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Of course, I lost mi brass fifty odd pounds!" Byner gave Eldrick a glance. "I think Mr. Pickard has earned the ten pounds you offered," he said. Eldrick took the hint and pulled out his cheque-book. "Of course, you're to keep all this private strictly private, Mr. Pickard," he said as he wrote. "Not a word to a soul!" "Just as you order, sir," agreed Pickard. "I'll say nowt to nobody."
"Now," continued Eldrick, "just let us consider matters for a few minutes from the position which has newly arisen. To begin with. Pratt's account of your mother's dealings about the foot-bridge is a very clever and plausible one. I can see quite well that it has caused you great pain; so before I go any further, just let me say this to you don't you attach one word of importance to it!"
I don't know what you may have heard, or gathered my daughter herself, from what she tells me, has only the vaguest notions but I wanted to tell you, Mr. Eldrick, and you, Mr. Collingwood seeing that you're one a solicitor and the other a barrister, that Pratt invented a most abominable plot against me, which, of course, hasn't a word of truth in it, yet was so clever that "
Eldrick was already waiting when Collingwood reached his chambers: Byner came there a few moments later. Within half an hour the barrister had told his story of Cobcroft, and the inquiry agent his of his visit to the Green Man and the quarries. And the solicitor listened quietly and attentively to both, and in the end turned to Collingwood.
He would sell his grandfather's business as soon as he could find a buyer the old man had left a provision in his will, the gist of which Eldrick had already communicated to Collingwood, to the effect that his grandson could either carry on the business with the help of a competent manager until the stock was sold out, or could dispose of it as a going concern Collingwood decided to sell it outright, and at once.
Eldrick looked up at his partner with a sharp, confirmatory glance. "That's our Parrawhite, of course!" he said. "Who's after him, now?" And he went on to read the rest of the advertisement, murmuring its phraseology half-aloud: "'in practice as a solicitor at Nottingham and who left that town six years ago.
Pratt was in Eldrick & Pascoe's office soon after half-past eight next morning, and for nearly forty minutes he had the place entirely to himself. But it took only a few of those minutes for him to do what he had carefully planned before he went to bed the previous night.
All about him lay open ground, broken by the numerous stone quarries of which Eldrick had spoken, and at a little distance along one of the four roads at the intersection of which he stood, he saw a few houses and cottages, one of which, taller and bigger than the rest, was distinguished by a pole, planted in front of its stone porch and bearing a swinging sign whereon was rudely painted the figure of a man in Lincoln green.
Byner next morning with considerable curiosity. And soon after eleven there was shown in to him, a smart, well-dressed, alert-looking young man, who, having introduced himself as Mr. Gerald Byner, immediately plunged into business. "You can tell me something of James Parrawhite, Mr. Eldrick?" he began. "We shall be glad we've been endeavouring to trace him for some months.
"There's been no murder! The man left the town. Probably, Pratt helped him off. Couldn't have better proof than that wire!" "What do you take that wire to prove, then, Mr. Eldrick?" asked Byner. "Take it to prove!" answered Eldrick. "Why, that Parrawhite booked a passage to America with this man Murgatroyd, last November. Clear enough, that!" "What do you take it to prove, Mr.
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