added, turning to the girl. "Couple of nice bedrooms and a bit of
dinner, eh?"

"Oh, yes sir!" replied Lucy Summers. "We constantly have gentlemen
there, sir."

"Very well," said Mr. Pawle. "Now, then, you run away home to
Marketstoke, my dear, and tell your grandmother that I'm very much
obliged to her, and that I am coming down this evening, with this
gentleman, Mr. Viner, and that we shall be obliged if she'll have a nice,
plain, well-cooked dinner ready for us at half-past seven. We shall come
in my motorcar--you can put that up for the night, and my driver too?
Very well--that's settled. Now, come along, and one of my clerks shall
get you a cab to your station. Great Central, isn't it? All right--mind
you get yourself a cup of tea before going home."

"Viner," Pawle continued when he had taken the girl into the outer
office, "we can easily run down to Marketstoke in under two hours. I'll
call for you at your house at half-past five. That'll give us time to
wash away the dirt before our dinner. And then--we'll hear what this old
lady has to tell."

Viner, who was musing somewhat vaguely over these curious developments,
looked at Mr. Pawle as if in speculation about his evident optimism.

"You think we shall hear something worth hearing?" he asked.

"I should say we probably shall," replied Mr. Pawle. "Put things
together. Ashton goes away--as soon as he's got settled down in
Markendale Square--on a somewhat mysterious journey. Now we hear that he