His voice was caustic and his eye severe, and as the costume he had selected for this thunderbolt entrance was apparently designed to suggest a combination of North Sea pilot and pirate King (including a fur cap with ear flaps tied under his venerable chin) one might have fired a twelve inch gun into the room and produced much less impression. "Not a bit," I said, bounding to my feet, "but--er--wouldn't you like to untie your bonnet, Uncle Francis?" He frowned at me heavily but I was thankful to notice that his eye did twinkle for an instant. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. "That is just the question, sir, I was going to put." My cousin interposed. "Uncle Francis arrived this morning to see how things were getting on and when I got your wire I brought him out with me. What has happened?" "Got my wire!" I exclaimed. "Surely--I'm certain I never sent it off!" I put my hand in my pocket, and there it was right enough. "My dear Jack, here it is. It never was sent." His hand dived into his own pocket and then held out a crumpled telegram. I took it and read this message. "Request permission to be visited by my own doctor. Hobhouse." "Do you mean to say you never sent that off yourself?" exclaimed Sir Francis. "Never!" "Then who the--!" My uncle's expression completed the sentence. Jack Whiteclett was looking uncommonly grave. "This is a somewhat serious matter, Roger," he said quietly. "Didn't you write this either?" He handed me a half sheet of paper on which was written in pencil these words. "GO TO DOCTOR'S. IF NO FURTHER MESSAGE THERE GO ON TO SCOLLAYS' _IMMEDIATELY_." It was printed in capital letters so as to give no clue to the handwriting. "When did you get that?" I cried. "It was handed to me as we landed. The messenger went off again at once, but I assumed of course it was from you." "Roger!" thundered my uncle. "Who have you taken into your confidence?" His eye turned manacingly on the doctor and I hastened to intervene. "Dr. Rendall--Sir Francis Merton," I introduced. "But it certainly wasn't Dr. Rendall who sent these messages. He has only just learned the facts." My uncle bowed very stiffly to the doctor and turned on me again. "And how many more people have 'learned the facts'--the facts, I may remind you, which it was so vital they should _not_ learn?" I bared my metaphorical breast, and with as close an imitation of a clear-conscienced young man revealing the harmless necessary truth as I could achieve without rehearsal, I told him, "I have only informed one person, and she is thoroughly trustworthy." "She!" said my uncle, not very loudly but extremely unpleasantly. "She is Miss Rendall," I added. My revelations to the doctor not having reached this stage when we were interrupted, I think I can honestly say that no utterance of mine ever produced a more telling effect on these men simultaneously. "Jean!" exclaimed the doctor.