ft touches that emphasize a patient and orderly mind. Bowen watched
him as he moved about on the balls of his feet.

"Have you ever been to Eastbourne, Peel?" enquired Bowen presently.
Just why he asked the question he could not have said.

"Only once, my lord," replied Peel as he replaced the full ash-tray on
the table by Bowen with a clean one. There was a note in his voice
implying that nothing would ever tempt him to go there again.

"You don't like it?" suggested Bowen.

"I dislike it intensely, my lord," replied Peel as he refolded a copy
of _The Times_.

"Why?"

"It has unpleasant associations, my lord," was the reply.

Bowen smiled. After a moment's silence he continued:

"Been sowing wild oats there?"

"No, my lord, not exactly."

"Well, if it's not too private," said Bowen, "tell me what happened.
At the moment I'm particularly interested in the place."

Peel gazed reproachfully at a copy of _The Sphere_, which had managed
in some strange way to get its leaves dog-eared. As he proceeded to
smooth them out he continued:

"It was when I was young, my lord. I was engaged to be married. I
thought her a most excellent young woman, in every way suitable. She
went down to Eastbourne for a holiday." He paused.

"Well, there doesn't seem much wrong in that," said Bowen.

"From Eastbourne she wrote, saying that she had changed her mind,"
proceeded Peel.

"The devil she did!" exclaimed Bowen. "And what did you do?"

"I went down to reason with her, my lord," said Peel.

"Does one reason with a woman, Peel?" enquired Bowen with a smile.

"I was very young then, my lord, not more than thirty-two." Peel's
tone was apologetic. "I discovered that she had received an offer of
marriage from another."

"Hard luck!" murmured Bowen.

"Not at all, my lord, really," said Peel philosophically. "I
discovered that she had re-engaged herself to a butcher, a most
offensive fellow. His language when I expostulated with him was
incredibly coarse, and I am sure he used marrow for his hair."

"And what did you do?" enquired Bowen.

"I had taken a return ticket, my lord. I came back to London."

Bowen laughed. "I'm afraid you couldn't have been very badly hit,
Peel, or you would not have been able to take it quite so
philosophically."

"I have never allowed my private affairs to interfere with my
professional duties, my lord," replied Peel unctuously.

For five minutes Bowen smoked in silence. "