"Yes, sir: I was at the front-door, talking to one of Lady Acorn's servants, who had brought a parcel for my lady. Mr. Cleveland jumped out of the cab he was in, and ran past me all in a hurry, saying he had come to look for something the master had left behind him." "Did he go at once to the room where I breakfasted?" "No, sir. My lady chanced to be descending the stairs at the moment; Mr. Cleveland asked her where Mr. Grubb had breakfasted, and she turned with him into the small room. In a minute or two, it could not have been more, he came running out again, leaped into the cab, and went away in it at a great rate. That was the first time, sir." Mr. Grubb lifted his eyes. "The first time! What do you mean?" "Mr. Charles Cleveland came back again, sir. Not directly; half-an-hour or three-quarters later it may have been, perhaps more, I had not taken particular note of the time. I was in the hall then, watching John clean the lamp--he has done it slovenly of late. The front-door was rung and knocked at as if it was going to be knocked down. I opened it, and Mr. Charles Cleveland rushed past me up to the drawing-room. I never hardly saw anybody in a greater hurry than he seemed to be. He came down again directly, my lady with him, and they went into the breakfast-room. He then ran out to the cab, and drove away at a fiercer rate than before." "Was it the same cab?" "Oh yes, sir. Taking both times together, he was not in the house three minutes." "Not long enough to----" Mr. Grubb checked himself, and remained silent. "Not long enough to have drawn a false cheque, sir, when the handwriting has to be studied--as we have been saying below," put in the butler, following too closely his master's thoughts. Mr. Grubb felt disagreeably startled. "Hilson! what are you saying? _Who_ has talked of this below?" "Only Darvy, sir. She got to know of it this morning, through---- Well, sir, I believe through a letter that my lady gave her to read." "But how was that?" questioned Mr. Grubb, in a displeased tone. "It was through a mistake of my lady's, sir," replied Alison, dropping his voice. "She had meant to give Darvy a note from Madame Damereau, about the trimming of a dress; instead of that, she gave her one from Lady Grace. Darvy has been uneasy ever since, and she spoke in confidence to me." "Why uneasy?" "Well, sir, Darvy thinks it an unpleasant thing to have happened, especially for us upper servants. The cheque must have been torn out and filled in by somebody." "Nonsense," interposed Mr. Grubb. "Take care you do not speak of this, Hilson; and caution Darvy."