The polite Dobbs gave the usual little preliminary cough which heralded farewell. “I hope I haven’t bored you, sir, but I got that excited, although it all happened so many years ago, that I was a bit carried away.” “Not at all, Dobbs. Knowing the lady just a little, I have been most interested. Now tell me, was Miss Larchester an only daughter?” “The only child, sir.” “You are quite sure of that, Dobbs. There was no elder or younger sister knocking about somewhere on her own?” Dobbs did not seem surprised at the question; he was not by any means a suspicious man. “Quite sure, Mr. Sellars. I have heard her father say a dozen times, that he only had one child, and that his wife died in giving it birth.” Dobbs retired after another dose of whisky, and Sellars ruminated over the latest information. Both Sir George’s brothers had died unmarried, and there had been no sisters. Therefore it was impossible for him to have a nephew. Mrs. Morrice, _née_ Lettice Larchester, was an only child, therefore it was equally impossible for her to have a nephew. And yet young Archibald Brookes was accepted as the nephew of both, the son of her sister and his brother. What was the mystery that lay behind this obvious lie? CHAPTER IX IMPORTANT INFORMATION It was getting close to Christmas, and Sellars had got as much information as it was possible to obtain in the little village of Brinkstone; in fact, his visit had been particularly fruitful, thanks to the exhaustive knowledge and retentive memory of the useful Dobbs. It was time to pack up, return to London, and discuss matters with Lane. But before he left he had a further chat with the head-waiter of the Brinkstone Arms, and this proved as valuable in its results as the previous ones. “You say that Miss Larchester formed no acquaintances here—that she led an isolated life?” He put his question to the old man after pressing into his hand a very substantial tip. Dobbs shook his head. “A very lonely, miserable life, sir, for anybody, more especially for such a young and attractive girl. There came just a little break in the last year of their stay here. She then did get a little companionship with a member of her own sex, though not quite her own class.” And Dobbs proceeded to relate the circumstances in his usual clear and straightforward way. An elderly man of the name of Buckley came to reside in Brinkstone, in a cottage just a little superior to that rented by the Larchesters. Like the artist, he brought with him a daughter, also, like Lettice, an only child.