After dinner Forrester went to the library, hunted up his pipe and sat down to think. He had just settled back in his chair when he heard the door-bell, and a minute later a maid announced that a reporter from the _Times_ wished to see him. Forrester hesitated as he ran the matter over in his mind. He disliked publicity and this call certainly meant publicity. On the other hand, he was seeking all the information and help which he could get, and it was a well-known fact that newspaper reporters frequently solved mysteries which baffled the police. Forrester decided, therefore, that he really had little to lose and perhaps much to gain by allowing the reporter to interview him, so he instructed the maid to send the man in. The young man entered the library briskly, giving a quick and comprehensive glance around the room before addressing Forrester. "Mr. Forrester?" he inquired. "Yes," replied Forrester, affably. "Take this chair and make yourself at home." As the young man sat down, Forrester turned back the lid of a humidor and pushed it along the library table. "Gee!" said the young man, selecting a cigar. "You seem glad to see me. I don’t always get a greeting like this." "Well," explained Forrester, smiling, "I’m in deep trouble and you, as a newspaper man, may prove to be a friend in need." The young man visibly expanded as he remarked, "That’s right! We newspaper men can be a lot of help sometimes. If there is anything I can do, say the word. My name’s Humphrey." "I’m very glad to know you," said Forrester. "Now, may I inquire how you happened to call on me?" "Sure thing," returned Humphrey. "You see, our police reporter informed us that you had been to the detective bureau today—that you had received one of those notices from the ’Friends of the Poor.’ Owing to the death of a prominent man like Mr. Nevins, which is attributed to these people, our paper is going to run a special feature article tomorrow morning, reviewing the whole history of this affair. Naturally, we want to know all the details of each case, and what every one connected with it has to say. As you seem to be the latest victim, we are interested in the particulars of your case, and your personal views regarding it." "I am afraid," declared Forrester, "that the details of one case correspond very closely to those of any other case. I have merely received a warning to put ten thousand dollars in a certain tree by midnight Saturday or take the consequences." "You’re quite right," agreed Humphrey. "The method in each case is the same. But the outcome is not always the same. What do _you_ propose doing in the matter?" "Well, for one thing," asserted Forrester, "_I do not intend to pay_!" "That’s the stuff!" approved Humphrey. "If everyone would fight, we’d soon put those fellows out of business. But," he added, leaning confidentially toward Forrester, "_how_ do you propose to fight them?"