“I don’t suppose you know anything about the personal affairs of Mrs. Buckner-Gorham which would be of assistance to us in this case, do you?”

Buckner thought hard.  Ideas came slowly to him in his present condition, but at last he looked up with an expression which interested the lawyer.

“She thought herself too good for me,” he muttered, “but there is something I should like to have her explain,” he said.

“And what is that?” Levy asked, quickly jumping at a possible clew.

“After she found me in the trail she disappeared for two weeks before she returned to her father’s ranch, and I should like to know where she spent that time.”

“Where do you think she spent it?”

“I don’t know for sure, but there are people who say she was with a prospector in his shack four or five miles from my ranch.  I didn’t hear about it until afterward; but, anyhow, there was a man rode back with her to her father’s ranch who got her into the hospital in Denver after she found her father was dead.  She thinks she’s better than I am, but, just the same, I’d like to know who that man was.”

Levy quickly made a few notes.  “I think I may be able to assist you in gratifying that desire,” he remarked.

* * * * *

The next day after receiving the message, Covington again found himself within Levy’s dingy offices, and this time he experienced no delay in being conducted to the sanctum in the rear, where he found the lawyer ready to receive him with a genial smile and a cordiality which expressed itself in the briskness with which he rubbed his hands together.

“I think you will be well pleased with the rapid progress of our investigations,” Levy began.

“I judged so by your letter.”  Covington was noncommittal.

“There will be no difficulty in having the divorce decree granted to Mrs. Buckner—­now Mrs. Gorham—­set aside whenever you say the word.  Here is the affidavit of Buckner himself, and the fellow is not only willing but eager to push the case through.”

Covington took the document in his hand and examined it carefully.  Then:  “How would you undertake to do it?” he asked.

“It is a principle of our firm not to discuss methods with our clients.  Results are what count, and our reputation for securing these is perhaps a sufficient guarantee that my statement is based on facts.”

“Your position is undoubtedly fully justified,” Covington replied, a slight expression of amusement showing in his face.  “We hardly need to discuss that phase of it, however, as this is probably as far as I shall ask you to go.”

“Oh, Mr. Covington, you wouldn’t drop a nice case like this, would you?” Levy begged.  “There is a lot of money in it for both of us.”

Covington answered him, coldly:  “I believe the terms of our business arrangement were clearly understood at the beginning.”