"Who _is_ the little biter?" the money-lender inquired of him with delightful insolence. "An old friend of mine," replied Raffles, in an injured tone that made a convincing end of the old friendship. "I thought he was hard up, or I never should have brought him in to introduce to you." "I didn't ask you for your introduction, Raffles," said I offensively. "I simply met you coming out as I was coming in. I thought you damned officious, if you ask me!" Whereupon, with an Anglo-Saxon threat of subsequent violence to my person, Raffles flung open the door to leave us to our interview. This was exactly as it had been rehearsed. But Dan Levy called Raffles back. And that was exactly as we had hoped. "Gentlemen, gentlemen!" said the Jew. "Please don't make a cockpit of my office, gentlemen; and pray, Mr. Raffles, don't leave me to the mercies of your very dangerous friend." "You can be two to one if you like," I gasped valiantly. "_I_ don't care." And my chest heaved in accordance with my stage instructions, as also with a realism to which it was a relief to give full play. "Come now," said Levy. "What did Mr. Garland send you about?" "You know well enough," said I: "his debt to you." "Don't be rude about it," said Levy. "What about the debt?" "It's a damned disgrace!" said I. "I quite agree," he chuckled. "It ought to 'ave been settled months ago." "Months ago?" I echoed. "It's only twelve months since he borrowed three hundred pounds from you, and now you're sticking him for seven!" "I am," said Levy, opening uncompromising lips that entirely disappeared again next instant. "He borrows three hundred for a year at the outside, and you blackmail him for eight hundred when the year's up." "You said 'seven' just now," interrupted Raffles, but in the voice of a man who was getting a fright. "You also said 'blackmailing,'" added Dan Levy portentously. "Do you want to be thrown downstairs?" "Do _you_ deny the figures?" I retorted. "No, I don't; have you got his repayment cards?" "Yes, here in my hands, and they shan't leave them. You see, you're not aware," I added severely, as I turned to Raffles, "that this young fellow has already paid up one hundred in instalments; that's what makes the eight; and all this is what'll happen to you if you've been fool enough to get into the same boat." The money-lender had borne with me longer than either of us had expected that he would; but now he wheeled back his chair and stood up, a pillar of peril and a mouthful of oaths. "Is that all you've come to say?" he thundered. "If so, you young devil, out you go!"