hun-dred and forty-nine
pounds, sir. A fact. Well, did you find your friends whom you were
looking for?"

"Yes--no," said Chester.

"Dear me; but is not that rather contradictory, my dear sir?" said the
old man, smiling.

"Perhaps so, but there is a little mystery about the matter, sir,"
replied Chester. "By the way, though, can you tell me anything about
your next-door neighbours?"

"My next-door neighbours, my dear sir," said the old man, smiling and
rubbing his thin hands together softly; "well, not much, I am so
unsociable a body; and here in London one can be so isolated. Let me
see, he is something in the House of Commons--a clerk, or
master-at-arms, or usher, or something."

"Mr Clareborough is?" cried Chester, sharply.

"No--no! That is on the other side. Quite a large family party. Very
gay people who have plenty of fashionable callers, and carriages, and
parties. I fancy they go a great deal to operas and theatres. The
confectioner's people come sometimes, and musicians, and rout seats.
Not in my way, my young friend--not in my way," continued the old
gentleman in his quiet, amiable manner, as he took down the great bulky
London Directory. "Yes, yes, yes; here we are--Highcombe Street,
Clareborough. There's the name. Very wealthy, gay family, I believe.
Clareborough. That's it, and I think I've heard somehow--I don't quite
know how it was, unless one of the tradespeople told me--that they have
a fine place somewhere in Kent--The Towers, I think they call it, and
they are often down there, and this place is shut up. I like it to be,
because it is so much more quiet for a man busy with his books."

"Have you--have you noticed anything peculiar about the family?" said
Chester in a hesitating way.

The old man beamed upon him through his glasses, then took them off
deliberately, and wiped each carefully with an old silk handkerchief,
gazing at his questioner with his face wrinkled up as if he were
puzzled.

"Anything peculiar?" he said at last. "Well, no, I think not, unless it
is that they seem to spend a great deal of money in ephemeral pleasures.
Yes, I remember now thinking that they must waste a great deal, and
that with so much at their command they might accumulate a grand
collection of books."

"Anything more?" said Chester.

"N-no, my dear sir. I think, now you mention it, that I have taken more
notice of my neighbour on the other side. Yes, I am sure I have. I
remember