The short, stout, and rosy gentleman who, as soon as he had got well within the room, began to unswathe his neck from a voluminous white silk muffler, now completed his task and advancing upon Peggie solemnly kissed her on both cheeks, held her away from him, looked at her, kissed her again, and then patted her on the shoulder. This done, he shook hands solemnly with Mr. Tertius, bowed to Selwood, took off his spectacles and proceeded to polish them with a highly-coloured bandana handkerchief which he produced from the tail of his overcoat. This operation concluded, he restored the spectacles to his nose, sat down, placed his hands, palm downwards, on his plump knees and solemnly inspected everybody. "My dear friends!" he said in a hushed, deep voice. "My dear, good friends! This dreadful, awful, most afflicting news! I heard it but three-quarters of an hour ago--at the office, to which I happened by mere chance, to have come up for the day. I immediately ordered out our brougham and drove here--to see if I could be of any use. You will command me, my dear friends, in anything that I can do. Not professionally, of course. No--in that respect you have Mr. Barthorpe Herapath. But--otherwise." Mr. Tertius looked at Peggie. "I don't know whether we shan't be glad of Mr. Halfpenny's professional services?" he said. "The truth is, Halfpenny, we were talking of seeing you professionally when you came in. That's one truth--another is that a will has been found--our poor friend's will, of course." "God bless me!" exclaimed Mr. Halfpenny. "A will--our poor friend's will--has been found! But surely, Barthorpe, as nephew, and solicitor--eh?" Again Mr. Tertius looked at Peggie. "I suppose we'd better tell Mr. Halfpenny everything," he remarked. "Of course, Halfpenny, you'll understand that as soon as this dreadful affair was discovered and the first arrangements had been made, Barthorpe, as only male relative, began to search for a will. He resented any interference from me and was very rude to me, but when he came here and proposed to examine that safe, I told him at once that I knew of a will and where it was, though I didn't know its terms. And I immediately directed him to it, and we found it and read it a few minutes ago with the result that Barthorpe at once quitted the house--you must have passed him in the square." "God bless us!" repeated Mr. Halfpenny. "I judge from that, then--but you had better show me this document." Mr. Tertius at once produced the will, and Mr. Halfpenny, rising from his chair, marched across the room to one of the windows where he solemnly half-chanted every word from start to finish. This performance over, he carefully and punctiliously folded the document into its original lines, replaced it in its envelope, and grasping this firmly in his hand, resumed his seat and motioned everybody to attention.