The Earl was glad that the junior partner made that remark, and he turned to him. "I understand you saw her--and spoke to her--just before she left, this morning?" he said hesitatingly. "Did she--er--give you the impression of being--shall we say, uneasy?" "I certainly saw her--and spoke to her," asserted Joseph. "I went to scold her. I had given her orders that no one was to be allowed access to certain rooms in the house, and that we were not to be bothered by callers. She fetched me out to see Miss Fosdyke--I went to scold her for that. We had our reasons for not permitting access to those rooms. They have, of course, been frustrated." "But at any rate some good's come of it," observed the Earl, pointing to his casket. "This has been found. And--in the housekeeper's bedroom. Hidden! And--she's gone. What do you think of it, gentlemen?" Gabriel spread his hands and shook his head. But Joseph answered readily. "I should think," he replied, "that's she's gone to meet Horbury." The Earl started, glancing keenly from one partner to the other. "Then--you still think that Horbury is guilty of--of dishonesty!" he exclaimed. "Really, I--dear me, such an absolutely upright, honourable man----" "Surface!" said Joseph quietly. "Surface! On the surface, my lord." The Earl's face flushed a little with palpable displeasure, and he turned from the junior to the senior partner. "Very good of your lordship," said Gabriel, with the faintest suggestion of a smile. "But--a man's honesty is bounded by his necessity. We, of course, are better acquainted with our late manager's qualities--now." "You have discovered--something?" asked the Earl anxiously. "Up to now," replied Gabriel, "we have kept things to ourselves. But we don't mind giving your lordship a little--just a little--information. There is no doubt that Horbury had, for some time past, engaged in speculation in stocks and shares--none whatever!" "To a considerable extent," added Joseph. "And--unsuccessfully?" inquired the Earl. "We are not yet quite sure of the details," answered Gabriel. "The mere fact is enough. Of course, no man in his position has any right to speculate. Had we known that he speculated----" "He would have been discharged from our service," said Joseph. "No banker can retain the services of a manager who--gambles." The Earl began to feel almost as uncomfortable as if these two men were charging him with improper transactions. He was a man of simple mind and ideas, and he supposed the Chestermarkes knew what they were talking about. "Then you think that this sudden disappearance----" he said. "In the history of banking--unwritten, possibly," remarked Joseph, "there are many similar instances. No end of them, most likely. Bank managers enjoy vast opportunities of stealing, my lord! And the man who is best trusted has more opportunities than the man who's watched. We never suspected--and so we never watched."