He was sure from the first," remarked Walter, "that it was a conspiracy
on the part of some one in the line of succession?"

"Yes," agreed Dunn. "It's likely enough, too. You see, ever since that
big family row and dispersion eighty years ago, a whole branch of
the family has been entirely lost sight of. There may be half a dozen
possible heirs we know nothing about. Like poor John Clive. I daresay if
we had known of his existence we should have begun by suspecting him."

"There's one thing pretty sure," remarked Walter. "If these pleasant
little arrangements did succeed, it would be a fairly safe guess that
the inheritor of the title and estates was the guilty person. It might
be brought home to him, too."

"Perhaps," agreed Dunn dryly. "But just a trifle too late to interest me
for one. And I don't mean to let the dad or uncle be sacrificed if I can
help it. I failed with Clive, poor fellow, but I don't mean to again,
and I don't see how we can. Deede Dawson has exposed his hand. Now we
can play ours."

"But what are you going to do?" Walter asked. "Are you going to follow
out his instructions?"

"To the letter," Dunn answered. "We are dealing with very wary,
suspicious people, and the least thing might make them take alarm. The
important point, of course, is the promise that Deede Dawson's employer
will be at Brook Bourne Spring tomorrow afternoon. That's our trump
card. Everything hangs on that. And to make sure there's no hitch, I
shall do exactly what I've been told to do. I expect I shall be watched.
I shall be there at four o'clock, and ten minutes after I hope we shall
have laid hands on--whoever it is."

Walter nodded.

"I don't see how we can fail," he said.

CHAPTER XXIV. AN APHORISM

"No," Dunn agreed after a long pause. "No, I don't see myself how
failure is possible; I don't see what there is to go wrong. All the
same, I shan't be sorry when it's all over; I suppose I'm nervous,
that's the truth of it. But Deede Dawson's hardly the sort of man I
should have expected to lay all his cards on the table so openly."

"Oh, I think that's natural enough," answered Walter. "Quite natural--he
thinks you are in with him and he tells you what he wants you to do. But
I don't quite see the object of your visit to the Abbey the other day.
You gave me the shock of my life, I think. I hadn't the least idea who
you were--that beard makes a wonderful difference."

Dunn laughed quietly.

"It's a good disg