o, and then farther south,
and at one time to Cintra; but my mother's headquarters seem always to
have been in Granada, and the clerk says that he can give me no dates
nor indeed any exact information.'

'I did not know she had been at Cintra or Toledo,' said Mr. Semple
thoughtfully.

'I won't swear that she had,' said Peter. 'The Peninsula wasn't so
generally known twenty-five years ago as it is now. Travelling was
difficult then, and people in England, who have not themselves
travelled much, are very liable to get confused about the names of
foreign places.'

'Still,' said the lawyer, 'Cintra and Toledo are places that every one
knows.'

'You mean,' said Peter, 'that in a well-known place, with English
people living in it, there would be more likelihood of getting the
information which we want?'

'I mean,' said Mr. Semple, 'that, as there is no evidence of your
brother ever having been seen at Juarez, the next thing is to find out
in what place there is evidence of his appearance.'

It was late afternoon, and as all clerical work for the day was now
finished, Peter suggested and Mr. Semple readily agreed to a walk in
the gardens. There was nothing left in the flower-beds, but the
conservatories and the orchid-house were a real feast of pleasure to
the lawyer. He went into the outer hall to fetch his stick and coat,
and then, turning back towards his host, he made a humorous signal to
convey the intelligence that some callers had driven up to the door.
Peter retreated precipitately; but Mr. Semple had already been seen and
was hailed by Mr. Lawrence, who had, a few minutes before, drawn up to
the entrance in his big red motor-car. Already Mr. Lawrence was in
earnest conversation with the butler, and his feminine-like
ejaculations could be heard now as he stood and conversed with the man
at the hall door. He stood on the doorstep while his guests in the
motor, who seemed to fear that they might be intrusive, looked as
though they would prefer to hasten their departure.

'Ah, how-do-you-do, Mr. Semple,' said Mr. Lawrence in his high-pitched
voice, advancing a few steps into the hall. 'It is a great piece of
luck meeting you like this! I have just driven over with my friends,
Sir John and Lady Falconer.--Lady Falconer, may I introduce my friend,
Mr. Semple?--This is a very sad house to come to, Mr. Semple, is it
not?' he said, and paused, hoping for a little gossip from the lawyer.
'I was just driving th