ct," I replied,
"but I must frankly confess that I can make nothing of it. Have you
acted on his advice?"

"Certainly not!" shouted the irascible lawyer. "Do you suppose that we
wish to make ourselves the laughing-stock of the courts? The thing is
impossible--ridiculously impossible!"

"It can't be that, you know," I said, a little stiffly, for I was
somewhat nettled by Mr. Winwood's manner, "or Thorndyke would not have
written this letter. The conclusion looks as impossible to me as it does
to you; but I have complete confidence in Thorndyke. If he says that the
will is a forgery, I have no doubt that it is a forgery."

"But how the deuce can it be?" roared Winwood. "You know the
circumstances under which the will was executed."

"Yes; but so does Thorndyke. And he is not a man who overlooks important
facts. It is useless to argue with me. I am in a complete fog about the
case myself. You had better come in this evening and talk it over with
him as he suggests."

"It is very inconvenient," grumbled Mr. Winwood. "We shall have to dine
in town."

"Yes," said Marchmont, "but it is the only thing to be done. As Dr.
Jervis says, we must take it that Thorndyke has something solid to base
his opinion on. He doesn't make elementary mistakes. And, of course, if
what he says is correct, Mr. Stephen's position is totally changed."

"Bah!" exclaimed Winwood, "he has found a mare's nest, I tell you.
Still, I agree that the explanation should be worth hearing."

"You mustn't mind Winwood," said Marchmont, in an apologetic undertone;
"he's a peppery old fellow with a rough tongue, but he doesn't mean any
harm." Which statement Winwood assented to--or dissented from; for it
was impossible to say which--by a prolonged growl.

"We shall expect you then," I said, "about eight to-night, and you will
try to bring Mr. Stephen with you?"

"Yes," replied Marchmont; "I think we can promise that he shall come
with us. I have sent him a telegram asking him to attend."

With this the two lawyers took their departure, leaving me to meditate
upon my colleague's astonishing statement; which I did, considerably to
the prejudice of other employment. That Thorndyke would be able to
justify the opinion that he had given, I had no doubt whatever; but yet
there was no denying that his proposition was what Mr. Dick Swiveller
would call "a staggerer."

When Thorndyke returned, I informed him of the visit of our two friends,
and acquainted him