pressively around him amidst a
dead silence.

"Knew!" he repeated, shaking his finger at the expectant faces. "Knew
well! But--I am not going to tell you his name at this moment. For the
present we will call him Mr. X."

CHAPTER XXXIV

DAVIDGE'S TRUMP CARD

Burchill paused for a moment, to give full effect to this dramatic
announcement, which, to tell truth, certainly impressed every member of
his audience but one. That one skilfully concealed his real feelings
under a show of feigned interest.

"You never say!" exclaimed Davidge, dropping into a favourite colloquialism
of his native county. "Dear me, today! A man that you knew, Mr. Burchill,
and that for the present you'll call Mr. X. You knew him well, then?"

"Better than I know you," replied Burchill. He was beginning to be
suspicious of Davidge's tone, and his resentment of it showed in his
answer. "Well enough to know him and not to mistake him, anyhow! And
mind you, there was nothing surprising in his being there at that time
of night--that's a point that you should bear in mind, Davidge--it's in
your line, that. I knew so much of Jacob Herapath's methods and doings
that it was quite a reasonable thing for this man to be coming out of
the estate offices just before midnight."

"Exactly, sir--I follow you," said Davidge. "Ah!--and what might this
Mr. X. do then, Mr. Burchill?"

Burchill, who had addressed his remarks chiefly to the listeners on the
other side of the table, and notably to Cox-Raythwaite, turned away from
the detective and went on.

"This man--Mr. X," he said, "came quickly out of the door, turned down the
side-street a little, then turned back, passed the carriage-entrance, and
went away up the street in the opposite direction. He turned on his own
tracks so quickly that I was certain he had seen somebody coming whom he
did not wish to meet. He----"

"Excuse me a moment," broke in Cox-Raythwaite. "How was it X. didn't see
you?"

"Because I was on the opposite side of the street, in deep shadow,"
replied Burchill. "Besides that, the instant I caught sight of him I
quietly slipped back into a doorway. I remained there while he turned
and hurried up the street, for I was sure he had seen somebody coming,
and I wanted to find out who it was. And in another minute Barthorpe
Herapath came along, walking quickly. Then I understood--X. had seen him
in the distance, and didn't want to meet him."

"Just so, just so," murmured Davidge.