probably her heiress?"

"Yes, I suppose so, though I was not thinking of that," came the
tearful answer.

"Yet the relationship entails certain responsibilities," said Theydon
firmly. "You should be legally represented at the inquest. Are your
affairs in the hands of any firm of solicitors?"

"Yes-- at Oxford. I contrived to call at their office yesterday and
they recommended me to consult these people," and Miss Beale produced
a card from a handbag. Theydon read the name and address of a
well-known West End firm.

"Good," he said. "I recommend you to go there at once. By the way, was
any one looking after Mrs. Lester's interests? Surely she had dealings
with a bank or an agency?"

"Y-- yes. I do happen to know the source from which her income came.
She-- made a secret of it-- in a measure."

"Pray don't tell me anything of that sort. Your legal adviser might
not approve."

"But what does it matter now? Poor Edith is dead. Her affairs cannot
help being dragged into the light of day. She had some railway shares
and bonds, some of which were left to her by her father, and others
which came under a marriage settlement, but the greater part of her
revenue was derived from a monthly payment made by the bank of which
Mr. James Creighton Forbes is the head."