h shook his head--and Neale,
glancing from one partner to the other, felt himself turning sick with
apprehension.

CHAPTER III

MR. CHESTERMARKE DISCLAIMS LIABILITY

Gabriel Chestermarke, after that one look at his nephew, turned again to
the Earl, politely motioning him to the chair which he had already drawn
forward. And the Earl, whose eyes had been wandering over the pile of
documents on the senior partner's desk, glancing curiously at the open
door of the strong room, and generally taking in a sense of some unusual
occurrence, dropped into it and looked expectantly at the banker.

"There's nothing wrong?" he asked suddenly. "You look--surprised."

Gabriel stiffened his already upright figure.

"Surprised--yes!" he answered. "And something more than surprised--I am
astonished! Your lordship left the Countess's jewels with our manager?
May I ask when--and under what circumstances?"

"About six weeks ago," replied the Earl promptly. "As a rule the jewels
are kept at my bankers in London. The Countess wanted them to wear at
the Hunt Ball, so I fetched them from London myself. Then, as we were
going off to the Continent two days after the ball, and sailing direct
from Kingsport to Hamburg, I didn't want the bother of going up to town
with them, and I thought of Horbury. So I drove in here with them one
evening--the night before we sailed, as a matter of fact--and asked him
to lock them up until our return. And as I said just now, we only got
home the night before last, and we're going up to town tomorrow, and the
Countess wants them to take with her. Of course, you've got 'em all
right?"

Gabriel Chestermarke spread out his hands.

"I know nothing whatever about them!" he said. "I never heard of them
being here."

"Nor I," affirmed Joseph. "Not a word!"

Gabriel looked at Neale, and drew Lord Ellersdeane's attention to him.

"Our senior clerk--Mr. Neale," he said. "Neale--have you heard of this
transaction?"

"Never!" replied Neale. "Mr. Horbury never mentioned it to me."

Gabriel waved his hand towards the open door of the strong room.

"Any valuables of that sort would have been in there," he remarked.
"There is nothing of that sort there--beyond what I and my nephew know
of. I am sure your lordship's jewels are not there."

"But--Horbury?" exclaimed the Earl. "Where is he? He would tell you!"

"We don't know where Mr. Horbury is," answered Gabriel "The truth may as
well be told--he's miss