o your wife, and communicate
with me. I decline to assist you in searching for Miss Silvester; but I
have no objection to assist in recovering a stolen letter from a thief.
So much for Bishopriggs.--Now as to the other man."

"Who is he?"

"Your friend, Mr. Geoffrey Delamayn."

Arnold sprang to his feet in ungovernable surprise.

"I appear to astonish you," remarked Sir Patrick.

Arnold sat down again, and waited, in speechless suspense, to hear what
was coming next.

"I have reason to know," said Sir Patrick, "that Mr. Delamayn is
thoroughly well acquainted with the nature of Miss Silvester's present
troubles. What his actual connection is with them, and how he came into
possession of his information, I have not found out. My discovery begins
and ends with the simple fact that he has the information."

"May I ask one question, Sir Patrick?"

"What is it?"

"How did you find out about Geoffrey Delamayn?"

"It would occupy a long time," answered Sir Patrick, "to tell you
how--and it is not at all necessary to our purpose that you should know.
My present obligation merely binds me to tell you--in strict confidence,
mind!--that Miss Silvester's secrets are no secrets to Mr. Delamayn. I
leave to your discretion the use you may make of that information. You
are now entirely on a par with me in relation to your knowledge of the
case of Miss Silvester. Let us return to the question which I asked
you when we first came into the room. Do you see the connection, now,
between that question, and what I have said since?"

Arnold was slow to see the connection. His mind was running on Sir
Patrick's discovery. Little dreaming that he was indebted to Mrs. Inchb
are's incomplete description of him for his own escape from detection,
he was wondering how it had happened that _he_ had remained unsuspected,
while Geoffrey's position had been (in part at least) revealed to view.

"I asked you," resumed Sir Patrick, attempting to help him, "why the
mere report that your friend was likely to marry Mrs. Glenarm roused
your indignation, and you hesitated at giving an answer. Do you hesitate
still?"

"It's not easy to give an answer, Sir Patrick."

"Let us put it in another way. I assume that your view of the report
takes its rise in some knowledge, on your part, of Mr. Delamayn's
private affairs, which the rest of us don't possess.--Is that conclusion
correct?"

"Quite correct."

"Is what you know about Mr. Delamayn connecte