"I don't know much of the young man," Mr. Crellan said slowly. "I must say I never particularly took to him. He is rather a clever fellow, I believe. He was called to the bar some time ago, and afterwards studied medicine, I believe, with the idea of priming himself for a practice in medical jurisprudence. He took a good deal of interest in my old friend's researches, I am told--at any rate he _said_ he did; he may have been thinking of his uncle's fortune. But they had a small tiff on some medical question. I don't know exactly what it was, but Mr. Holford objected to something--a method of research or something of that kind--as being dangerous and unprofessional. There was no actual rupture between them, you understand, but Mellis's visits slacked off, and there was a coolness." "Where is Mr. Mellis now?" "In London, I believe." "Has he been in this house between the day you last saw the will in that drawer and yesterday, when you failed to find it?" "Only once. He came to see his uncle two days before his death--last Saturday, in fact. He didn't stay long." "Did you see him?" "Yes." "What did he do?" "Merely came into the room for a few minutes--visitors weren't allowed to stay long--spoke a little to his uncle, and went back to town." "Did he do nothing else, or see anybody else?" "Miss Garth went out of the room with him as he left, and I should think they talked for a little before he went away, to judge by the time she was gone; but I don't know." "You are sure he went then?" "I saw him in the drive as I looked from the window." "Miss Garth, you say, has kept all the keys since the beginning of Mr. Holford's illness?" "Yes, until she gave them up to me yesterday. Indeed, the nurse, who is rather a peppery customer, and was jealous of Miss Garth's presence in the sick room all along, made several difficulties about having to go to her for everything." "And there is no doubt of the bureau having been kept locked all the time?" "None at all. I have asked Miss Garth that--and, indeed, a good many other things--without saying why I wanted the information." "How are Mr. Mellis and Miss Garth affected toward one another--are they friendly?" "Oh, yes. Indeed, some while ago I rather fancied that Mellis was disposed to pay serious addresses in that quarter. He may have had a fancy that way, or he may have been attracted by the young lady's expectations. At any rate, nothing definite seems to have come of it as yet. But I must say--between ourselves, of course--I have more than once noticed a decided air of agitation, shyness perhaps, in Miss Garth when Mr. Mellis has been present. But, at any rate, that scarcely matters. She is twenty-four years of age now, and can do as she likes. Although, if I had anything to say in the matter--well, never mind." "You, I take it, have known Miss Garth a long time?" "Bless you, yes. Danced her on my knee twenty years ago. I've been her 'Uncle Leonard' all her life."