‘My good gentleman is down-stairs, sir, and will be happy to wait upon you direckly minute.’ Lucius went down to the hall with Mrs. Wincher. Her good gentleman was pottering about among his master’s treasures, with a dusting-brush. ‘Mr. Wincher,’ said Lucius without preamble, ‘I have come to the determination that, under the very unpleasant circumstances which have arisen in this house, plain sailing is the wisest course. I have therefore informed Mr. Sivewright of the robbery.’ ‘Indeed, sir! I should have thought you’d hardly have ventured that while he’s so ill. And how did he take it?’ ‘Better than I expected: but he agreed with me as to the necessity of a step which I proposed to him.’ ‘What might that be, sir?’ ‘That you and Mrs. Wincher should immediately leave this house.’ The old man, who was feeble and somewhat bowed with age and hard work, drew himself up with an offended dignity that might have become a prince of the blood-royal. ‘If that is my master’s decision I am ready to go, sir,’ he said, without a quaver in his weak old voice. ‘If that is my master’s decision after five-and-twenty years’ faithful service, I cannot go too soon. Deborah, get our bits of things together, my dear, as fast as you conveniently can, while I go out and look about me for a room.’ ‘Lemaître, at his best, was not a finer actor than this old man,’ thought Lucius. ‘It is the perfection of art.’ Mrs. Wincher only stared and breathed hard. In her, indignation had paralysed the power of speech. ‘If it were a mere question of the robbery,’ said Lucius, ‘I should not have counselled your dismissal. It would have gone hard with me if, once put upon my guard, I could not have protected the property in this house. But there is one thing more valuable than a man’s property, and more difficult to protect, and that is his life. The reason of your dismissal, Mr. Wincher, is that there has been an attempt made by some one in this house—and you best know how many it contains—to poison your old master.’ ‘Poison!’ echoed Jacob Wincher helplessly. ‘Yes, I discovered arsenic last night in a half-filled medicine bottle which I took from your master’s room. Some one had introduced arsenic into the medicine since it left my hands. Mr. Sivewright’s symptoms of late have been those of arsenical poisoning. Under such circumstances you can hardly wonder that I wish to bring about a change of occupants in this house.’