"I'm very sure, knowing Jacob as I did, that he had a purpose in making that will," answered Mr. Tertius. "He was not the man to do anything without good reasons. I think we are here." The landlady of No. 331 opened its door herself to these two visitors. Her look of speculative interest on seeing two highly respectable elderly gentlemen changed to one of inquisitiveness when she heard what they wanted. "No, sir," she answered. "Mr. Frank Burchill doesn't live here now. And it's a queer thing that during the time he did live here and gave me more trouble than any lodger I ever had, him keeping such strange hours of a night and early morning, he never had nobody to call on him, as I recollect of! And now here's been three gentlemen asking for him within this last hour--you two and another gentleman. And I don't know where Mr. Burchill lives, and don't want, neither!" "My dear lady!" said Mr. Halfpenny, mildly and suavely. "I am sure we are deeply sorry to disturb you--no doubt we have called you away from your dinner. Perhaps, er, this"--here there was a slight chink of silver in Mr. Halfpenny's hand, presently repeated in one of the landlady's--"will, er, compensate you a little? But we are really anxious to see Mr. Burchill--haven't you any idea where he's gone to live? Didn't he leave an address for any letters that might come here?" "He didn't, sir--not that he ever had many letters," answered the landlady. "And I haven't the remotest notion. Of course, if I had I'd give the address. But, as I said to the gentleman what was here not so long ago, I've neither seen nor heard of Mr. Burchill since he left--and that's six months since." Mr. Halfpenny contrived to give his companion a nudge of the elbow. "Is it, indeed, ma'am?" he said. "Ah! That gentleman who called, now?--I think he must be a friend of ours, who didn't know we were coming. What was he like, now, ma'am?" "He was a tallish, fine-built gentleman," answered the landlady. "Fresh-coloured, clean-shaved gentleman. And for that matter, he can't be so far away--it isn't more than a quarter of an hour since he was here. I'll ask my girl if she saw which way he went." "Don't trouble, pray, ma'am, on my account," entreated Mr. Halfpenny. "It's of no consequence. We're deeply obliged to you." He swept off his hat in an old-fashioned obeisance and drew Mr. Tertius away to the coupe brougham. "That was Barthorpe, of course," he said. "He lost no time, you see, Tertius, in trying to see Burchill." "Why should he want to see Burchill?" asked Mr. Tertius. "Wanted to know what Burchill had to say about signing the will, of course," replied Mr. Halfpenny. "Well--what next? Do you want me to see Cox-Raythwaite with you?"