"Catch me without my tools," said he, significantly buttoning his coat over the arms, which were concealed in a side-pocket, ingeniously contrived for that purpose. "I see you do not know what to make of me," he continued, in a familiar and confidential tone; "but, to tell you the truth, everybody that has meddled in this St. Ronan's business is a little off the hooks--something of a _tete exaltee_, in plain words, a little crazy, or so; and I do not affect to be much wiser than other people." "Sir," said Jekyl, "your manners and discourse are so unprecedented, that I must ask your meaning plainly and decidedly--Do you mean to insult me or no?" "No insult at all, young gentleman--all fair meaning, and above board--I only wished to let you know what the world may say, that is all." "Sir," said Jekyl, hastily, "the world may tell what lies it pleases; but I was not present at the rencontre between Etherington and Mr. Tyrrel--I was some hundred miles off." "There now," said Touchwood, "there _was_ a rencontre between them--the very thing I wanted to know." "Sir," said Jekyl, aware too late that, in his haste to vindicate himself, he had committed his friend, "I desire you will found nothing on an expression hastily used to vindicate myself from a false aspersion--I only meant to say, if there was an affair such as you talk of, I knew nothing of it." "Never mind--never mind--I shall make no bad use of what I have learned," said Touchwood. "Were you to eat your words with the best fish-sauce, (and that is Burgess's,) I have got all the information from them I wanted." "You are strangely pertinacious, sir," replied Jekyl. "O, a rock, a piece of flint for that--What I have learned, I have learned, but I will make no bad use of it.--Hark ye, Captain, I have no malice against your friend--perhaps the contrary--but he is in a bad course, sir--has kept a false reckoning, for as deep as he thinks himself; and I tell you so, because I hold you (your finery out of the question) to be, as Hamlet says, indifferent honest; but, if you were not, why necessity is necessity; and a man will take a Bedouin for his guide in the desert, whom he would not trust with an aspar in the cultivated field; so I think of reposing some confidence in you--have not made up my mind yet, though." "On my word, sir, I am greatly flattered both by your intentions and your hesitation," said Captain Jekyl. "You were pleased to say just now, that every one concerned with these matters was something particular." "Ay, ay--something crazy--a little mad, or so. That was what I said, and I can prove it." "I should be glad to hear the proof," said Jekyl--"I hope you do not except yourself?"