thirty-five or six years ago. One of our schoolmates was a John Horbury.
And--he came from this place--Scarnham."

The three listeners looked at each other. And Neale started, as if at
some sudden reminiscence, and he spoke quickly.

"I've heard Mr. Horbury speak of his school-days at Selburgh!" he said.
"And--now I come to think of it--he had some books with the school
coat-of-arms on the sides--prizes."

"Just so!" remarked Hollis. "I remember Jack Horbury very well indeed,
though I never saw him after I left school, nor heard of him either,
until I saw all this news about him in the papers. Of course, your
missing bank manager is the John Horbury my brother and I were at school
with! And I take it that the reason my brother came down to Scarnham
last Saturday was--to see John Horbury."

Starmidge had been listening to all this with close attention. He was
now more than ever convinced that he was at last on some track--but so
far he could not see many steps ahead. Nevertheless, his next step was
clearly enough discernible.

"You say you saw your brother some eight or nine months ago, sir?" he
remarked. "Did he mention Mr. Horbury to you at that time?"

"No, he didn't," replied Hollis.

"Did he ever--recently, I mean--ever mention his name to you in a
letter?" asked Starmidge.

"No--never! I don't know," said Hollis, "that he or I ever spoke to each
other of John Horbury from the time we left school. John Horbury was
not, as it were, a very particular chum of ours. We knew him--as we knew
a hundred other boys. As I have already told you, the two names,
Horbury, Scarnham, in the newspapers yesterday, immediately recalled
John Horbury, our schoolmate, to me. Up to then, I don't suppose I'd
ever thought of him for--years! And I don't suppose he'd ever thought of
me, or of my brother. Yet--I feel sure my brother came here to see him.
For business reasons, I suppose?"

"The odd thing about that, Mr. Hollis," remarked Polke, "is that we
can't find the slightest reason, either from anybody here, or from your
brother's clerk in London, why your brother should come to see Horbury,
whether for business, or for any other purpose. And as to his
remembering Mr. Frederick Hollis, well, here's Mr. Neale--Mr. Horbury
was his guardian--and Mr. Neale, of course, has known him all his life.
Now, Mr. Neale never heard him mention Mr. Frederick Hollis by name at
any time. And there's now staying in the town Mr. Horbury's niece, M