HONOUR BRIGHT 209 XXIX ACTING THE FRIEND 216 XXX AN ULTIMATUM 223 XXXI A POINT-BLANK REFUSAL 230 XXXII AN EASY FALL 238 XXXIII THE FIVE BASKETS 246 XXXIV NO. 5 253 XXXV A POISONOUS ATMOSPHERE 260 XXXVI FIELDEN INTERVENES 268 XXXVII BETWEEN TWO FIRES 276 XXXVIII LOOSENING THE GRIP 283 XXXIX A DRAMATIC EXIT 291 XL CAUGHT! 298 XLI HOME AGAIN 305 XLII FIRST PAST THE POST 312 CHAPTER I A MODERN SPORTSMAN