y. He let us all into his house with his
latch-key, and led us to his study, where he closed the door. "Now," he
went on, turning to the butler. "What is it? You can speak freely--we are
all three--Mr. Portlethorpe, Mr. Moneylaws, and myself--pretty well
acquainted with all that is going on, by this time. And--I'm perhaps not
far wrong when I suggest that you know something?"

The butler, who had taken the chair which Mr. Lindsey had pointed out,
rubbed his hands, and looked at us with an undeniable expression of
cunning and slyness.

"Well, sir!" he said in a low, suggesting tone of voice. "A man in my
position naturally gets to know things--whether he wants to or not,
sometimes. I have had ideas, gentlemen, for some time."

"That something was wrong?" asked Mr. Portlethorpe.

"Approaching to something of that nature, sir," replied the butler. "Of
course, you will bear in mind that I am, as it were, a stranger--I have
only been in Sir Gilbert's Carstairs' employ nine months. But--I have
eyes. And ears. And the long and short of it is, gentlemen, I believe Sir
Gilbert--and Lady Carstairs--have gone!"

"Absolutely gone?" exclaimed Mr. Portlethorpe. "Good gracious,
Hollins!--you don't mean that!"

"I shall be much surprised if it is not found to be the case, sir,"
answered Hollins, whose name I now heard for the first time.
"And--incidentally, as it were--I may mention that I think it will be
discovered that a good deal has gone with them!"

"What--property?" demanded Mr. Portlethorpe. "Impossible!--they couldn't
carry property away--going as they seem to have done--or are said to
have done!"

Hollins coughed behind one of his big, fat hands, and glanced knowingly
at Mr. Lindsey, who was listening silently but with deep attention.

"I'm not so sure about that, sir," he said. "You're aware that there were
certain small matters at Hathercleugh of what we may term the heirloom
nature, though whether they were heirlooms or not I can't say--the
miniature of himself set in diamonds, given by George the Third to the
second baronet; the necklace, also diamonds, which belonged to a Queen of
Spain; the small picture, priceless, given to the fifth baronet by a Czar
of Russia; and similar things, Mr. Portlethorpe. And, gentlemen, the
family jewels!--all of which had been reset. They've got all those!"

"You mean to say--of your own knowledge--they're not at Hathercleugh?"
suddenly inquired Mr. Lindsey.

"I mean to say th