tfully.

"It will be a painful business--for my cousin," he said.

"If--I really haven't the faintest notion of what you mean!" exclaimed
Mr. Halfpenny. "But if--if it will be painful for your cousin to hear
this--whatever it is--in private, it would be much more painful for her
to hear it in public. I gather, of course, that you have some strange
revelation to make. Surely, it would be most considerate to her to make
it in what we may call the privacy of the family circle, Cox-Raythwaite
and myself."

"I haven't the least objection to Cox-Raythwaite's presence, nor yours,"
said Barthorpe. "Very good--I'll accept your proposal--it will, as you
say, save a lot of litigation. Now--when?"

"Today is Tuesday," said Mr. Halfpenny. "What do you say to next Friday
morning, at ten o'clock?"

"Friday will do," answered Barthorpe. "I will be there at ten o'clock. I
shall leave it to you to summon all the parties concerned. By the by,
have you Burchill's address?"

"I have," replied Mr. Halfpenny. "I will communicate with him at once."

Barthorpe nodded, rose from his seat, and walked with his visitor
towards the door of his private room.

"Understand, Mr. Halfpenny," he said, "I'm agreeing to this to oblige
you. And if the truth is very painful to my cousin, well, as you say,
it's better for her to hear it in private than in a court of justice.
All right, then--Friday at ten."

Mr. Halfpenny went back to his own office, astonished and marvelling.
What on earth were these revelations which Barthorpe hinted at--these
unpleasant truths which would so wound and hurt Peggie Wynne? Could it
be possible that there really was some mystery about that will of which
only Barthorpe knew the secret? It was incomprehensible to Mr. Halfpenny
that any man could be so cool, so apparently cocksure about matters as
Barthorpe was unless he felt absolutely certain of his own case. What
that case could be, Mr. Halfpenny could not imagine--the only thing
really certain was that Barthorpe seemed resolved on laying it bare when
Friday came.

"God bless me!--it's a most extraordinary complication altogether!"
mused Mr. Halfpenny, once more alone in his own office. "It's very
evident to me that Barthorpe Herapath is absolutely ignorant that he's
suspected, and that the police are at work on him! What a surprise for
him if the thing comes to a definite head, and--but let us see what
Friday morning brings."

Friday morning brought Barthorpe to