How does
that strike you, Viner?"
"It's this--and not the diamond!" declared Viner doggedly. "I've a sort
of absolute intuition that I'm right."
"I think so too," assented the old lawyer, dryly. "The
fifty-thousand-pound diamond is a side-mine. Very well, now we know a
lot, you and I. And, we're going to solve matters. And we're not going to
say a word to this young lady, at present--that's settled. But I want to
ask her some questions--come along."
He led the way across the hall to the dining-room where a reminder of
Ashton's death met his and Viner's view as soon as they had crossed the
threshold. The funeral was to take place next day, and Mrs. Killenhall
and Miss Wickham were contemplating a massive wreath of flowers which had
evidently just arrived from the florist's and been deposited on the
centre-table.
"All we can do for him, you know!" murmured Mrs. Killenhall, with a
glance at the two men. "He--he had so few friends here, poor man!"
"That remark, ma'am," observed Mr. Pawle, "is apropos of a subject that I
want to ask Miss Wickham two or three questions about. Friends, now? Miss
Wickham, you always understood that Mr.
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