The puzzled expression which Viner had noted in Lord Ellingham's boyish
face when they entered the room grew more and more marked as Mr. Pawle
proceeded, and he turned on the old lawyer at the end with a stare of
amazement.

"You really think that!" he exclaimed.

"I shall be very much surprised if I'm not right!" declared Mr. Pawle.

"But what papers?" asked Lord Ellingham. "And what--how could this Mr.
Ashton, who, you say, came from Australia, be in possession of papers
relating to my family? I never heard of him."

"Your lordship," said Mr. Pawle, "is doubtless well aware that some years
ago there was a very strange--shall we call it romance?--in your family.
A very remarkable episode, anyway, a most unusual--"

"You mean the strange disappearance of my uncle--this Lord Marketstoke?"
interrupted Lord Ellingham with a smile. "Oh, of course, I know all
about that."

"Very well, my lord," continued Mr. Pawle. "Then your lordship is
aware that Lord Marketstoke was believed to have gone to the
Colonies--Australia or New Zealand--and was--lost there. His death was
presumed. Now, Ashton came from Australia, and as I say, we believe him
to have brought with him certain highly important papers relative to Lord
Marketstoke, whom we think to have been well known to him at one time.
Indeed, we felt sure that Ashton knew Lord Marketstoke's secret. Now, my
lord, we are also confident that whoever killed John Ashton did so in