"Only it's got to be done this very night, and I'm laid here, and can't do it.

You can do it, without danger, and at little trouble--only--it must be done private." "You want me to do something that nobody's to know about ?" I asked.
"Precisely!" said he.

"Nobody! Not even your mother--for even the best of women have tongues." I hesitated a little--something warned me that there was more in all this than I saw or understood at the moment.
"I'll promise this, Mr.Gilverthwaite," I said presently.

"If you'll tell me now what it is you want, I'll keep that a dead secret from anybody for ever.

Whether I'll do it or not'll depend on the nature of your communication." "Well spoken, lad!" he answered, with a feeble laugh.