u not to say anything to those people--Gum, I think the name
is--about G.G. It might not be altogether prudent for you to do so.
Should you remain any time at Hartledon, I will come down for a few
days and question for myself."

"I've done it already," thought Val, as he folded the letter and returned
it to his pocket. "As to my staying any time at Hartledon--not if I know
it."

Looking up at the sound of footsteps, he saw Hedges approaching. Never
free from a certain apprehension when any unexpected interruption
occurred--an apprehension that turned his heart sick, and set his pulses
beating--he waited, outwardly very calm.

"Floyd has called, my lord, and is asking to see you. He seems
rather--rather concerned and put out. I think it's something about--about
the death last summer."

Hedges hardly knew how to frame his words, and Lord Hartledon stared at
him.

"Floyd can come to me here," he said.

The miller soon made his appearance, carrying a small case half purse,
half pocket-book, in his hand, made of Russian leather, with rims of
gold. Val knew it in a moment, in spite of its marks of defacement.

"Do you recognize it, my lord?" asked the miller.

"Yes, I do," replied Lord Hartledon. "It belonged to my brother."

"I thought so," returned the miller. "On the very day before that
unfortunate race last year, his lordship was talking to me, and had this
in his hand. I felt sure it was the same the moment I saw it."

"He had it with him the day of the race," observed Lord Hartledon. "Mr.
Carteret said he saw it lying in the boat when they started. We always
thought it had been lost in the river. Where did you find it?"

"Well, it's very odd, my lord, but I found it buried."

"Buried!"

"Buried in the ground, not far from the river, alongside the path that
leads from where his lordship was found to Hartledon. I was getting up
some dandelion roots for my wife this morning early, and dug up this
close to one. There's where the knife touched it. My lord," added the
miller, "I beg to say that I have not opened it. I wiped it, wrapped it
in paper, and said nothing to anybody, but came here with it as soon as
I thought you'd be up. That lad of mine, Ripper, said last night you were
at Hartledon."

The miller was quite honest; and Lord Hartledon knew that when he said
he had not opened it, he had not done so. It still contained some
small memoranda in his brother's writing, but no money; and this was
noticea