“It isn’t all. Modred had discovered his secret.”

In spite of myself I started.

“What secret?” I said.

“Where the coins were hidden.”

“What coins?”

For the first time he looked at me with a faint leer of cunning.

“I won’t condescend to prevaricate for any purpose,” I said. “I do know about the treasure, because he told me himself, but I swear I know to this day nothing about its hiding-place.”

He looked at me curiously.

“Well,” he said, “Modred had found it out, anyway.”

“How do you know?”