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"Perhaps I'd better tell you what we do know," he said. "Our station was rung up by the caretaker here at five minutes past eight. He said Mr. Herapath had just been found lying on the floor of his private room, and they were sure something was wrong, and would we come round. I came myself with one of our plain-clothes men who happened to be in, and our surgeon followed us a few minutes later.
"Don't you know you ought to come to the prefects about it?" Oddly enough, both the boys had completely forgotten. "Besides," explained Dig, "as Railsford and Herapath are sort of brother-in-laws, you know, we thought it was all right." The reason did not appear very obvious; but the information was interesting. "Oh, that's it, is it?" asked the captain. "What relation is he to you?"
"That entirely depends." "On what?" "Circumstances!" "Have the circumstances got anything to do with this secret?" "Everything! More than anything now." "Now what?" "Now that Jacob Herapath is dead. Look here!" continued Burchill, leaning forward and speaking impressively. "Take my counsel. Leave this for the moment and come to see me now, when? Tonight. Come tonight. I've nothing to do.
Halfpenny could not imagine the only thing really certain was that Barthorpe seemed resolved on laying it bare when Friday came. "God bless me! it's a most extraordinary complication altogether!" mused Mr. Halfpenny, once more alone in his own office. "It's very evident to me that Barthorpe Herapath is absolutely ignorant that he's suspected, and that the police are at work on him!
Nothing of the sort which he contemplated, he said, existed in London when the opportunity came he would show the building world what could and should be done. The opportunity came when a parcel of land in Kensington fell into the market Jacob Herapath made haste to purchase it, and he immediately began building on it.
I can fancy I see you reeling under this blow! I have been reeling under it for thirty-six hours. "It's partly your fault. Coming over the Saint Gothard a week ago, I fell in with a family party, Herapath by name; father, mother, boy and girl. They had come part of the way by train, and were driving over the top.
I arrived at the entrance to the Hall soon after eleven. A few minutes later Mountain, the coachman, drove up with the coupé brougham. I remained within the shadow of the porch there were other people about several Members, and men who were with them. At a quarter past eleven Jacob Herapath came down the Hall, accompanied by Dimambro.
Dig pronounced it a rotten concern, and voted for smashing it up; but Herapath, more dauntless, determined on one further effort. He began to drive a large nail vehemently into the floor immediately under the refractory bookcase, and then, tying a string round the bottom shelf, he hitched the other end round the nail and drew the fabric triumphantly into the wall. It was a complete success.
"I can't think of anything in our transactions with the late Mr. Herapath that gives any clue, any idea, anything at all," he said, somewhat querulously. "Mr. Herapath's transactions with us, right up to the day of his death, were just what they had been for years. Of course, I'm willing to tell you anything, show you anything. You're acting for Miss Wynne, aren't you, Mr. Halfpenny?"
"Ah!" responded Triffitt, wildly smiting the crown of his deerstalker. "That's just it! What does it all mean, my dear! Gad! this is to use the common language of the common man, a fair licker! That that chap Burchill should march as bold as brass into those Herapath Flats, is well, I couldn't be more surprised, Trixie, than if you were to tell me that you are the Queen of Sheba's grand-daughter!
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