"When you two precious people have finished nursing me," I said, "I hope you'll allow me to point out that that very reason gives me a prior claim to take any risks or run into any dangers that may crop up from now on. If there is any trouble brewing, particularly dangerous trouble, then it is my place to tackle it. I am deeply grateful to you fellows for all you have done and are doing and intend to do, but the nursing comes from the other side. I can't let you run risks in a cause which is more mine in the nature of things than yours." "I fancy," said Dennis, "that even your eloquent speeches will have very little effect when it comes to real trouble. If danger comes it'll come suddenly, and we shall be best helping our common cause by looking after ourselves." "Hear, hear," said Garnesk, and I could only mutter my thanks and my gratitude for the possession of two staunch friends. "To get back to business," I said presently, "why did you want me to bluff Hilderman like that?" "Because," said Garnesk slowly, "I'm not sure that Hilderman is the man to take into our confidence too completely. It's not that I don't trust the man, but he looks so alert and so cute, and has such a dreamy way of pretending he isn't listening to you when you know jolly well that he is, that I have a feeling we ought to be careful with him." "Very much what Dennis said about him the first time he saw him. But if you don't suspect him, and he is a very cute man, why not trust him and have the benefit of his intelligence?" "How would you answer that question yourself, Ewart?" the specialist asked quietly. "Oh," I laughed, "I should point out that his cuteness may be the very reason that we don't suspect him." "Precisely," Garnesk agreed; "and that is partly my answer as well." "And the other part?" put in Dennis quietly. "Well, it's a difficult thing to say, and it's all conjecture. But I have a feeling that Hilderman is not what he says he is. He has a knack of doing things, a way of going about here, that gives me the impression he is employing his intelligence, and a very fine intelligence it probably is, all the time. I don't think he is retired at all. There's a restless energy about the fellow that would turn into a sour discontent if his mind were not fully occupied with work which it is accustomed to, and probably enjoys doing." "Have you anything to suggest?" I asked. "I have an idea," he replied; "but I haven't mentioned it because it doesn't satisfy me at all. I have an idea that the man is some sort of detective hard at work all the time. But I can't imagine what sort of detective would take a house up here and keep himself as busy as Hilderman appears to be over some case in the neighbourhood. I can't imagine what sort of case it can be."