Much
obliged to you, Miss Wickham. You won't understand all this, but you
will, later. Now, one of my clerks will get you a car, and we'll escort
you down to it."
"No," said Lord Ellingham, promptly jumping to his feet. "Allow me--I'm
youngest. If Miss Wickham will let me--"
The two young people went out of the room together, and the three
men left behind looked at each other. There was a brief and
significant silence.
"Well, Carless?" said Mr. Pawle at last. "How now?"
"'Pon my honour," answered Mr. Carless, "I shouldn't wonder if
you're right!"
CHAPTER XX
SURPRISING READINESS
Mr. Pawle made a gesture which seemed to denote a certain amount of
triumphant self-satisfaction.
"I'm sure I'm right!" he exclaimed. "You'll find out that I'm right! But
there's a tremendous lot to do, Carless. If only that unfortunate man,
Ashton, had lived, he could have cleared this matter up at once. I feel
convinced that he possessed papers which would have proved this girl's
claim beyond dispute. Those papers, of course--"
"Now, what particular papers are you thinking of?" interrupted Mr.
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