"You no doubt believe that you have good reason for your course of action," he observed. "The best reasons," said Barthorpe. Mr. Halfpenny ruminated a little, silently. "After all," he said at last, "there are only two persons really concerned--your cousin, Miss Wynne, and yourself. I propose to make an offer to you." "Always willing to be reasonable, Mr. Halfpenny," answered Barthorpe. "Very good," said Mr. Halfpenny. "Of course, I see no possible reason for doubting the validity of the will. From our side, litigation must go on in the usual course. But I have a proposal to make to you. It is this--will you meet your cousin at my office, with all the persons--witnesses to the will, I mean--and state your objections to the will? In short, let us have what we may call a family discussion about it--it may prevent much litigation." Barthorpe considered this suggestion for a while. "What you really mean is that I should come to your offices and tell my cousin and you why I am fighting this will," he said eventually. "That it?" "Practically--yes," assented Mr. Halfpenny. "Whom do you propose to have present?" asked Barthorpe. "Yourself, your cousin, myself, the two witnesses, and, as a friend of everybody concerned, Professor Cox-Raythwaite," replied Mr. Halfpenny. "No one else is necessary." "And you wish me to tell, plainly, why I refuse to believe that the will is genuine?" asked Barthorpe. "Certainly--yes," assented Mr. Halfpenny. Barthorpe hesitated, eyeing the old lawyer doubtfully. "It will be a painful business--for my cousin," he said. "If--I really haven't the faintest notion of what you mean!" exclaimed Mr. Halfpenny. "But if--if it will be painful for your cousin to hear this--whatever it is--in private, it would be much more painful for her to hear it in public. I gather, of course, that you have some strange revelation to make. Surely, it would be most considerate to her to make it in what we may call the privacy of the family circle, Cox-Raythwaite and myself." "I haven't the least objection to Cox-Raythwaite's presence, nor yours," said Barthorpe. "Very good--I'll accept your proposal--it will, as you say, save a lot of litigation. Now--when?" "Today is Tuesday," said Mr. Halfpenny. "What do you say to next Friday morning, at ten o'clock?" "Friday will do," answered Barthorpe. "I will be there at ten o'clock. I shall leave it to you to summon all the parties concerned. By the by, have you Burchill's address?" "I have," replied Mr. Halfpenny. "I will communicate with him at once." Barthorpe nodded, rose from his seat, and walked with his visitor towards the door of his private room. "Understand, Mr. Halfpenny," he said, "I'm agreeing to this to oblige you. And if the truth is very painful to my cousin, well, as you say, it's better for her to hear it in private than in a court of justice. All right, then--Friday at ten."