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"I was just gettin' to that. After a while, from a little bit

here an' a little there, I made out that the first young feller

was private secretary to the president of the Marine Insurance

Company. That's the firm that carried the old May, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"I thought so. They've got my Rosan, too, though I wish mightily

now that they hadn't. This feller is the private secretary to the

president, an' the other two are clerks or something in the

office. They may have been up to something crooked, and then

again they may have just been talkin' things over as young

fellers often do when they're interested in their work. Anyway,

there's enough in what they said to set you thinkin', I

cal'late."

"Yes," said Code slowly and grimly, "it is. I've only known that

the island was talking since last night, and now I find St.

John's is, too. It's spreading pretty fast, it seems; and I

wonder where it will end?" He pondered silently for a while.