At last he stopped before a group of three. One of these was an old Jewish gentleman, with strongly-marked features, overhanging bushy eyebrows, hooked nose, and long white beard. He held in his hand a blue paper, such as generally contains seidlitz-powders, but its contents were diamonds. These were being carefully inspected by the other two men, each of whom had a bright steel pair of pincers, with which he selected a specimen from the glittering heap, breathed upon it, watched it carefully, and in most instances finally laid it on one side for purchase. When this transaction had been gone through and was at an end, the old gentleman folded up his paper with such diamonds as remained in it, placed it in his waistcoat-pocket, and was calmly walking away, when Griffiths touched him on the arm, saying interrogatively, "Mr. Lyons?" The old man turned in an instant, and threw a sharp look of inquiry over his interlocutor, as he said: "Yes, ma tear sir, that's mai name; not ashamed to own it any veres. Vot might you vant with me?" As he spoke he had covered his waistcoat-pocket with his hand, and stood prim and spry. "This gentleman--Mr. Effingham--has been looking for you some little time. You told a friend of his--Mr. Pollock--that you would be here to-day, and we've come on purpose to meet you." "Effingham! Pollock!" said the old man, musing. "O yes, Pollock, who writes those funny burlesques for my friend Wuff; O yes--Effingham," he said. "How do you do, ma tear? Now vot is it? A leetle advance, or something you've got that you don't know how to get rid of, and think I might fancy it, eh?" "Well, it ain't either, Mr. Lyons," said Effingham. "Its a little information you're in possession of that you might be inclined to give us, and--" "You're not traps?" asked Mr. Lyons, turning pale. "Not a bit of it, Mr. Lyons," said Griffiths, striking into the conversation. "Quite different from that. You and I have done business before. I was with--" and here he whispered into Lyons's ear. "Ah, I reckleckt," said the old gentleman. "That vos a very good plant, and bothers them all in Scotland Yard to this day. Ha, ha! I reckleckt. Now vot did your friend say? Information? Veil, you know, I never _give_ information." "No, no, of course not," said Griffiths, winking at Effingham. "O no, sir," said that worthy. "I'm prepared to pay, of course, anything reasonable for what I require." "Vell, vell, ma tear, let's know vot it is." "You were great pals with my brother, I believe?" "No. Effingham? No;--never heard the name." "No, no; not Effingham. That's merely--you understand?" "O ah! O yes! I qvite understand; but vot _is_ the name?" "Butler! You knew Tony Butler well?" "Knew him vell; I should rather think I did. A good fellow; a clever fellow; oh, a very clever fellow, ma tear." "Yes; well, I'm his brother." "Not like him," said Mr. Lyons. "More dressy, and not so business-like. A rare fellow for business, Tony."