he room with it on. "Is that the way to--"

"Hedges!"

Hedges was struck with consternation at the call, for it was that of his
new master. He had not bargained for this; supposing that he had gone to
his room for the night. However he might have been foolishly won over to
accede to the man's strange request, it was not to be supposed it would
be approved of by Lord Hartledon. The butler hesitated. He did not care
to betray Pike, neither did he care to leave Pike alone.

"Hedges!" came the call again, louder and quicker.

"Yes, sir--my lord?" and Hedges squeezed out at the door without opening
it much--which was rather a difficulty, for he was a portly man, with a
red, honest sort of face--leaving Pike and the light inside. Lord
Hartledon--as we must unfortunately call him now--was standing in the
hall.

"Has Dr. Ashton gone?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Did he leave that address?"

Hedges knew to what his master alluded: an address that was wanted in
connection with certain official proceedings that must now take place.
Hedges replied that Dr. Ashton had not left it with him.

"Then he must have forgotten it. He said he would write it down in
pencil. Send over to the Rectory the first thing in the morning. And,
Hedges--"

At this moment a slight noise was heard within the room like the sound of
an extinguisher falling; as, in fact, it was. Lord Hartledon turned
towards it.

"Who is there, Hedges?"

"I--it's no one in particular, sir--my lord."

What with the butler's bewilderment on the sudden change of masters, and
what with his consciousness of the presence of his visitor, he was
unusually confused. Lord Hartledon noticed it. It instantly occurred to
him that one of the ladies, or perhaps one of the women-servants, had
been admitted to the room; and he did not consider it a proper sight for
any of them.

"Who is it?" he demanded, somewhat peremptorily.

So Hedges had to confess what had taken place, and that he had allowed
the man to enter.

"Pike! Why, what can he want?" exclaimed Lord Hartledon in surprise. And
he turned to the room.

The moment the butler left him alone Mr. Pike's first proceeding had been
to cover his head again with his wide-awake, which he had evidently
removed with reluctance, and might have refused to remove at all had it
been consistent with policy; his second was to snatch up the candle, bend
over the dead face, and examine it minutely both with eye and hand.

"There _is_ a