In half-an-hour’s time, during which Cubleigh kept evincing a restless anxiety as to why “the old beggar” had come, and had left the room for some minutes, and had again returned, Dr. Massenger burst into the room in a state of violent excitement. “My Lord Duke and gentlemen,” he cried, “I regret, and am ashamed to inform you, that my worthy neighbour, Mr. Wilmot, has come over to tell me of a most unpleasant circumstance. He has been robbed--robbed of a number of his most valuable gold coins--and I am sorry to say he suspects my pupils; mine, the sojourners in ‘Ehrenbreitstein,’ to be the robbers. I have indignantly repelled the base insinuation, but I regret to say the old man, who I imagine must have lost his wits, is firm in his determination to place the matter in the hands of the detective police, unless those gentlemen who visited him at Holborough last week consent to have their rooms and effects searched in his presence. My Lord Duke, I remember you were not one of the party; but you, Mr. Cubleigh, and you, Mr. Manwaring, what do you say?” “I say it is an insult even to think of such a thing,” cried Wilfred, colouring deeply. “And what do you say, Mr. Cubleigh?” asked the Doctor. “Why,” answered he, as, _more suo_, he bent his furtive eyes upon the ground, “it seems to me the proposal is a very reasonable one, and I for my part shall be most happy to assent to it, for of course we know nothing of the old gentleman’s trumpery, which, after all, has most likely been stolen by some footman or housemaid.” “Right,” cried Dr. Massenger, “excellently right indeed; that is just the sort of sentiment which I should have expected to hear from the mouth of the son of Lord Guttleborough; and I _do_ wish,” he added, turning to Wilfred, “I _do_ wish, Mr. Manwaring, I could more often see you guided by mature reason, like that of Mr. Cubleigh, rather than by those youthful impulses which are so peculiarly your own. Ribblesdale, I trust your Grace will accompany us, as, in order to satisfy my good, although somewhat unreasonable friend and neighbour, we go through the form of searching the sleeping apartments.” So saying, the Doctor, who prided himself on his art of mingling the familiarity proper to a pupil with the respect due to a nobleman of exalted rank, pompously led the way upstairs, the party being joined in the hall by Mr. Wilmot. The first room which Dr. Massenger entered was that of Cubleigh, he having probably a floating idea that it was one of the prerogatives of a person of noble birth to take precedence of a mere commoner, in having one’s room searched in quest of stolen goods. The walls of this apartment were covered with Japanese fans and handscreens made of peacocks’ feathers, and they were further decorated with numerous photographs of ladies in a somewhat _décolleté_ style of costume, and by crayon drawings of gentlemen with long hair, and faces which betokened excruciating pains in the stomach.