"In reality his twenty-first," Thomson went on. "On the morning of that day, the boy made his will, leaving the bulk of his estate to Ella Duncombe, and large legacies to the rest of the family. He also left a letter addressed to Ella Duncombe, in which he made clear the relations between them and spoke of their impending marriage. With those documents in his possession, Duncombe had no more use for the boy. There is no doubt, from your report, Lister, that he deliberately made his first attempt upon his life on that very morning. There is no doubt, also, that the boy, half-witted though he was, in his sullen way saw through the whole thing. His hate for Duncombe became a slow-burning passion—and there, I think, is the story of the tragedy."
"And the will?" I asked.
"It was committed to the flames on the morning of the tragedy by Duncombe's sister—also the letter. The estate goes to the Crown."
Rose sighed.
"All that money and no one any better off!"
Mr. Thomson shrugged his shoulders.
"The lawyers to the estate," he told us, "have made over ten thousand pounds to the Duncombe family."
I took my courage into my hands.
"I know your attitude towards questions, sir," I said, "but I feel bound to ask you one concerning this episode. What on earth did you expect to gain by bringing us in touch with it?"
Our host sipped his wine thoughtfully.