"Mr. Weatherley left home exceedingly early this morning," she announced. "I believe that it was before half-past seven. Except that he called at the house in Hampstead for the letters, I have not heard of him since." "It is most mysterious," Mr. Jarvis declared. "The governor--I beg your pardon, Mr. Weatherley--is a gentleman of most punctual habits. There are several matters of business which he knew awaited his decision to-day. You will excuse me, madam, if I ask whether Mr. Weatherley seemed in his usual health when he left this morning?" Fenella smiled faintly. "Have I not already told you," she said, "that he left the cottage in the country, where we spent the week-end, before half-past seven this morning? Naturally, therefore, I did not see him. The servants, however, noticed nothing unusual. Last night Mr. Chetwode here was with us, and he can tell you what was apparent to all of us. Mr. Weatherley seemed then in excellent health and spirits." Mr. Jarvis had the air of a man hopelessly bewildered. Excellent servant though he was, nature had not bestowed upon him those gifts which enable a man to meet a crisis firmly. "Can you suggest anything that we ought to do, madam?" he asked Mrs. Weatherley. "I think," she replied, "that Mr. Chetwode has something to tell you." Arnold took the key of the safe from his pocket and turned to the cashier. "A few days ago, Mr. Jarvis," he said slowly, "Mr. Weatherley placed certain documents in that safe and gave me the key. My instructions from him were to open and examine them with you, if he should be, for any unexplained cause, absent from business." Mr. Jarvis looked blankly incredulous. "Goodness gracious!" he murmured weakly. "Why, that looks almost as though he expected something of the sort to happen." "I think," Arnold continued, "that as it is now past three o'clock, and Mr. Weatherley is still absent, we had better open the safe." He crossed the room as he spoke, fitted the key in the lock, and swung the door open. Mrs. Weatherley and the cashier looked over his shoulder. There were only the two letters there. One was addressed to Messrs. Turnbull & James, Solicitors; the other jointly to Mr. Jarvis and Mr. Arnold Chetwode. [Illustration: Mrs. Weatherley and the cashier looked over his shoulder. _Page 259_.] "There is nothing there for me?" Mrs. Weatherley asked, incredulously. "There is nothing at all," Arnold replied; "unless there may be an enclosure. Mr. Jarvis, will you open this envelope?" Mr. Jarvis took it to the desk and broke the seal with trembling fingers. He smoothed the letter out, switched on the electric reading light, and they all read it at the same time. It was written in Mr. Weatherley's familiar hand, every letter of which was perfectly distinct and legible. TO JARVIS AND CHETWODE. This is a record of certain instructions which I wish carried out in the event of my unexplained absence from business at any time.