"
"Yes, I got it. Sit down. I have a good deal to say and it may take some
time. Throw off your coat."
E. Holliday threw the fur coat open, but he did not remove it. He jerked
a chair forward and seated himself upon it.
"Now what does that thing mean?" he demanded, pointing to the envelope
he had tossed on the desk.
John picked up the envelope and opened it. A letter and a bank check
fell out.
"I will explain," he said quietly. "Mr. Kendrick, you know Captain Obed
Bangs, I think. Oh, it is all right. The captain is here at my request.
I asked him to be here. I wanted a reliable witness and he is reliable.
This," he went on, taking up the letter, "is a note I wrote you, Mr.
Kendrick. It states that I am resigning my position as your attorney.
And this," picking up the other paper, "is my check for five hundred
dollars, the amount of your retainer, which I am returning to you. . . .
You understand this so far, Captain?"
E. Holliday did not wait to hear whether the captain understood or not.
His big face flamed red.
"But what the devil?" he demanded.
John held up his hand.
"One moment, please," he said. "Captain Bangs, I want to explain a few
things. As you know, I have been acting as Mr. Kendrick's attorney in
the matter of the property occupied by Mrs. Barnes. He wished me to find
a means of forcing her to sell that property to him. Now, when a person
owning property does not wish to sell, that person cannot be forced into
giving up the property unless it is discovered that the property doesn't
belong to that particular person.
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