290  LIFE  AND  ADVENTURES  OF


"  I  don't  know  what  it  may  be,  I  don't  know  what  it  may
not  be,"  said  Newman ;  "  it's  some  secret  in  which  your  uncle
is  »3oncerned,  but  what,  I've  not  yet  been  able  to  discover,
although  I  have  my  strong  suspicions.  I'll  not  hint  'em  now,
in  case  you  should  be  disappointed."

"  /  disappointed  1 "  cried  Nicholas ;  "am  I  interested  ?  "

"I  think  you  are,"  replied  Newman.  "I  have  a  crotchet
in  my  head  that  it  must  be  so.  I  have  found  out  a  man,
who  plainly  knows  more  than  he  cares  to  tell  at  once.  And
he  has  already  dropped  such  hints  to  me  as  puzzle  me — I  say,
as  puzzle  me,"  said  Newman,  scratching  his  red  nose  into  a
state  of  violent  inflammation,  and  staring  at  Nicholas  with  all
his  might  and  main  meanwhile.
Admiring  what  could  have  wound  his  friend  up  to  such  a
pitch  of  mystery,  Nicholas  endeavored,  by  a  series  of  ques-
tions, to  elucidate  the  cause;  but  in  vain.  Newman  could
not  be  drawn  into  any  more  explicit  statement  than  a  repe-
tition of  the  perplexities  he  had  already  thrown  out,  and  a
confused  oration,  showing,  How  it  was  necessaiy  to  use  the
utmost  caution ;  how  the  lynx-eyed  Ealph  had  already  seen
him  in  company  with  his  unknown  correspondent ;  and  how
he  had  baffled  the  said  Ealph  by  extreme  guardedness  of
manner  and  ingenuity  of  speech:  having  prepared  himself
for  such  a  contingency  from  the  first.
