ere twice a year. But--ten thousand pounds!"

Mr. Mullineau leaned forward.

"We don't know if Frederick Hollis paid any large amount in lately, you
know," he observed. "Hadn't you better summon Linthwaite?"

"Our manager," remarked Mr. Vanderkiste, as he touched a bell. "Ah, yes,
of course--he'll know. Mr. Linthwaite," he continued, as another elderly
man entered the room, "can you tell us what Mr. Frederick Hollis's
balance in our hands is?"

"I have just been looking it up, sir," replied the manager, "in
consequence of this sad news in the papers. Ten thousand, eight hundred,
seventy-nine, five, four, Mr. Vanderkiste."

"Ten thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine pounds, five shillings and
fourpence," repeated Mr. Vanderkiste. "Ah! An unusually large amount, I
think, Mr. Linthwaite?"

"Just so, sir," agreed the manager. "The reason is that rather more
than a week ago Mr. Hollis called here himself with a cheque for ten
thousand pounds which he paid into his account, explaining to me that it
had been handed to him for a special purpose, and that he should draw a
cheque for his own against it, for the same amount, very shortly."

"Ah!" remarked Mr. Vanderkiste. "Has the cheque which he paid in been
cleared?"

"We cleared it at once," replied the manager. "Oh, yes! But the cheque
which Mr. Hollis spoke of drawing against it has not come in--and now,
of course----"

"Just so," said Mr. Vanderkiste. "Now that he's dead, of course, his
cheque is no good. Um! That will do, thank you, Mr. Linthwaite."

He turned and looked at Starmidge when the manager had withdrawn.

"That explains matters," he said. "The ten thousand pounds had been paid
to Mr. Frederick Hollis for a special purpose."

"But--by whom?" asked Starmidge. "That's precisely what I want to know!
The knowledge will help me--ah!--I don't know how much it mayn't help
me! For there's no doubt about it, gentlemen, Hollis went down to
Scarnham to pay ten thousand pounds to somebody on somebody else's
account! He was, I am sure, as it were, ambassador for somebody. Who
was--who is--that somebody? Almost certainly, the person who gave Hollis
the cheque your manager has just mentioned--and whose ten thousand
pounds is, as a matter of fact, still lying in your hands! Who is that
person? What bank was the cheque drawn on? Let me have an answer to
both these questions, and----"

The two old gentlemen exchanged looks, and Mr. Mullineau quietly rose
and left