briel himself
opened drawer after drawer, and revealed nothing of consequence. He
turned to the Earl with another expressive spreading out of his hands.

"I don't see what more we can do to assist your lordship," he said. "I
don't know what more can be done."

"The question is--so it seems to me--what is to be done," replied the
Earl, whose face had been gradually growing graver. "What, for instance,
are you going to do, Mr. Chestermarke? Let us be plain with each other.
You disclaim all liability in connection with my affair?"

"Most certainly!" exclaimed Gabriel. "We know nothing of that
transaction. As I have already said, if Horbury took charge of your
lordship's property, he did so as a private individual, not on our
behalf, not in his capacity as our manager. If your lordship had been a
customer of ours----"

"That would have been a very different matter," said Joseph. "But as we
have never had any dealings with your lordship----"

"We have, of course, no liability to you," concluded Gabriel. "The true
position of the case is that your lordship handed your property to
Horbury as a friend, not as manager of Chestermarke's Bank."

"Then let me ask you, what are you going to do?" said the Earl. "I mean,
not about my affair, but about finding your manager?"

Gabriel looked at his nephew: Joseph shook his head.

"So far," said Joseph, "we have not quite considered that. We are not
yet fully aware of how things stand. We have a pretty good idea, but it
will take another day."

"You don't mean to tell me that you're going to let another day elapse
before doing something?" exclaimed the Earl. "Bless my soul!--I'd have
had the hue and cry out before noon today, if I'd been you!"

"If you'd been Chestermarke's Bank, my lord," remarked Joseph, in his
softest manner, "that's precisely what you would not have done. We don't
want it noised all over the town and neighbourhood that our trusted
manager has suddenly run away with our money--and your jewels--in his
pocket."

There was a curious note--half-sneering, half-sinister--in the junior
partner's quiet voice which made the Earl turn and look at him with a
sudden new interest. Before either could speak, Neale ventured to say
what he had been wanting to say for half an hour.

"May I suggest something, sir?" he said, turning to Gabriel.

"Speak--speak!" assented Gabriel hastily. "Anything you like!"

"Mr. Horbury may have met with an accident," said Neale. "He wa