else?" he enquired.

"No coincidence occurs to you?"

The lawyer's puzzled look remained, and the next instant Carrington
broke into a hearty laugh.

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Rattar," he cried. "What an owl I am! I have
just been dealing lately with a case where that sum of money was
involved, and for the moment I mixed the two up together!" He laughed
again, and then resuming his businesslike air, asked: "Now, what else
about this Mr. Cromarty? You say he is a relation. Near or distant?"

"Oh, quite distant. Another branch altogether."

"Younger branch, I presume."

"Poorer but not younger. He is said to be the head of the family."

"Really!" exclaimed Mr. Carrington, and this information seemed to have
set him thinking again. "He is the head of the family, and I hear he
took up the case with some energy."

Simon's grunt seemed to be critical.

"He got in our way," he said.

"Got in your way, did he?"

Carrington was silent for a few moments, and then said:

"Well I am afraid I have taken up a great deal of your time. May I have
a line of introduction to Mr. Bisset before I go?"

While the line was being written he walked over to the fire and cleared
the stump of his last cigarette out of the holder. This operation was
very deliberately performed, and through it his eyes seemed scarcely to
note what his hands were doing.

He put the note in his pocket, shook hands, and then, just as he was
going, he said:

"I want to understand the lie of the land as exactly as possible. Your
own attitude, so far has been, I take it--no proof, therefore no arrest;
but a nasty family scandal left festering, so you decided to call me in.
Now, I want to know this--is there anybody else in the neighbourhood who
knows that I have been sent for?"

Mr. Rattar replied with even more than his usual deliberation, and after
what is said by foreigners to be the national habit, his reply
consisted of another question.

"You say that your employer made a particular point of having his
identity concealed?"

"Yes, a particular point."

"Doesn't that answer your question, Mr. Carrington?"

"No," said Carrington, "not in the least. I am asking now whether there
is any other employer in this neighbourhood besides yourself. And I may
say that I ask for the very good reason that it might be awkward for me
if there were and I didn't know him, while if I did know him, I could
consult with him if it happened to be advisable. Is there