nd a very unfortunate mess those two things have made of him,"
returned Cleek quietly, crossing over and laying a hand along Cyril's
shoulder. "School, and boarding-school, is the best place for _him_, my
friend, and good healthy companionship with others of his own age. It's
just the devil of that reading which made him act as he did. I found him
out, late last night in company with his uncle, doing some very
nefarious work on the hillside below here."

"_What?_"

"Gently, gently, my friend. Don't forget, will you, that Cyril has not
been given the same chances as other boys. And his is an active brain.
The work in question was illicit whisky-stills--in fact, the very thing
for which I originally came down here, Mr. Narkom. James Tavish and
Antoni Matei and Cyril have all had a hand in it. And the still itself,
you will find, if you go down to your own dungeon, Sir Ross, to where
the Peasant Girl is supposed to have her haunts o' nights."

"Cinnamon! Cleek!"

"Yes--and, by James! Mr. Narkom. And that's the actual truth, too. I
discovered it first of all. A little looking on the part of Dollops and
me brought the thing to light, through a susceptible maid-servant at
present in your employ, Sir Ross. She fell for my Cockney lad's 'ginger
'air.' And he made use of his opportunity. And it was then--even as late
as last night--that my suspicions were finally pinned upon James Tavish
as the murderer of your father. For I saw him, in company with the Dago,
wearing your tweed coat, which I noted hanging on a hook in the passage
earlier in the day, and had even seen you wearing during the morning,
before you changed into that dark suit yesterday afternoon--and if it
hadn't been for _me_ that same tweed coat might have led you into some
rather unfortunate feminine revelations from one of the ladies who are
at present in your house. But let that pass.... Mr. Narkom, we must go.
There's a gang to be rounded up, and unfortunately, through a foolish
woman, some inkling of our presence here has become known, and it will
take us all our time to trace the rest of the participants in this
pleasant affair before they have had time to show nothing more than a
very clean pair of heels for our benefit. We must be making tracks. Sir
Ross, take an older fellow's advice and fight for that boy's rights to
go to a decent English school. I've no doubt that the house will be
divided now, since these revelations have been made. One could hardly