"Not much," replied Guyler. "But I'm open to tell what I do know. I've been a bit of a rolling stone, do you see--knocked about the world, pretty considerable, doing one thing and another, and I've falsified the old saying, for I've contrived to gather a good bit of moss in my rollings. Well, now, I was located in Cape Town for a while, some five years ago, and I met Spencer Levendale there. He was then a dealer in diamonds--can't say in what way exactly--for I never exactly knew--but it was well known that he'd made a big pile, buying and selling these goods, and he was a very rich man. Now I and five other men--all of different nationalities--were very useful to Levendale in a big deal that he was anxious to carry through--never mind what it was--and he felt pretty grateful to us, I reckon. And as we were all warmish men so far as money was concerned, it wasn't the sort of thing that he could hand out cheques for, so he hit on the notion of having sets of studs made of platinum--which is, as you're aware, the most valuable metal known, and on every stud he had a device of his own invention carefully engraved. Here's my set!--and what Mr. Rubinstein's got there is part of another. Now, then, who's the man who's been dropping his cuff-links about?" Purdie, who had listened with deep attention to the American's statement, immediately put a question. "That's but answered by asking you something," he said. "You no doubt know the names of the men to whom those sets of studs were given?" But to Purdie's disappointment, the American shook his head. "Well, now, I just don't!" he replied. "The fact is--as you would understand if you knew the circumstances--this was a queer sort of a secret deal, in which the assistance of various men of different nationality was wanted, and none of us knew any of the rest. However, I did come across the Englishman who was in it--afterwards. Recognized him, as a matter of fact, by his being in possession of those studs." "And who was he?" asked Purdie. "A man named Purvis--Stephen Purvis," answered Guyler. "Sort of man like myself--knocked around, taking up this and that, as long as there was money in it. I came across him in Johannesburg, maybe a year after that deal I was telling of. He didn't know who the other fellows were, neither." "You've never seen him since?" suggested Purdie. "You don't know where he is?" "Not a ghost of a notion!" said Guyler. "Didn't talk with him more than once, and then only for an hour or so." "Mister!" exclaimed Melky, eagerly. "Could you describe this here Purvis, now? Just a bit of a description, like?" "Sure!" answered the American. "That is--as I remember him. Biggish, raw-boned, hard-bitten sort of a man--about my age--clean-shaven--looked more of a Colonial than an Englishman--he'd been out in South Africa, doing one thing and another, since he was a boy."