He went on, repeating as by rote: "'When I found and took them away, I was curious and amused, but skeptical--firmly skeptical--of there being any dark mystery about them. But now I know I let myself be deceived and I mean to get at the bottom of the whole thing.'" Wilkes seemed to kind of waver and fade before me, and then go out like a candle. Then he came back into view and I heard his voice again: "'And what's more, you tell him I say--'" The butler hesitated and seemed embarrassed--his heavy jowls reddened a little. He looked beyond me and coughed. "Of course _you_ know, sir," he said, shifting uneasily, "Mr. Billings ain't exactly himself, so to speak, so you mustn't mind. Fact is--if I _may_ say so--he's got the most considerable case of jimmies I ever see him with, so--" "Oh, _go_ on!" I breathed miserably. "Yes, sir--h'm!" Wilkes heaved distressfully, then drove doggedly ahead: "Oh, well, sir, what he _says_ was that it was his duty, he thought, to tell the family the truth about those pajamas, so that they would know that the man they were harboring under their roof wasn't what he seemed to be." His gaze bored higher over my head, his voice tapering off so faintly I could hardly hear. But I heard all right! Oh, yes, I got the full devilish force of it; but I couldn't speak. My dry lips touched wordlessly and I hunched deep into the hollow of the big leather rocker. I would have liked to get even deeper, and I studied wistfully a tiny floor-crack under the radiator. I thought I could make it if I were alone! Wilkes coughed again. I winced--there was evidently more! "Yes, sir," he murmured, as I cut a quick glance upward. "He _did_ say further that if you weren't satisfied, though, and would prefer another trial--" "Eh?" I bounded out of the chair. "What's that? Oh, dash it, _yes_--I would, by Jove!" "Very good, sir." Wilkes looked relieved, himself. "In that case, he said he was willing to experiment again--that was his word--_experiment_. He said he wouldn't detain you here on _his_ account, but he would _have_ to ask you to stay another day or two while he made his observations." It was a devilish cold shoulder, but I had no choice. Fact was, by Jove, I was so jolly glad for _that_ chance, and for being trusted again by Billings, even in this half-hearted way, that I just ground my pride under my heel--why, dash it, I would have ground anything under my heel for _her_! I was as happy as a bird, and life was again one grand, sweet what's-its-name. "Tell him certainly, Wilkes, and thank him--don't forget to thank him." And I believe I wrung his hand. "And--er--wait, Wilkes--couldn't you use a tenner?" I checked him on the threshold. "Let's see--no, that's a twenty--say, take _that_; take them both--_thank_ you, Wilkes!--and there's a five, too. Oh, yes, you _must_ take it all--I have no use for it, you know--never _would_ use those particular ones!"