'Well, I don't know about that,' said the other, smiling and shaking
his head.

'This may or may not be true, I suppose,' was Richard's next remark.

'Oh, I suppose the man hears all that kind of thing. I don't see any
reason to doubt it.'

'May I keep the paper?'

'Oh, yes. Keene told me, by-the-by, that he gave a copy to young
Waltham.'

Mr. Rodman spoke whilst rolling the cigar in his mouth. Mutimer
allowed the subject to lapse.

There was no impossibility, no improbability even, in the statement
made by the newspaper correspondent; yet as Richard thought it over
in the night, he could not but regard it as singular that Mr. Keene
should be the man to make public such a piece of information so very
opportunely. He was far from having admitted the man to his
confidence, but between Keene and Rodman, as he was aware, an
intimacy had sprung up. It might be that one or the other had
thought it worth while to serve him; why should Keene be particular
to put a copy of the paper into Alfred Waltham's hands? Well, he
personally knew nothing of the affair. If the news effected
anything, so much the better. He hoped it might be trustworthy.

Among his correspondence in the morning was a letter from Emma Vine.