"I have not had time to search amongst the packets of letters in Mr. Brightman's cupboards and places. But I think if there were any of your letters in our possession they would have been with the Clavering papers."
Her gaze again sought mine for a moment, and then faded to vacancy. "I wonder if he burnt them," she dreamily uttered.
"Who? Mr. Brightman?"
"No; my husband. You must look everywhere, Mr. Strange. If those letters are in existence, I must have them. You will look?"
"Certainly I will."
"I shall remain in town until I hear from you. You will go, then!"
"One more question ere I do go, Lady Clavering. Have you positively no recollection of seeing this lost parchment?"
She looked surprised at my pertinacity. "If I had, I should say so. I do not think I saw anything of the sort. But if I had seen it, the subsequent fright would have taken it clean out of my memory."
So I wished her good-morning and departed. "It is not Lady Clavering," I exclaimed to Lennard, when I reached home.
"Are you sure of that, Mr. Strange?"