"No; I did not expect the packet so soon. But I came next day."
"Too late, I'm afraid," said Octavius, advancing to the counter. "Here, old lady. Was there a letter here on the 15th, directed to Miss Judith?"
"Judas!" replied Mrs. Wevelspoke for the second time. "Drat it, what's come to the man, sir, as you're all talkin' of him? He's at Wosk's if you want him."
"Did you send any letters to him this month?" asked Fanks, loudly.
"Letters! all his letters go to the shop," retorted Mrs. Wevelspoke, obstinately.
"Remember!" cried the postmistress, twitching her bonnet, "of course I remember--I can remember things afore you were born, young man. I sends all letters to Mr. Judas at the shop. Two this month, and there's another waitin' 'im."
"Let me see it!" said Fanks, quickly glancing at Roger, "it may reveal something, Miss Varlins."
"Steal," remarked Mrs. Wevelspoke, sharply. "No, you don't steal here, sir! I'm an honest woman, I am."
"And a very stupid one," said Fanks, ruefully, in despair at getting any information out of this old dame.
"I have seen the letter she talks about, Mr. Rixton," said Miss Varlins, quickly, "and it is not the one we want."
At this moment Abraham rolled into the office, and Fanks at once pounced on him as being more likely to give information than his superior.
"Oh, here's the postman," he cried, radiantly. "Here, postman, did you deliver a letter to Monsieur Guinaud at Wosk's shop about the beginning of this month?"
"I can't tell State secrets," said Abraham in his fat voice, "it's treesin."
"Oh, you won't come to Tower Hill for telling me this," replied Fanks, good-humouredly.
"I don't know nothin' about your Tower Hills," growled the portly one, sulkily, "but I ain't going to tell nothin', I ain't. Mother and me's sworn, we are."
Fanks did not want his true occupation to be known, but he saw perfectly well that he would get nothing out of the faithful Abraham unless he adopted strong measures, so he made up his mind how to act at once.
"Look here, my man," he said, taking Abraham to one side and speaking sharply. "I'm a detective, and you must give me a plain answer to a plain question."
"I ain't bin doin' nothin' wrong," whimpered Abraham, edging away from the representative of the law; "I'll tell you anythin' you like as long as it isn't State secrets."