"Well—who did? Seems to me every one who knew him suffered."
"Sentimentally perhaps—but not financially."
Ned looked at him in silence, as if an entirely new point of view were dawning on his mind. But he compressed his lips and merely asked:
"Well?"
"To begin with, nothing was stolen from the house. Therefore no outside thief or burglar gained anything. I may add also that the police have made enquiries throughout the whole county, and no bad characters are known to be in the place. Therefore there is no ground for supposing the deed was the work of a robber, and to my mind, no evidence worth considering to support that view. The only people that gained anything, Mr. Cromarty, are those who will benefit under Sir Reginald's will."
Cromarty's expression did not change again. This was evidently the new point of view.
Simon opened a drawer and took from it a document.
"In the ordinary course of events Sir Reginald's will would not be known till after his funeral to-morrow, but if I may regard this conversation as confidential, I can tell you the principal facts so far as they affect this case."
"I don't want you to do anything you shouldn't," said Ned quickly. "If it's not the proper game to read the will now, don't."
But Silent Simon seemed determined to oblige this morning.