As the name of the missionary and Pike's Hotel were mentioned, he remembered that he had seen these very names on the butts of Grant's cheque-books.

Getting Blake to excuse him for a moment, he hurried to his room and pulled out a bundle of cheque-butts.

The best diary of many a man is found in his cheque-butts.

There he saw on the very date mentioned by Blake, cheques drawn to "Self and P.", also one drawn to "Pike accommodation," and one simply to the name of Nettleship for five pounds.

Of course it was quite possible that the latter was only a donation to charity, such as old Bully was occasionally very free with; but, taken together, the whole lot made Blake's story look unpleasantly probable.