fellow he said put up the job against
him for the sake of blackening him in the eyes of his sweetheart,
eventually married the girl, so it does look rather fishy.
However, although it ruined Barrington-Edwards for the time being,
and embittered him so that he never married, he certainly had
the satisfaction of knowing that the fellow who had caused this
trouble turned out an absolute rotter, spent all his wife's money and
brought her down to absolute beggary, whereas, if she'd stuck to
Barrington-Edwards she'd have been a wealthy woman indeed,
to-day. He's worth half a million at the least calculation."

"How's that? Somebody die and leave him a fortune?"

"No. He had a little of his own. Speculated, while he was in the
East, in precious stones and land which he had reason to believe
likely to produce them; succeeded beyond his wildest hopes, and is
to-day head of the firm of Barrington-Edwards, Morpeth & Firmin,
the biggest dealers in precious stones that Hatton Garden can boast
of."

"Oho!" said Cleek. "I see! I see!" and screwed round on his heel
and looked out of the window again. Then, after a moment: "And Mr.
Barrington-Edwards lives in the neighbourhood of Hampstead Heath,
does he?" he asked quite calmly. "Alone?"

"No. With his nephew and heir, young Mr. Archer Blaine, a dead
sister's only child. As a matter of fact, it was Mr. Archer Blaine
himself who discovered the body of the fifth victim. Coming home at
a quarter to one from a visit to an old college friend, he found
the man lying stone dead in the shadow of the wall surrounding
Lemmingham House, and, of course, lost no time in dashing indoors
for a police whistle and summoning the constable on point duty in
the district. The body was at once given in charge of a hastily
summoned detachment from the Yard and conveyed to the Hampstead
mortuary, where it still lies awaiting identification."

"Been photographed?"

"Not as yet. Of course it will be--as were the other four--prior to
the time of burial should nobody turn up to claim it. But in this
instance we have great hopes that identification _will_ take place on
the strength of a marked peculiarity. The man is web-footed and----"

"The man is _what_?" rapped in Cleek excitedly.

"Web-footed," repeated Narkom. "The several toes are attached one to
the other by a thin membrane, after the manner of a duck's feet; and
on the left foot there is a peculiar horny protuberance like----"

"Like a rudimen