The latter of the two puzzles was in the capable hands of Sellars. Much would depend upon the result of that interview with the friend of Mrs. Morrice’s youth, Alma Buckley. And the result depended upon the woman herself. First of all, had she any knowledge of Lettice Larchester after they had parted company at the little village of Brinkstone sufficiently intimate to include the details of her life between that date and her marriage to the wealthy financier? If she knew them, was she too staunch a friend to the companion of her youth to satisfy the curiosity of a stranger, or could she be tempted to open her mouth by a bribe of sufficient magnitude. If she were a venal person she would, no doubt, require a considerable sum for any information she gave. No large sums could be extracted from the meagre resources of Richard Croxton. Anxious as he appeared to clear himself, he could not be expected to reduce himself to penury for an investigation which might not lead to any clear evidence of his innocence. Even if Alma Buckley knew the real identity of Archie Brookes and sold the knowledge for an agreed sum of money, the fact of proving him an impostor would not necessarily acquit Croxton of the suspicions resting upon him. In that case the only person to whom application could be made would be Morrice himself. And that would entail immediate avowal of what Sellars had found out; and it might be that such an immediate avowal might be a little too precipitate for Lane’s plans. Anyway, in that direction he could do nothing till he knew the result of his lieutenant’s negotiations with this middle-aged actress. The further investigations into the case of Sir George he was for the present keeping in his own hands. Later on he must tackle that of Archie Brookes, not as regards his antecedents, but his expenditure and the source of his income. Popular rumour credited Sir George with the financial support of his alleged nephew. Well, a certain light upon that portion of the problem had been thrown by Rosabelle’s statement of the conversation in her aunt’s boudoir which she had overheard. It was evident, even from the little she had gathered, that money was the topic of that conversation; equally evident that Mrs. Morrice had contributed large sums to the young man’s support. But however generous her allowance, his supposed aunt could not alone maintain the burden of young Brookes’s lavish expenditure as detailed by Simmons, who had the information from a reliable source. He must have other resources, and the nature and extent of those resources must be discovered.