old me, you know, that
certain securities of yours were missing."

Gabriel glanced at his nephew--and Joseph nodded.

"Oh, well!" answered Gabriel. "We don't mind telling your lordship--and
if your lordship pleases, you may tell the police--we are doing
something. We have, in fact, been doing something from an early hour. We
have a very clever man at work just now--he has been at work since he
heard from us twenty-four hours ago. But--our ideas are not those of
Polke. Polke begins his inquiries here. Our inquiries--based on our
knowledge--begin ... elsewhere."

"You think Horbury will be heard of--elsewhere?" suggested the Earl.

"Much more likely to be heard of elsewhere than here, my lord!" asserted
Gabriel.

"But, of course, what we do need not interfere with anything that your
lordship does, or that Miss Fosdyke does, or that the police do."

"All that any of us want, I suppose, is to find Horbury," said the Earl,
as he rose. "If he's found, then, I conclude, some explanation will
result. You don't believe in searching about here, then?"

"Let Polke and his men have their way, my lord," replied Gabriel, with a
wave of his hand. "My impression of police methods is that those who
follow them can only follow that particular path. We are not looking
for Horbury--here. He's--elsewhere."

"So, by this time, are your lordship's jewels," added Joseph
significantly. "They, one may be sure, are not going to be found in or
about Scarnham."

The Earl said good-day and went out, troubled and wondering. In the hall
he met the search-party. Mr. Batterley had failed to find anything in
the way of secret stairs or passages or openings beyond those already
known to the occupants, and though he was still confident that they
existed, the police had wound up their present investigations to turn to
more palpable things. Polke and the detective listened to the Earl's
account of his interview, and the superintendent sniffed at the mention
of the inquiries instituted by the partners.

"Ah!" he said incredulously. "Just so! Private inquiry agent, no doubt.
All right--let 'em do what they like. But we're going to do what we
like, my lord, and what we do will be on very different lines. First
thing now--we want that woman!"

CHAPTER XIV

THE MIDNIGHT SUMMONS

The search-party separated outside the bank, not too well satisfied with
the result of its labours. The old antiquary walked away obviously
nettled that he was no