"No!" cried Crate in admiration. "And who is it, Mr. Fanks. Man or woman?"
"Walls have ears, Crate. I shall whisper the name and when the case comes to an end--if it ever does--you can laugh at me or congratulate me at your will. Now then."
Fanks approached his mouth to the ear of Crate and whispered a single name. "That is my opinion," he said slowly.
Crate shook his head. "No, Mr. Fanks. I am loth to put my opinion, against yours, but I think you are making a mistake."
"Perhaps I am," assented Fanks, carelessly, "the case is a difficult one, and I am quite prepared to find out that I am wrong. All the same, I am confident that the person I named is guilty. I'll bet you five pounds to five shillings that I am correct."
Crate grinned and took up the bet. The behaviour of his chief flattered him, and he would not have minded losing. But he could not bring himself to agree with Fanks as to the name of the guilty person; for he had a theory of his own in which he believed. This theory was diametrically opposed to that of his superior.
"How long shall you be at Taxton-on-Thames," he asked Fanks, when this little piece of amusement was concluded.
"I may be a few days, a few hours, or a month. It all depends on what I find out. I must interview Anne Colmer; see her mother; and make inquiries about Binjoy and his negro servant."
"But the doctor is at Mere Hall. You must go there to ask about the negro."
"Rubbish. As I told you before, the negro has never been seen at Mere Hall. Binjoy lived at Taxton-on-Thames, and it is there that I must ask after this mysterious black man. Afterwards, I can go to Mere Hall."