"They looked where I pointed, and William Peters said to Cockshaw,
'It is as the man says. Someone has been trying to force the
lock--one of the varlets, probably, who thought the knight might
keep his money here.'

"'It can be of no importance, one way or the other,' Cockshaw said
roughly.

"'Probably not, Mr. Cockshaw, but, at the same time I will make a
note of it.'

"I turned the key, and pulled down the door that makes a desk. They
seemed to know all about it, for, without looking at the papers in
the pigeonholes, they pulled open the lower drawer, and took two
foreign-looking letters out from it. I will do them the justice to
say that they both looked sorry, as they opened them, and looked at
the writing.

"'It is too true,' Peters said. 'Here is enough to hang a dozen
men.'

"They tumbled all the other papers into a sack, that one of the
constables had brought with him. Then they searched all the other
furniture, but they evidently did not expect to find anything. Then
they went back into the hall.

"'Well, gentlemen,' Sir Marmaduke said, 'have you found anything of
a terrible kind?'

"'We have found, I regret to say,' John Cockshaw said, 'the letters