I didn't
want to seem too sharp with him, just in case he might be a wrong 'un and
would be the better of a little show of guilelessness. Of course I let
him know later he couldn't have the fellow. But honestly, Roger, I can't
think there was really anything suspicious in his request. In the first
place the trouble is going on without his inebriate. In the second
place, the request would be too bareface if he meant mischief."
"Still," I said, "it shows the man is hard up. Suppose he has been
tempted?"
"In that case we must also suppose he has fallen and pocketed a bribe;
and then he wouldn't be hard up any more."
"One doesn't know his difficulties. He might require a lot to cover them,
and be in need of a fresh cheque now. And there's one thing, Jack, that
has made me wonder sometimes. He is a cut above the ordinary local doctor
in such a place. What's he doing there?"
"Well," said my cousin after a moment's thought, "the problem in my mind
always comes back to this, that we are never likely to get much forrader
until we can station a spy of our own in the place to watch what's going
on. And how can one possibly manage that without giving away who the
watcher is? If they know who he is, he will find out nothing, and
probably have his throat cut. That's the difficulty."
I said nothing for a moment.
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