"We could not have prevented your lordship either," he said, with another wave of the white hands which seemed to go so well with the habitual pallor of his face. "All that is within your lordship's jurisdiction--not in ours. But--especially since this young lady seems determined to do things in her way--I will tell your lordship why we are slow to move. It is purely a business reason. It was, as I said, ten o'clock when we heard that Horbury was missing. That in itself was such a very strange and unusual thing that my partner and I at once began to examine the contents of our strong room. We had been so occupied five hours when your lordship called. Do you think we could examine everything in five hours? No--nor in ten, nor in twenty! Our task is not one quarter complete! And why we don't wish publicity at once in here--we hold a vast number of securities and valuables belonging to customers. Title-deeds, mortgages--all sorts of things. We have valuables deposited with us. Up to now we don't know what is safe and what isn't. We do know this--certain securities of our own, easily convertible on the market, are gone! Now if we had allowed it to be known before, say, noon today, that our manager had disappeared, and these securities with him, what would have been the result? The bank would have been besieged! Before we let the public know, we ourselves want to know exactly where we are. We want to be in a position to say to Smith, 'Your property is safe!'; to Jones, 'Your deeds are here!' Does your lordship see that? But now, of course," concluded Gabriel, "as this Miss Fosdyke can and will spread the news all over the town--why, we must face things." The Earl, who had listened to all this with an evident desire to comprehend and to sympathize, nodded his head. "I see--I see, Mr. Chestermarke," he said. "But I say!--I've got another notion--I'm not a very quick thinker, and I daresay my idea came out of Mr. Neale's suggestion. Anyway, it's this--for whatever it's worth. I told you that we only got home night before last--early on Saturday evening, as a matter of fact. Now, it was known in the town here that we'd returned--we drove through the Market-Place. Mayn't it be that Horbury saw us, or heard of our return, and that when he went out that evening he had the casket in his pocket and was on his way to Ellersdeane, to return it to me? And that--on his way--he met with some mishap? Worth considering, you know." "I daresay a great many theories might--and will--be raised, my lord," replied Gabriel. "But----" "Does your lordship also think--or suggest--that Horbury also carried our missing securities in his pocket?" asked Joseph quietly. "Because we, at any rate, know they're gone!"