l of Robert
at the breakfast-table. Robert was now alive--we had six witnesses to
prove it; six witnesses who knew that he was coming that afternoon. Our
private plan was that Robert should present himself at three o'clock,
in readiness for the return of the golfing-party shortly afterwards. The
maid would go to look for Mark, and having failed to find him, come back
to the office to find me entertaining Robert in Mark's absence. I
would explain that Mark must have gone out somewhere, and would myself
introduce the wastrel brother to the tea-table. Mark's absence would not
excite any comment, for it would be generally felt--indeed Robert would
suggest it--that he had been afraid of meeting his brother. Then Robert
would make himself amusingly offensive to the guests, particularly, of
course, Miss Norris, until he thought that the joke had gone far enough.

"That was our private plan. Perhaps I should say that it was Mark's
private plan. My own was different.

"The announcement at breakfast went well. After the golfing-party had
gone off, we had the morning in which to complete our arrangements. What
I was chiefly concerned about was to establish as completely as possible
the identity of Robert. For this reason I suggested to Mark that, when
dressed, he should go out by the secret passage to the bowling-green,
and come back by the drive, taking care to enter into conversation
with the lodge-keeper. In this way I would have two more witnesses
of Robert's arrival--first the lodge-keeper, and secondly one of the
gardeners whom I would have working on the front lawn. Mark, of course,
was willing enough. He could practise his Australian accent on the
lodge-keeper. It was really amusing to see how readily he fell into
every suggestion which I made. Never was a killing more carefully
planned by its victim.

"He changed into Robert's clothes in the office bedroom. This was the
safest way--for both of us. When he was ready, he called me in, and
I inspected him. It was extraordinary how well he looked the part. I
suppose that the signs of his dissipation had already marked themselves
on, his face, but had been concealed hitherto by his moustache and
beard; for now that he was clean-shaven they lay open to the world from
which we had so carefully hidden them, and he was indeed the wastrel
which he was pretending to be.

"'By Jove, you're wonderful,' I said.

"He smirked, and called my attention to the various artistic touches