fer with Mr. Page. He arrived
only last night. The whole circumstance was very unusual."

"What do you mean by that?"

Some moments elapsed before he replied.

"Why," presently, "Mr. Page was not in the habit of seeing people here,
or--as far as that's concerned--of considering any business matters
whatever after he returned home in the evening; this was his invariable
rule, excepting--" He paused.

"Excepting what?" I urged.

"Well, occasionally--very rarely--he would have me here. Last night
was one of those occasions; he expected to be absent from the city, and
there were special instructions that he wanted to give me, concerning
certain matters that had to be looked after to-day.

"But, without an exception that I can recall, everybody else who had
any business with him was required to go to the Drovers' National, or
to his office in the same building.

"Even _our_ relations--our acquaintance--practically ended with each
day's business, not to be renewed until the next day; and I suppose I
approach nearer than any of his other employees to being what you might
call a confidential clerk, or secretary."

I rose briskly to my feet.

"Let's go some place where it's more comfortable," suggested I,
throwing open the library door; "in here will do."

He entered unhesitatingly, for it is an easy matter to influence people
to your will in such trifling manoeuvres; and as I followed, I glanced
about the spacious apartment.

Its walls were wainscoted with oak, save for a narrow painted frieze,
and while very few books were in evidence, the place would have been
cheerful enough had there been a fire in the wide, handsome brick
fireplace, or had there existed any indication at all that the room was
ever used by human beings. Before the cold and empty hearth stood a
table, where, very likely, Mr. Page had been in the habit of working on
those rare occasions of which his secretary had spoken. On the right
of this table was the curtained alcove.

Now Burke's conduct during the next second or so was destined, later
on, to give me an idea concerning that gentleman, which indirectly
aided me in clearing up a puzzling feature of the case. It was this.

As I indicated the chair where I wanted him to sit--one near enough to
the alcove for Stodger not only to hear what Burke might say, but also
to have the additional advantage of watching him without much
likelihood of being observed in turn--I could have sworn that