detective, greeting him with a fair amount of cordiality, for,
personally, he rather liked the man. "You here!" he exclaimed. "I
scarcely expected ever to see you again."

Saunders grinned pleasantly, but still suspiciously, as he answered.
"I can't say the same of you, Mr. Griffin. I knew you would be here
when I returned; fact is, I came back to see you."

"Me? How could I cart books all over the world with me? What do you
want to see me for? No, no. I am bad material for you to work on.
Better go back to the Padre. He's what you call an 'easy mark,' isn't
he?"

"Oh, he's not so easy as you think, Griffin. By the way, have you
lunched?"

"No."

"You will join me then?"

"Thanks; I will."

"We can get into a corner and talk undisturbed."

But lunch was disposed of before Saunders began. When he did, it was
right in the middle of things.

"Griffin," he said, leaning over the table and looking straight at
Mark, "Griffin, what's your game? Let's have this thing out."