“Can’t you get in with him and find out what’s what?” suggested Matlock Styles.  “You can tell him that you are working up this case of the counterfeits.”

“I may do that.  The trouble is, these private detectives don’t like to go in with an outsider—­they are too much afraid of losing the credit for what they are trying to do.”

“Is anybody else on the case?”

“Not that I know of.  If there was—­”

At that moment the door bell of the house rang and soon one of the girls came upstairs.

“Mr. Martin is below,” said she to John Watkins.

“Is that so?  Tell him I will see him in a minute.”  The secret service man turned to the Englishman.  “He is a real estate man who is going to sell this house for me.  I’d forgotten that I had an appointment with him.”

“Never mind, give me that money you promised and I’ll be going,” answered Matlock Styles.  “I’ve got a lot of things to attend to in the next few days.”

“I’ll give it to you in the library.  The money is in the safe,” was the answer, and then both of the men left the room.

Adam Adams descended to the ground and walked slowly to the front of the house.  In a few minutes he saw the Englishman step out on the front piazza followed by the secret service man.

“Where are you going now?” asked the latter.

“Home and to bed,” was the reply.  “Goodnight.  Will I see you to-morrow?”

“Either to-morrow or the day after.  I want to settle up this real estate deal.  I promised my wife I’d do it.”

The Englishman came away from the house and hurried along the street to where the trolley car ran.  He boarded a car moving towards the depot and Adam Adams did the same.  At the depot Matlock Styles took a train for home.

Adam Adams made his way to a hotel in a thoughtful mood.  The conversation he had overheard interested him greatly.  He decided to learn more concerning the pair, and especially Matlock Styles, without unnecessary delay.

CHAPTER XVIII

A GIRL’S RAVINGS

Raymond Case passed a sleepless night watching over Margaret.  The doctor called once more, as he had agreed, and left another soothing powder, which the nurse administered with difficulty.  She shook her head when she came out of the sick room.

“What do you think?” questioned the young man pleadingly.

“To tell the truth, it looks like a bad case to me, Mr. Case,” was the reply.  “I may be mistaken, but I’ve had a pretty large hospital experience.  She doesn’t seem to respond to treatment as she should.”

“Don’t you think I ought to call in a specialist?”

Martha Sampson shrugged her shoulders.  “That is for you to say.  It wouldn’t be proper for me to say anything against Doctor Bird.”

“I’ll send for a specialist at once,” said Raymond, and hurried off to the nearest telephone station.  He had some difficulty in getting the proper connection with New York, and then had to hold the wire until the specialist could be roused up.  The expert’s fee was large, but once guaranteed, he promised to come by the first train.