Stenness closed the safe and put the key back into his pocket.
“Yes, Mr. Shandon told me to keep this one. I’ve been arranging the papers for him and it was more convenient that I should have the key. It saved him the bother of always handing it over when I needed it.”
“You hadn’t a key in Roger Shandon’s time?”
“No, Roger was rather a different sort of person.”
“By the way, Mr. Stenness, are you staying on here as secretary to Ernest Shandon?”
Stenness seemed slightly taken aback by the question.
“There’s no definite arrangement, so far. I’m staying until the estate affairs have been cleared up; but after that I doubt if I shall remain here. I can do better than this.”
“I suppose you could,” Sir Clinton agreed indifferently.
He looked at his watch.
“I want to see Dr. Ardsley now. I’m rather in a hurry at present; but there are one or two more questions I want to put to you sometime, Mr. Stenness. Will you be free after dinner to-night? Very well, I’ll come across then. Now, if you could let Dr. Ardsley know I’m here.”