And in the back room, where that night five anxious officials had conferred, I found Sir Walter and Blenkiron.
Both looked worried, the American feverishly so.

He walked up and down the hearthrug, sucking an unlit black cigar.
'Say, Dick,' he said, this is a bad business.

It wasn't no fault of yours.

You did fine.

It was us--me and Sir Walter and Mr Macgillivray that were the quitters.' 'Any news ?' I asked.
'So far the cover's drawn blank,' Sir Walter replied.