efulness, for its historical
interest and its old association with the name. Like to have a
look at it?"

"Very much indeed," replied Cleek, and two minutes later he was
standing in the place and revelling in its air of antiquity.

As Lord Fallowfield had declared, the three old chairs which supplied
seating accommodation were equipped with casters, but although
these were the prime reason for Cleek's visit to the place, he
gave them little more than a passing glance, bestowing all his
attention upon the ancient shields and the quaint old cross-bows
with which the walls were heavily hung in tier after tier almost
to the groined ceiling.

"Primitive times, Mr. Narkom, when men used to go out with these
jimcrack things and bang away at each other with skewers!" he
said, taking one of them down and examining it in a somewhat
casual manner, turning it over, testing its weight, looking at its
catch, and running his fingers up and down the propelling string.
"Fancy a chap with one of these things running up against a modern
battery or sailing out into a storm of shrapnel! Back to your hook,
grandfather"--hanging it up again--"times change and we with time.
By the way, your lordship, I hope you will be better able to give
an account of _your_ whereabouts last night than I hear that Mr.
Drake here is able to do regarding his."

"I? Good heavens, man, what do you mean?" flung out his lordship,
so taken aback by the abruptness of the remark that the very breath
seemed to be knocked out of him. "Upon my soul, Mr. Cleek----"

"Gently, gently, your lordship. You must certainly realize that in
the circumstances the same necessity must exist for you to explain
your movements as exists for Mr. Drake. I am told that in the event
of the elder Mr. Drake's death this property was to come to you
wholly unencumbered by any charge or any restrictions whatsoever."

"Good God! So it was. Upon my soul, I'd forgotten all about that!"
exclaimed his lordship with such an air that he was either speaking
the absolute truth or was a very good actor indeed.

"Jim! My boy! Oh, good heavens! I never gave the thing a
thought--never one! No, Mr. Cleek, I can give no account of my
movements other than to say that I went to bed directly I left
the Stone Drum. Or--yes. I can prove that much, by George! I can,
indeed. Ojeebi was with me, or, at least, close at my heels at the
time, and he saw me go into my room, and must have heard me lock
the door."