would be required. Of
course, I may be wrong altogether, but it would be well for you to
ascertain whether the official liquidator did take any steps to obtain
such evidence."

"That I will certainly do," Cuthbert said. "I did write to him at the
time, and I am bound to say his answer seemed entirely satisfactory and
straightforward. He said that Mr. Brander had given proof that he did
draw a check for the amount of the mortgage on the day on which it was
executed, and although he did not show that interest had been
specifically paid by checks from my father, there were receipts found
among my father's papers for the half-yearly payments of interest. These
were, it seemed, settled, when Brander, who collected his rents, made up
his accounts with him."

"That all seems straightforward enough, Mr. Hartington, and as long as
there was no ground for suspicion would doubtless pass muster, but it is
certainly worth while inquiring into."

Cuthbert sat silent for some time.

"After all the whole of this is but the barest suspicion," he said. "The
only thread of fact being that the transfer was kept secret from the
directors, of which no doubt Brander will be able to give some plausible
explanation, and his character stands so high at Abchester that the
question, if raised, would be scouted as an atrocious libel upon him.
But supposing that we had absolute proof, I don't see how I should
stand. If my father was not a shareholder in the bank its creditors had,
of course, no claim whatever on his property, but as the property has
in fact been sold and the proceeds divided long ago who should I have to
go against?"

"That is a matter for the lawyers, Mr. Hartington, but I imagine you
would not have to go back on the creditors to the bank. You would simply
prove that the bank was not in a position to give a title, and that,
therefore, the sale was null and void. It would be argued, of course,
that you gave the title, as I suppose you signed the deeds, and your
plea would be that the signature was obtained from you by fraud."

"I did not sign the deeds," Cuthbert said. "Brander pointed out that, as
I had not received any rents or profits, it would be better that I
should stand out of it altogether, and that the will should not be
proved, as otherwise the death dues would be charged upon it, and
therefore it remained in the hands of the executors of whom he was one,
and it was they who gave the titles."

"Whoever gave the t