le pressure. That I'll admit. But it
might have been better if you had confided in--someone else after the
deed was done. It would have helped clear up the mystery sooner, at any
rate. But that cannot be helped now. To proceed with the story. Here, by
the way, is the missing will, Lady Paula. I found it muffling the
clapper of Rhea's bell--a very ingenious hiding-place--and in the
finding discovered your--er--worthy brother at the same time. That was
how I happened to get hold of him. He gave me a few tips of quite useful
information afterward, upon promise of a light sentence, and helped to
lead me finally to the true murderer. So we will hold that in his
favour, at any rate. Sir Ross, I'd prefer you to keep that document
until it can be placed in the hands of your family lawyer. We don't want
any more disappearing tricks for the present, do we?"

"Hardly. Gad! it's amazing, positively extraordinary how you've found
all this out!" threw in that gentleman with deep emphasis. "Please
accept my apologies now for those unforgivable things I said to you, Mr.
Cleek. But when a chap's just been practically accused of killing his
own father----"

"You must expect a little heat. That's all right, my friend. Don't
bother about it further. Only, I was obliged to throw the scent upon
someone other than the real man--or we'd have lost him. You understand
that, of course?"

"Certainly. Only tell us how you traced the murder to its proper source,
and _why_ James Tavish should have done such a thing."

"That I will, and in the shortest way possible. But you must let me tell
my story in my own particular manner," replied Cleek, with a slight
smile and a warmth of feeling toward this very impetuous and
generous-hearted young man. "There's still a good deal to be cleared up
before you can understand, and I'm afraid some of it won't make
particularly good hearing. But that I cannot help. Men are frail things,
Sir Ross, where temptation is concerned. And when there is a pretty
woman in the question ... it's all right, Lady Paula; it all happened
long before _you_ entered your husband's life, so that there is nothing
for _you_ to forgive--but, as I say, when a pretty woman enters at one
door, a man's discretion very often flies out at another.

"I found, among other things yesterday, when I was looking for the will
in your father's desk, after having appropriated his keys first, a
bundle of old love-letters, written upon paper which I