ng of that
unhappiest day of my life. They would be wondering what had become of
me. I rose from the table, and having filled my pouch from a tin of
tobacco, set forth for King's Bench Walk.

As I approached the entry of No. 5A in the gathering darkness I met
Thorndyke himself emerging encumbered with two deck-chairs, a
reading-lantern, and a book.

"Why, Berkeley!" he exclaimed, "is it indeed thou? We have been
wondering what had become of you."

"It _is_ a long time since I looked you up," I admitted.

He scrutinized me attentively by the light of the entry lamp, and then
remarked: "Fetter Lane doesn't seem to be agreeing with you very well,
my son. You are looking quite thin and peaky."

"Well, I've nearly done with it. Barnard will be back in about ten
days. His ship is putting in at Madeira to coal and take in some
cargo, and then he is coming home. Where are you going with those
chairs?"

"I am going to sit down at the end of the Walk by the railings. It's
cooler there than indoors. If you will wait a moment I will go and
fetch another chair for Jervis, though he won't be back for a little
while." He ran up the stairs, and presently returned with a third
chair, and we carried our impedimenta down to the quiet corner of the
Walk.

"So your term of servitude is coming to an end," said he, when we had
placed the chairs and hung the lantern on the railings. "Any other
news?"

"No. Have you any?"

"I am afraid I have not. All my inquiries have yielded negative
results. There is, of course, a considerable body of evidence, and it
all seems to point one way. But I am unwilling to make a decisive move
without something more definite. I am really waiting for confirmation
or otherwise of my ideas on the subject; for some new item of evidence."

"I didn't know there was any evidence."

"Didn't you?" said Thorndyke. "But you know as much as I know. You
have all the essential facts; but apparently you haven't collated them
and extracted their meaning. If you had, you would have found them
curiously significant."

"I suppose I mustn't ask what their significance is?"

"No, I think not. When I am conducting a case I mention my surmises to
nobody--not even to Jervis. Then I can say confidently that there has
been no leakage. Don't think I distrust you. Remember that my
thoughts are my client's property, and that the essence of strategy is
to keep the enemy in the dark."

"Yes, I see that