"My uncle?" she said. "Why my uncle?"
"Well," said Hartley, "you see, Ste. Marie went to a little party at your uncle's flat on the night before he disappeared, and I thought your uncle might have heard him say something that would throw light on his movements the next day."
Hartley remembered the unfortunate incident of the galloping pigs, and hurried on:
"He went to the party more for the purpose of having a talk with your uncle than for any other reason, I think. I was to have gone myself, but gave it up at the eleventh hour for the Cains' dinner at Armenonville. Well, the next morning after Captain Stewart's party he went out early. I called at his rooms to see him about something important that I thought he ought to know. I missed him, and so left a note for him which he got on his return and read. I found it open on his table later on. At noon he went out again, and that's all. Frankly, I'm worried about him."
Miss Benham watched the man with thoughtful eyes, and when he had finished she asked:
"Could you tell me what was in this note that you left for Ste. Marie?"
Hartley was by nature a very open and frank young man, and in consequence an unusually bad liar. He hesitated and looked away, and he began to turn red.
"Well--no," he said, after a moment--"no, I'm afraid I can't. It was something you wouldn't understand--wouldn't know about."
And the girl said, "Oh!" and remained for a little while silent. But at the end she looked up and met his eyes, and the man saw that she was very grave. She said:
"Richard, there is something that you and I have been avoiding and pretending not to see. It has gone too far now, and we've got to face it with perfect frankness. I know what was in your note to Ste. Marie. It was what you found out the other evening about--my uncle--the matter of the will and the other matter. He knew about the will, but he told you and Ste. Marie that he didn't. He said to you, also, that I had told him about my engagement and Ste. Marie's determination to search for Arthur, and that was--a lie. I didn't tell him, and grandfather didn't tell him. He listened in the door yonder and heard it himself. I have a good reason for knowing that. And then," she said, "he tried very hard to persuade you and Ste. Marie to take up your search under his direction, and he partly succeeded. He sent Ste. Marie upon a foolish expedition to Dinard, and he gave him and gave you other clews just as foolish as that one. Richard, do you believe that my uncle has hidden poor Arthur away somewhere or--worse than that? Do you? Tell me the truth!"