near Reading, where a battle was fought in 800
odd between the Danes and Saxons under Ethelwulf. You won't get a much
older ancestry than _that_. Sir James married the daughter of Sir
William Shirley, the member for Carbury, Cheshire--her family was not so
good as his, but an honourable county family, nevertheless. This young
man is their only child. A nice disgrace he's brought on the family
name, the foolish fellow!"

"Who told you this?" asked Colwyn.

"Superintendent Galloway told me last night. The description of the
young man was published in the London press in order to assist his
capture, and it appears it was seen by the young lady to whom he is
affianced, Miss Constance Willoughby, who is at present in London,
engaged in war work. I have never met Miss Willoughby, but her aunt,
Mrs. Hugh Brewer, with whom she is living at Lancaster Gate, is
well-known to me. She is an immensely wealthy woman, who devotes her
life to public works, and moves in the most exclusive philanthropic
circles. The young lady was terribly distressed at the similarity of
details in the description of the wanted man and that of her betrothed,
particularly the scar on the cheek. Although she could not believe they
referred to Mr. Penreath, she deemed it advisable to communicate with
the Penreath family solicitor, Mr. Oakham, of Oakham and Pendules.

"Mr. Oakham called up Superintendent Galloway on the trunk line
yesterday, to make inquiries, and shortly afterwards the news came
through of Ronald's arrest. Superintendent Galloway was rather perturbed
at learning that the arrested man resembled the description of the heir
of one of the oldest baronetcies in England, and sought me to ask my
advice. As he rather vulgarly put it, he was scared at having flushed
such high game, and he thought, in view of my professional connection
with some of the highest families in the land, that I might be able to
give him information which would save him from the possibility of making
a mistake--if such a possibility existed."

"Superintendent Galloway did not seem much worried by any such fears the
last time I saw him," said Colwyn. "His one idea then was to catch
Ronald and hang him as speedily as possible."

"The case wears another aspect now," replied Sir Henry gravely,
oblivious of the irony in the detective's tones. "To arrest a nobody
named Ronald is one thing, but to arrest the son of Penreath of
Twelvetrees is quite a different matter. The polic