“Thank you,” said the other.

“Morris,” with a nod toward the photograph, “is rather uneventful, personally.  And it was no very difficult matter to get the facts concerning him.  But Burgess had a much more interesting time.  Hume seems to have lots of color as a character.  Not that there was a great deal shown—­the time was too short.  But the indications are promising.”

When Fuller had gone, Ashton-Kirk took up the sheets and began to read them carefully.  They were brief, pointed and evidently the work of men who were familiar enough with their business to eliminate all non-essentials.  The first one ran: 

“Allan Barnett Morris, Consulting Engineer.  Specialty, Marine Construction.  Lives at the Crompton Apartments.  Born October 15, 1879.  Graduate of Cornell; class of 1900.  Special honors.  Brilliant student.  Was at once engaged by the New England Ship Building Company.  Soon became their right hand man.  Resigned in 1905; took offices in the Blake Building.  Is much employed by the Government.  Has the reputation of a growing man in his line and is admitted by competent persons to be an expert.

“He is unmarried and has no relatives.  The last of these to die was his father—­a trifle more than three years ago.  The father had a reputation for great brilliancy and hard drinking.  He was an inventor of some note.  See the Morris Smoke Consumer—­the Morris Propeller—­the Morris Automatic Brake.  But he never made much out of any of these.  The appetite for liquor forced him to surrender, for very little, interests that made fortunes for other men.

“Young Morris is clear of the drink habit, and is a hard and persistent worker.  He is a member of the University and the Brookdale Field Clubs; goes into society, and is reported to be the accepted suitor of Miss Edyth Vale, daughter of the late James Vale, manufacturer of structural steel.”

“A clean bill of health, as far as it goes,” commented Ashton-Kirk.  “However, surface inquiries tell very little, sometimes.”

He turned to the remaining pages.

“David Purtell Hume, Numismatist, philatelist, dealer in objects of art and curiosities.  Resides at his place of business, second floor of 478 Christie Place.

“Hume located in this city in 1899.  Where he came from is not definitely known, but there is some slight cause for supposing that he is an American who had been living abroad.  However, an examination of the steamship passenger lists for 1898-99 fail to show his name.

“Is well known in his line and is reputed to be wealthy.  Is much disliked by his neighbors and others in the same trade.  Even those who patronize him have an aversion to him; but as he is an authority, and his stock always contains rarities, they do not take their custom elsewhere.