At that moment the slide was drawn up again sharply and the barmaid appeared at the aperture with four glasses of whisky on a tray. Gallagher went to the aperture, paid for the whisky, handed glasses to Connor and Mulholland, received his change, pinched the barmaid’s cheek and made her scream, laughed, pulled down the shutter himself and then advanced smiling to Gypo with a glass of whisky in each hand. He held out one glass to Gypo. Gypo stared at it without making any movement to take it or reject it. He had followed all Gallagher’s movements with the stupid and suspicious wonder of a terrified wild animal that thinks some trick is being played on it. Now he stared at the glass as if he suspected some trick in that too. “Take it,” said Gallagher coldly. “Take it, man, if you’ve any sense. It’s better to have me as a friend than as an enemy. If you are not going to help us in this job . . . er . . . people might think . . . er . . . that . . .” “Uh,” began Gypo with a shrug of his whole body. Then he stopped panting. He went on, speaking at a very high pitch. “It’s not that but . . . Look here . . . It’s how . . .” His voice suddenly deepened into a hoarse shout, “It’s how I don’t know what I’m doin’.” He stopped. Gallagher glanced at Mulholland. Mulholland’s cat’s eyes both winked inperceptibly. “I’ve been starvin’ here for the past six months,” continued Gypo, suddenly breaking out into a torrent of words. He talked like a negro, hollow, thunderous and melancholy. “I’ve been kicking about this town an’ every one o’ you fellahs I met passed me by without a word as if I never knew ye. I been over in the House there, livin’ from hand to mouth on whatever I could bum from sailors and pimps and dockers. I got no clothes. I got no money. I got nothin’. An’ then you come up all of a sudden with yer soft talk. Well . . . uh . . . how is it that . . .” He came to a stop once more with his chest heaving. He seemed to be about to go into a rage once more, but suddenly Gallagher moved closer to him and whispered gently and soothingly: “Look here, Gypo. I’m going to make a fair deal with you. I’ll admit you have done a lot for the movement. You have paid the penalty during the last six months for the dangerous position you placed the whole Organization in last October. We’ll call that quits on one condition. If you can give us a clue to the man that informed on Francis Joseph McPhillip I’ll get ye taken back again into the Organization at yer old job on Head-quarters Staff. Here. Take this drink.” Gypo’s hand shot out immediately. He grasped the glass and Gallagher’s hand both together in his immense paw. The two men almost struggled trying to disengage their hands. As soon as the glass was free Gypo put it to his lips and drained it. Then he stalked slowly over to the mantelpiece and placed the empty glass on it. With his back to his companions he paused to wipe his mouth with his sleeve.