"Well, sir? Please go on."
"A ship left that night for the Americas—for the Virginia Colony."
"But Lord Neville did not go to America. Oh, no, sir! That is an impossible thought."
"Well, then, there is this alternative: the merchant who paid him the money died a few days afterwards of smallpox. Was there infection in the money? Did Lord Neville take the smallpox and die?"
"But if he had been sick he would have known the danger, and written some letter and provided for the safety of the property in his charge. He knew many people in The Hague. This supposition is very unlikely."
"Why did he insist on the gold? This is the thing that troubles me."
"Who says he insisted on gold?"
"The widow of the man who paid it."
"She may have been mistaken. She may herself be dishonest. The money may never have been paid at all. I do not believe it has been paid. Did your trusty man see Lord Neville's quittance?"
"I have not thought of that, Jane. I was troubled at the story, and accepted it as it was given. It was too painful and suspicious to examine."