g his handkerchief back into
his pocket, "I suppose I--" he broke off. "This is a most respectable
firm of solicitors," he remarked suddenly and almost fiercely. "We'd
never dream of stooping to anything approaching fraud."

"Not dream of it," echoed Henry.

"Of course not," said Doctor Hilary heartily. "But this----"

"Oh, yes, I daresay, I daresay. Now then, what are your propositions?"

"Your propositions?" echoed Henry.

And a fourth time Doctor Hilary repeated them.

At the end of a lengthy interview, James Glieve opened the door of his
sanctum to show Doctor Hilary out.

"You might give my kindest remembrances--" he stopped. "Bless my soul, I
was just going to send my remembrances to old Nick, and we've been
spending the last hour settling up his will. Where's my memory going! I
shall probably run down in a few days, and go through matters with you on
the spot. A--er, a melancholy pleasure to see the old place again.
What?"

Henry Parsons, within the room, lost this last speech; therefore it found
no echo.

When Antony entered the private sanctum of James Glieve, he saw a stout
red-faced man, with a suspicion of side whiskers and a slight appearance
of ferocity, seated at a desk. On his right, and insignificant by
comparison, was a small grey-haired and rather dried-up man.

"Mr. Antony Gray?" queried the red-faced man, looking at Antony over his
spectacles.

Antony bowed.

"You come in answer to our communication regarding the will of the--er,
late Mr. Nicholas Danver?" asked James Glieve.

"I do," responded Antony. And he drew the said communication from his
pocket, and laid it on the table.

James Glieve glanced at it. Then he leant back in his chair, put his
elbows on its arms, and placed the tips of his fingers together.

"The--er, the conditions of the will are somewhat unusual," he announced.
"It is my duty to set them plainly before you. Should you refuse them, we
are to see that you are fully recompensed for any expense and
inconvenience your journey will have entailed. Should you, on the other
hand, accept them, it is understood that as a man of honour you will
fulfil the conditions exactly, not only in the letter, but in the
spirit."

"In the spirit," echoed Henry Parsons.

Antony bowed in silence.

"Of course, should you fail in your contract," went on James Glieve, "the
will becomes null and void. But it would be quite possible for you to
keep to the contract in the letter, whi