The fact is I met Ashton at Marseilles, and spent the better
part of the week in his company at the Hotel de Louvre there."
"When was that?" asked Mr. Pawle.
"About three months ago," replied the barrister. "I had gone straight to
Marseilles from London; he had come there from Italy by way of Monte
Carlo and Nice. We happened to get into conversation on the night of my
arrival, and we afterwards spent most of our time together. And finding
out that I was a barrister, he confided certain things to me and asked
my advice."
"Aye--and on what, now?" enquired the old lawyer.
"It was the last night we were together," replied Mr. Perkwite. "We had
by that time become very friendly, and I had promised to renew our
acquaintance on my return to London, where, Ashton told me, he intended
to settle down for the rest of his life. Now on that last evening at
Marseilles I had been telling him, after dinner, of some curious legal
cases, and he suddenly remarked that he would like to tell me of a matter
which might come within the law, and on which he should be glad of
advice. He then asked me if I had ever heard of the strange disappearance
of Lord Marketstoke, heir to the seventh Earl of Ellingham.
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