"I do know, Mary; I quite understand," Mr. Carrington assured her in his soothing voice, and there could be no doubt he was wondering just as hard as she. "What o'clock does he generally go out?" he asked. "At nine o'clock almost exactly every night, sir!" Mr. Carrington looked thoughtfully out of the window into the garden, and then at last looked down at the ink and paper and pen. Not a word was written on the paper yet. "Look here, Mary," he said very confidentially. "I am a friend of Mr. Rattar's and I am sure you would like me to try and throw a little light on this. Perhaps something is troubling him and I could help you to clear it up." "Oh, sir," she cried, "you are very kind! I wish you could!" "Perhaps the best thing then," he suggested, "would be for me not to leave a note for him after all, and for you not even to mention that I have called. As he knows me pretty well he would be almost sure to ask you whether I had come in and if I had left any message and so on, and then he might perhaps find out that we had been talking, and that wouldn't perhaps be pleasant for you, would it?" "Oh, my! No, indeed, it wouldn't!" she agreed. "I'm that feared of the master, sir, I'd never have him know I had been talking about him, or about anything that has happened in this house!" So, having come to this judicious decision, Mr. Carrington wished Mary the kindest of farewells and walked down the drive again. There could be no question he had plenty to think about now, though to judge from his expression, it seemed doubtful whether his thoughts were very clear. XXXIV A CONFIDENTIAL CONVERSATION The laird of Stanesland strode into the Kings Arms and demanded: "Mr. Carrington? What, having a cup of tea in his room? What's his number? 27--right! I'll walk right up, thanks." He walked right up, made the door rattle under his knuckles and strode jauntily in. There was no beating about the bush with Mr. Cromarty either in deed or word. "Well, Mr. Carrington," said he, "don't trouble to look surprised. I guess you've seen right through me for some time back." "Meaning--?" asked Carrington with his engaging smile. "Meaning that I'm the unknown, unsuspected, and mysterious person who's putting up the purse. Don't pretend you haven't tumbled to that!" "Yes," admitted Carrington, "I have tumbled." "I knew my sister had given the whole blamed show away! I take it you put your magnifying glass back in your pocket after your trip out to Stanesland?" "More or less," admitted Carrington. "Well," said Ned, "that being so, I may as well tell you what my idea was. It mayn't have been very bright; still there was a kind of method in my madness. You see I wanted you to have an absolutely clear field and let you suspect me just as much as anybody else." "In short," smiled Carrington, "you wanted to start with the other horses and not just drop the flag."