“But did not you, with your own eyes, see your father dead in his laboratory?” I asked seriously. “Are you not being misled, as these men are trying to mislead me?” I suggested.
She hesitated, glancing towards the man who posed as the Professor as though expecting him to reply for her.
“No,” I went on, “this is a conspiracy—a plot to place this man in a dead man’s shoes. And you know it, Miss Ethelwynn.”
“I tell you he’s my father!” the girl persisted. “Cannot you believe us?”
“Not without some independent proof,” I said. This persistence angered me.
“Then what proof do you require?” asked the man. “Shall I call the park-keeper at Clarence Gate? He has known me and seen me every day for a number of years.”
“Call him, if you wish,” I said, though, truth to tell, I did not intend to be longer fooled by the ingenious machinations of Kirk and his gang.
Antonio was sent to find the park-keeper, who, in due time, appeared, carrying his gold-laced hat in his hand.
“You’ve known Professor Greer a long time?” I asked the white-headed man.
“Several years, sir,” was his quick reply.