"Mr. Herapath said, 'Have it ready for me tomorrow, and I'll look in at your place about noon.' That's all, sir." "What happened then?" "The other gentleman went off across the Yard, sir, and Mr. Herapath came to the brougham, and told me to drive him to the estate office--here, sir." "You drove him up to this door, I suppose?" "No, sir. Mr. Herapath never was driven up to the door--he always got out of the brougham in the road outside and walked up the archway. He did that last night." "From where you pulled up could you see if there was any light in these offices?" "No, sir--I pulled up just short of the entrance to the archway." "Did Mr. Herapath say anything to you when he got out?" "Yes, sir. He said he should most likely be three-quarters of an hour here, and that I'd better put a rug over the mare and walk her about." "Then I suppose he went up the archway. Now, did you see anybody about the entrance? Did you see any person waiting as if to meet him? Did he meet anybody?" "I saw no one, sir. As soon as he'd gone up the archway I threw a rug over the mare and walked her round and round the square across the road." "You heard and saw nothing of him until he came out again?" "Nothing, sir." "And how long was he away from you?" "Nearer an hour than three-quarters, sir." "Were you in full view of the entrance all that time?" "No, sir, I wasn't. Some of the time I was--some of it I'd my back to it." "You never saw any one enter the archway during the time Mr. Herapath was in the office?" "No, sir." "All the same, some one could have come here during that time without your seeing him?" "Oh, yes, sir!" "Well, at last Mr. Herapath came out. Where did he rejoin you?" "In the middle of the road, sir--right opposite that statue in the Square gardens." "Did he say anything particular then?" "No, sir. He walked sharply across, opened the door, said 'Home' and jumped in." "You didn't notice anything unusual about him?" "Nothing, sir--unless it was that he hung his head down rather as he came across--same as if he was thinking hard, sir." "You drove straight home to Portman Square, then. What time did you get there?" "Exactly one o'clock, sir." "You're certain about that time?" "Certain, sir. It was just five minutes past one when I drove into our mews." "Now, then, be careful about this, Mountain. I want to know exactly what happened when you drove up to the house. Tell us in your own way." The coachman looked round amongst the listeners as if he were a little perplexed. "Why, sir," he answered, turning back to Barthorpe, "there was nothing happened! At least, I mean to say, there was nothing happened that didn't always happen on such occasions--Mr. Herapath got out of the brougham, shut the door, said 'Good night,' and went up the steps, taking his latch-key out of his pocket as he crossed the pavement, sir. That was all, sir." "Did you actually see him enter the house?"