ss in ushering his caller within. His manner seemed to be
genuinely frank and unaffected: Mr. Halfpenny was considerably puzzled
by it. Was Barthorpe playing a part, or was all this real? That, of
course, must be decided by events: Mr. Halfpenny was not going to lose
any time in moving towards them, whatever they might turn out to be. He
accordingly went straight to the point.

"My dear sir," he began, bending confidentially towards Barthorpe, who
had taken a seat at his desk and was waiting for his visitor to speak,
"you have entered a caveat against the will in the Probate Registry."

"I have," answered Barthorpe, with candid alacrity. "Of course!"

"You intend to contest the matter?" inquired Mr. Halfpenny.

"Certainly!" replied Barthorpe.

Mr. Halfpenny gathered a good deal from the firm and decisive tone in
which this answer was made. Clearly there was something in the air of
which he was wholly ignorant.

"You no doubt believe that you have good reason for your course of
action," he observed.

"The best reasons," said Barthorpe.

Mr. Halfpenny ruminated a little, silently.

"After all," he said at last, "there are only two persons really
concerned--your cousin, Miss Wynne, and yourself. I propose to make an
offer to you."

"Always willing to be reasonable, Mr. Halfpenny," answered Barthorpe.

"Very good," said Mr. Halfpenny. "Of course, I see no possible reason for
doubting the validity of the will. From our side, litigation must go on in
the usual course. But I have a proposal to make to you. It is this--will
you meet your cousin at my office, with all the persons--witnesses to the
will, I mean--and state your objections to the will? In short, let us
have what we may call a family discussion about it--it may prevent much
litigation."

Barthorpe considered this suggestion for a while.

"What you really mean is that I should come to your offices and tell my
cousin and you why I am fighting this will," he said eventually. "That
it?"

"Practically--yes," assented Mr. Halfpenny.

"Whom do you propose to have present?" asked Barthorpe.

"Yourself, your cousin, myself, the two witnesses, and, as a friend of
everybody concerned, Professor Cox-Raythwaite," replied Mr. Halfpenny.
"No one else is necessary."

"And you wish me to tell, plainly, why I refuse to believe that the will
is genuine?" asked Barthorpe.

"Certainly--yes," assented Mr. Halfpenny.

Barthorpe hesitated, eyeing the old lawyer doub