“I told you all I know, which isn’t much,” said Alan, reluctantly changing the subject. “Marie lives at the big house in Belstone which is called ‘The Monastery’ because it was given by Henry VIII., to the Inderwick of——”
“Oh, confound Henry VIII. What about the peacock?”
“It’s the family fetish, and for one hundred years has been in the possession of the Inderwicks. It was stolen some twenty years ago, and no one ever knew what became of it. Now——”
“Now it turns up in the possession of Baldwin Grison, who has evidently been murdered on its account. And yet you deny latter-day romance.”
“Well,” observed Alan rubbing his knees again, “I admit that your truth is stranger than your professional journalistic fiction. But how did this man become possessed of the ornament?”
Latimer shrugged his mighty shoulders. “How dense you are! Didn’t I tell you how Louisa Grison declared that her brother had been secretary to a certain person, whose name I said I would tell you later on. I shall tell you now, if you aren’t clever enough to guess it.”
“Rats,” said Fuller inelegantly. “How can you expect me to guess it?”
“By using what common-sense Nature has given you. Hang it, man, here is an excessively unique ornament belonging to the Inderwick family which has been missing for over twenty years. Grison’s sister says that she intends to bury her brother’s body in Belstone churchyard, and declared at the inquest that at one time he was the secretary to a certain person. Now if you put two and two together, you will find that the person is——”
“Mr. Sorley. Randolph Sorley,” cried Fuller suddenly enlightened.
“In other words, the uncle and guardian of Miss Marie Inderwick. Well now, you can see that two and two do make four.”