“Yes. I got it all right, but are you sure that you mean Tompkins, who used to be butler for Lynne? The right Tompkins, I mean?�
“Of course I am sure.�
“I understood that he was in England.�
“England, nothing! He is right here in New York—and a bright old chap he is, too.â€�
“Glory be, Chick. That is the best news you could have given me. Did you tell Tompkins about the death of Edythe?�
“Yes, and the old man is heartbroken. He wants to go out there, but I told him to wait, and I would let him know whether to go there or wait here to see her. He wants to see her.�
“He shall see her, too; tell him that for me, and go to him at once as soon as you leave the phone. I want you to bring him here, in order that there may be no mistake. Now, is that all you have to tell me?�
“Yes. About all. It is all I think of now.�
“Well, before I give you your instructions, answer me a question. From time to time, during the past four or five years, you remember to have seen many items about J. Cephas Lynne in the newspapers, don’t you?�
“About a thousand of them, more or less, I should say. Why?�