"Storri, as you say, has a hold on Mr.Harley--has him frightened.

There are three ways to frighten a man; you can threaten him physically, or with disgrace, or with the loss of money.

Storri, by your report, is a coward with not half the courage of Mr.Harley; besides, in this case, a physical threat is out of the question.

So is a threat of money loss; it is preposterous to suppose that this half-baked Russian has got the upper hand in a business way of a shrewd one like Mr.Harley, or that the latter would permit him to drive him about like a dog if he had.

No, Storri has caught Mr.Harley in some wrong-doing, or, what is as bad, the appearance of it--something that looks like crime.