"Mr. Triffitt," he said, when at last he faced round, "you'll have to put us up for the night. After what I've found, I'm not going to lose sight, or get out of touch with this man. Now listen, and I'll tell you, at any rate, something. Tomorrow morning at ten o'clock there's to be a sort of informal inquiry at Mr. Halfpenny's office into the matter of a will of the date of Jacob Herapath's--all the parties concerned are going to meet there, and I know that this man Burchill is to be present. I don't propose to lose sight of him after he returns here tonight until he goes to that office--what happens after he's once there, you shall see. So Milsey and I'll just have to trouble you to let me stop here for the night. You can go to your bed, of course--we'll sit up. I'll send Milsey out to buy a bit of supper for us--I dare say he'll find something open close by." "No need," Triffitt hastened to say. "I've a cold meat pie, uncut, and plenty of bread, and cheese. And there's bottled ale, and whisky, and I'll get you some supper ready at once. So"--he went on, as he began to bustle about--"you did find--something?" Davidge rubbed his hands and winked first at Milsey and then at Triffitt. "Wait till tomorrow!" he said. "There'll be strange news for you newspaper gentlemen before tomorrow night." CHAPTER XXII YEA AND NAY Mr. Halfpenny, face to face with the fact that Barthorpe Herapath meant mischief about the will, put on his thinking-cap and gave himself up to a deep and serious consideration of the matter. He thought things over as he journeyed home to his house in the country; he spent an evening in further thought; he was still thinking when he went up to town next morning. The result of his cogitations was that after giving certain instructions in his office as to the next steps to be taken towards duly establishing Jacob Herapath's will, he went round to Barthorpe Herapath's office and asked to see him. Barthorpe himself came out of his private room and showed some politeness in ushering his caller within. His manner seemed to be genuinely frank and unaffected: Mr. Halfpenny was considerably puzzled by it. Was Barthorpe playing a part, or was all this real? That, of course, must be decided by events: Mr. Halfpenny was not going to lose any time in moving towards them, whatever they might turn out to be. He accordingly went straight to the point. "My dear sir," he began, bending confidentially towards Barthorpe, who had taken a seat at his desk and was waiting for his visitor to speak, "you have entered a caveat against the will in the Probate Registry." "I have," answered Barthorpe, with candid alacrity. "Of course!" "You intend to contest the matter?" inquired Mr. Halfpenny. "Certainly!" replied Barthorpe. Mr. Halfpenny gathered a good deal from the firm and decisive tone in which this answer was made. Clearly there was something in the air of which he was wholly ignorant.