"Quite so," assented the Squire; "but he must have returned on the same night to Town, perhaps by the midnight express from Tarhaven. His visit to me only dated from twelve o'clock the next day, when he arrived by the midday train."
"Hum! And he knew about the will?"
"Mrs. Beatson told him. I expect he wished to get it, to sell it to me."
"Ah! he doesn't know what an honest man you are, Hendle."
"He knows now," responded Rupert dryly; "however, I understand that you will come to The Big House at twelve o'clock to-morrow to give evidence."
"Certainly; certainly."
"And----" Rupert hesitated with an awkward look.
"Oh, I'll be sober," said Tollart with a defiant laugh. "I'm not quite so bad as people make out. You can depend upon my doing everything I can to help you, Hendle, as I have a great regard for you," and the burly doctor shook hands warmly with the Squire.
Rupert went away feeling sorry that a man with such a good heart should be a slave to a despicable vice, and wondering if there was no way in which he could be reformed. Tollart when sober was a clever physician, but when in his cups made endless mistakes. And for a medical man to make mistakes is dangerous seeing that he is dealing with matters of life and death. However, much as Hendle wished to assist Tollart to lead a better life and give his undoubted abilities a chance, this was not the moment to attend to the matter, as there were more immediately important matters to be looked into. So having secured Tollart as a witness, the Squire walked to Ark's abode.
This was a tumble-down cottage on the verge of the churchyard, which stood in a well-kept garden surrounded by a wall of loose stones. Here lived the old sexton and his grandson in tolerable comfort. The neat looks of the garden were due to Tobias Ark, for his grandfather took no interest in such things. Tobias himself was a lean dark-faced man, taciturn and rather melancholy, perhaps by reason of his funereal employment. He was digging in the flower-beds when the Squire approached the gate and hastened to come forward with a surly touch of his forelock. In answer to Rupert's inquiry he admitted that his grandfather was in the cottage and said that he would send him out to hear what the Squire had to say. Hendle did not mind waiting at the gate, as he had no wish to enter Ark's stuffy abode.