ad more than seven or eight thousand."

"And--what happened, ma'am?" inquired Starmidge sympathetically. "The
man pestered you, of course!"

"Guy made him one or two offers," answered Mrs. Lester. "Of course I
would have made them good--to get rid of the affair. It was no use--he
had papers and things signed by Guy--who had borrowed all the money
since he came of age--and he refused to abate a penny. The last time
that Guy called on him, he told him flatly that he would have his
fifteen thousand to the last shilling. It was, of course, extortion!"

Starmidge and Easleby exchanged looks. Both felt that they were on the
very edge of a discovery.

"To be sure, ma'am," asserted Starmidge. "Absolute extortion! And--what
is the name of the money-lending gentleman?"

"His name," replied Mrs. Lester, "is Godwin Markham."

"Did you ever see him, ma'am?" asked Starmidge.

Mrs. Lester looked her astonishment.

"I?" she exclaimed. "No--never!"

"Did your son ever describe him to you?--his personal appearance, I
mean," inquired Starmidge.

Mrs. Lester shook her head.

"No!" she replied. "Indeed, I have heard my son say that he never saw
Markham himself but once. He did his--business, I suppose you would call
it--with the manager--who always said--when this recent pressing
began--that he was powerless--he could only do what Mr. Markham bade him
do."

"Precisely!" said Starmidge. "There generally is a manager whose chief
business is to say that sort of thing, ma'am. Dear me!--and where,
ma'am, is this Mr. Godwin Markham's office? You know that, no doubt?"

"Oh, yes--it is in Conduit Street--off New Bond Street," replied Mrs.
Lester.

"Of course you never went there?" asked Starmidge. "No, of course not.
All was done through your son, until you called in Mr. Hollis. Now, when
did you call in Mr. Hollis, Mrs. Lester?--the date's important."

"About a fortnight ago," replied Mrs. Lester--"I sent for him--I told
him all about it--I asked his advice. At his suggestion I gave him a
cheque for ten thousand pounds. He said he would make an endeavour to
settle the whole thing for that amount, and have everything cleared up.
He took the cheque away with him."

"Between then--that day when he was here and you gave him the cheque,"
asked Starmidge, "and last Saturday, when we know Mr. Hollis went to
Scarnham, did you hear of or from Mr. Hollis at all?"

"Only in this way," replied Mrs. Lester. "When he left me, he said that