The Vestibule Limited Mystery — page 156: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE VESTIBULE LIMITED MYSTERY. | _ 147 CHAPTER XIX. ONCE MORE TO THE BREACH. [ laugh coolly and knock the ashes from the cigar I have lighted since coming from the handsome apartments of the Andrews. “A conjurer, eh, Billings? Well, I thought you would be pleased to have those papers, and so I secured them.” “Did you find them, really?” he asks. : “They were handed to me by Andrews, alias Burke, who took them from the hand of his charm- ing daughter.” | “Confusion! You really mean to tell me you have been with them and forced them to hand over these papers which they value so highly?” “Exactly, comrade.” “Why did you do this?” Billings is puzzled, you see—he has been almost overwhelmed by having the papers put in his hands, and cannot for the life of him understand the mo- tive that has influenced me. “There were several reasons, sergeant. In the first place, it suited my fancy to doit. Then again those papers were apt to bother us in our side of the case—so long as they held them they would feel in & measure independent to defy us. Last of all, I wanted to show both you and Lord Arthur that 1] “am not ungrateful for what assistance has been given and promised me in this matter.” Gomireboo <5) co!