Mr. Pawle nodded, and put the packet of letters in his pocket.

"I shouldn't be surprised," he answered. "It's a very probable theory,
my boy. But it presupposes one thing, and makes one horribly suspicious
of another."

"Yes?" inquired Viner.

"It presupposes that Ashton let somebody into the secret," replied Mr.
Pawle, "and it makes one suspect that the person to whom he did reveal it
had such personal interest in suppressing it that he went to the length
of murdering Ashton before Ashton could tell it to any one else. How does
that strike you, Viner?"

"It's this--and not the diamond!" declared Viner doggedly. "I've a sort
of absolute intuition that I'm right."

"I think so too," assented the old lawyer, dryly. "The
fifty-thousand-pound diamond is a side-mine. Very well, now we know a
lot, you and I. And, we're going to solve matters. And we're not going to
say a word to this young lady, at present--that's settled. But I want to
ask her some questions--come along."

He led the way across the hall to the dining-room where a reminder of
Ashton's death met his and Viner's view as soon as they had crossed the
threshold. The funeral was to take place next day, and Mrs. Killenhall
and Miss Wickham were contemplating a massive wreath of flowers which had
evidently just arrived from the florist's and been deposited on the
centre-table.