The place at which he had signalled the car to stop was exactly opposite the end of the road that led to the Dower House and Sir Gregory’s domain. The old man told him that he had walked back from Chichester, and had been waiting for the passing of the car. “I learnt for the first time, Mr. Brixan, that you are an officer of the law,” he said, with a stately inclination of his head. “I need hardly tell you how greatly I respect one whose duty it is to serve the cause of justice.” “Mr. Knebworth told you, I presume?” said Michael with a smile. “He told me,” agreed the other gravely. “I went in really to seek you, having an intuition that you had some more important position in life than what I had first imagined. I confess I thought at first that you were one of those idle young men who have nothing to do but to amuse themselves. It was a great gratification to me to learn that I was mistaken. It is all the more gratifying”—(Michael smiled inwardly at the verbosity of age)—“because I need advice on a point of law, which I imagine my lawyer would not offer to me. My position is a very peculiar one, in some ways embarrassing. I am a man who shrinks from the eye of the public and am averse from vulgar intermeddling in other people’s affairs.” What had he to tell, Michael wondered—this old man, with his habit of nocturnal strolls, might have been a witness to something that had not yet come out. They stopped at the Dower House, and the old man got out and opened the gate, not closing it until Michael had passed through. Instead of going direct to his sitting-room, he went upstairs, beckoning Michael to come after, and stopped before the room which had been occupied by Adele on the night of her terrible experience. “I wish you to see these people,” said Mr. Longvale earnestly, “and tell me whether I am acting in accordance with the law.” He opened the door, and Mike saw that there were now two beds in the room. On one, heavily bandaged and apparently unconscious, was the brown-faced man; on the other, sleeping, was the woman Michael had seen in the tower! She, too, was badly wounded: her arm was bandaged and strapped into position. Michael drew a long breath. “That is a mystery solved, anyway,” he said. “Where did you find these people?” At the sound of his voice the woman opened her eyes and frowned at him fearfully, then looked across to the man. “You have been wounded?” said Michael in Dutch, but apparently her education had been neglected in respect of European languages, for she made no reply. She was so uncomfortable at the sight of him that Michael was glad to go out of the room. It was not until they were back in his sanctum that Mr. Longvale told his story.