Part 20 (2/2)

”What do you wish to ask me?” he said.

”I wish to ask you a plain question,” replied Mr. Halfpenny. ”Do you accept this will, and are you going to act on your cousin's behalf? I want your plain answer.”

Barthorpe hesitated a moment before replying. Then he made as if to open the door.

”I decline to discuss the matter of the alleged will,” he answered. ”I decline--especially,” he continued, lifting a finger and pointing at Mr.

Tertius, ”especially in the presence of that man!”

”Barthorpe!” exclaimed Peggie, flus.h.i.+ng at the malevolence of the tone and gesture. ”How dare you! In my house----”

Barthorpe suddenly laughed. Once again he turned to the door--and this time he opened it.

”Just so--just so!” he said. ”Your house, my dear cousin--according to the alleged will.”

”Which will be proved, sir,” snapped out Mr. Halfpenny. ”As you refuse, or seem to do so, I shall act for your cousin--at once.”

Barthorpe opened the door wide, and as he crossed the threshold, turned and gave Mr. Halfpenny a swift glance.

”Act!” he said. ”Act!--if you can!”

Then he walked out and shut the door behind him, and Mr. Halfpenny turned to the others.

”The will must be proved at once,” he said decisively. ”Alleged--you all heard him say alleged! That looks as if--um! My dear Tertius, you have no doubt whatever about the proper and valid execution of this important doc.u.ment--now in my safe. None?”

”How can I have any doubt about what I actually saw?” replied Mr.

Tertius. ”I can't have any doubt, Halfpenny! I saw Jacob sign it; I signed it myself; I saw young Burchill sign it; we all three saw each other sign. What more can one want?”

”I must see this Mr. Burchill,” remarked Mr. Halfpenny. ”I must see him at once. Unfortunately, he left no address at the place we called at. He will have to be discovered.”

Peggie coloured slightly as she turned to Mr. Halfpenny.

”Is it really necessary to see Mr. Burchill personally?” she asked with a palpable nervousness which struck Selwood strangely. ”Must he be found?”

”Absolutely necessary, my dear,” replied Mr. Halfpenny. ”He must be found, and at once.”

Mr. Tertius uttered an exclamation of annoyance.

”Dear, dear!” he said. ”I noticed the young man at the cemetery just now--I ought really to have pointed him out to you--most forgetful of me!”

”I have Mr. Burchill's address,” said Peggie, with an effort. ”He left his card here on the day of my uncle's death--the address is on it. And I put it in this drawer.”

Selwood watched Peggie curiously, and with a strange, vague sense of uneasiness as she went over to a drawer in Jacob Herapath's desk and produced the card. He had noticed a slight tremor in her voice when she spoke of Burchill, and her face, up till then very pale, had coloured at the first mention of his name. And now he was asking himself why any reference to this man seemed to disturb her, why----

But Mr. Halfpenny cut in on his meditations. The old lawyer held up the card to the light and slowly read out the address.

”Ah! Calengrove Mansions, Maida Vale,” he said. ”Um--quarter of an hour's drive. Tertius--you and I will go and see this young fellow at once.”

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