Outside the house the old lawyer gripped Viner's elbow.

"That boy knows something!" he said with a meaning smile. "He's astute
enough for his age--smart youngster! But--what does he know? Those two
men have told him something. Viner, we must find out who that clean-shaven
man is. I have some idea that I have seen him before--I shouldn't be at
all surprised if he's a solicitor, may have seen him in some court or
other. But in that case I wonder he didn't recognize me."

"He didn't look at you," replied Viner. "He and the other man were too
much absorbed in whatever it was they were talking about. I have been
wondering since I first saw him at the tavern," he continued, "if I
ought not to tell the police what I know about him--I mean, that he
was certainly in Ashton's company on the evening of the murder. What
do you think?"

"I think not, at present," replied Mr. Pawle. "It seems evident--unless,
indeed, it was all a piece of bluff, and it may have been--that this man
is, or was when you saw him, just as ignorant as the landlord of that
place was that the man who used to drop in there and Ashton were one and
the same person. No, let the police go on their own lines--we're on
others. We shall hear of this man again, whoever he is. Now I must get
back to my office--come there at half-past eleven tomorrow morning,
Viner, and we'll go on to Carless and Driver's."

Viner went thoughtfully homeward, ruminating over the events of the day,
and entered his house to find his two guests, the sisters of the unlucky
Hyde, in floods of tears, and Miss Penkridge looking unusually grave. The
elder Miss Hyde sprang up at sight of him and held a tear-soaked