Sellars of course drank in all this information with greedy ears; he would be sure to learn something of importance if he listened long enough. He encouraged the flow of reminiscence with appropriate and judicious remarks, with the result that Dobbs launched forth into a full and exhaustive history of the Brookes family. Charles, who was suspected of not being quite right in the upper storey, pre-deceased his father. Lady Brookes died a couple of years later, her death having been hastened, according to general rumour, by the recklessness of her husband, and the excesses of her children. Archibald, a young man of a rather common type, a frequenter of the Brinkstone Arms, a village Don Juan whose scandals affronted the countryside, who was looked down upon by his equals in station, had been sent out of the country in the hope that he might lead a new life when removed from his evil associations. George by the death of the eldest brother had become the heir to the title and estates. Then came the death of old Sir George, as Dobbs called him to differentiate him from the present Baronet. He left little behind him save debts, and what had once been a fine property was found to be mortgaged up to the hilt. There was very little left for his successor. “For the last few years of the old man’s life, during which he was compelled to live in a rather shabby sort of way on account of the heavy interest on the mortgages, the present Sir George was very seldom at the Park,” Dobbs explained. “He lived in London chiefly; I suppose he had some small allowance from his father, but the general impression was he lived on his wits. When affairs were gone into, he saw it was impossible to take his rightful place. And I don’t suppose, if it had been possible, he would have found it very pleasant. From being one of the most highly respected families in the neighbourhood, they had incurred the contempt and ill-will of their neighbours, and he had always been unpopular from a boy. We heard very little of him here for some years till the news came that he had inherited a fortune from a distant relative, and added the name of Clayton to his own. I presume he could have afforded to come back here, but I don’t expect he had any fondness for the old place, and in my opinion, sir, it is better without him. The present tenant is a liberal, open-handed gentleman and does a lot of good round about.” “He has a nephew in London, Archie Brookes, I presume a son of the man who went to Australia. Do you know anything about him, Dobbs?” queried the amateur investigator.