w of it beyond the
officiating clergyman and the witnesses, who could, of course, be asked
to hold their tongues about the matter, as they probably were. But
there's the copy of the entry in the old register."

Smeaton and I looked eagerly over the slip of paper which Mr. Ridley
handed across. And he, to whom it meant such a vast deal, asked but
one question:

"I wonder if I can find out anything about Mary Smeaton!"

"Mr. Longfield has already made some quiet inquiries amongst two or three
old people of the neighbourhood on that point," remarked Mr. Ridley. "The
two witnesses to the marriage are both dead--years ago. But there are
folk living in the neighbourhood who remember Mary Smeaton. The facts are
these: she was a very handsome young woman, not a native of the district,
who came in service to one of the farms on the Cheviots, and who, by a
comparison of dates, left her place somewhat suddenly very soon after
that marriage."

Smeaton turned to Mr. Lindsey in the same quiet fashion.

"What do you make of all this?" he asked.

"Plain as a pikestaff," answered Mr. Lindsey in his most confident
manner. "Michael Carstairs fell in love with this girl and married her,
quietly--as Mr. Ridley says, seeing that the marriage was by licence,
it's probable, nay, certain, that nobody but the parson and the witnesses
ever knew anything about it. I take it that immediately after the
marriage Michael Carstairs and his wife went off to America, and that he,
for reasons of his own, dropped his own proper patronymic and adopted
hers. And," he ended, slapping his knee, "I've no doubt that you're the
child of that marriage, that your real name is Gavin Carstairs, and that
you're the successor to the baronetcy, and--the real owner of
Hathercleugh,--as I shall have pleasure in proving."

"We shall see," said Smeaton, quietly as ever. "But--there's a good deal
to do before we get to that, Mr. Lindsey! The present holder, or
claimant, for example? What of him?"

"I've insisted on the police setting every bit of available machinery to
work in an effort to lay hands on him," replied Mr. Lindsey. "Murray not
only communicated all that Hollins told us last night to the Glasgow
police this morning, first thing, but he's sent a man over there with
the fullest news; he's wired the London authorities, and he's asked
for special detective help. He's got a couple of detectives from
Newcastle--all's being done that can be done. And for you t