hen you came in. That's one truth--another is that a
will has been found--our poor friend's will, of course."

"God bless me!" exclaimed Mr. Halfpenny. "A will--our poor friend's
will--has been found! But surely, Barthorpe, as nephew, and solicitor--eh?"

Again Mr. Tertius looked at Peggie.

"I suppose we'd better tell Mr. Halfpenny everything," he remarked. "Of
course, Halfpenny, you'll understand that as soon as this dreadful
affair was discovered and the first arrangements had been made,
Barthorpe, as only male relative, began to search for a will. He
resented any interference from me and was very rude to me, but when he
came here and proposed to examine that safe, I told him at once that I
knew of a will and where it was, though I didn't know its terms. And I
immediately directed him to it, and we found it and read it a few
minutes ago with the result that Barthorpe at once quitted the
house--you must have passed him in the square."

"God bless us!" repeated Mr. Halfpenny. "I judge from that, then--but
you had better show me this document."

Mr. Tertius at once produced the will, and Mr. Halfpenny, rising from
his chair, marched across the room to one of the windows where he
solemnly half-chanted every word from start to finish. This performance
over, he carefully and punctiliously folded the document into its
original lines, replaced it in its envelope, and grasping this firmly in
his hand, resumed his seat and motioned everybody to attention.

"My dear Tertius!" he said. "Oblige me by narrating, carefully, briefly,
your recollection of the circumstances under which your signature to
this highly important document was obtained and made."

"Easily done," responded Mr. Tertius. "One night, some months ago, when
our poor friend was at work here with his secretary, a Mr. Frank
Burchill, he called me into the room, just as Burchill was about to
leave. He said: 'I want you two to witness my signature to a paper.'
He----"

"A moment," interrupted Mr. Halfpenny. "He said--'a paper.' Did he not
say 'my will'?"

"Not before the two of us. He merely said a paper. He produced the
paper--that paper, which you now hold. He let us see that it was covered
with writing, but we did not see what the writing was. He folded it
over, laid it, so folded, on that desk, and signed his name. Then we
both signed it in the blank spaces which he indicated: I first, then
Burchill. He then put it into an envelope--that envelope--and fa