Mr. Bathurst acquiesced. “If you would be so good that is what I should like to do.” “I may take it, I hope, that any news of interest—any special feature of the case that you are investigating—should it materialise—would be placed in the way of the ‘Independent’ before any of its—er—contemporaries?” “You may rely on me,” murmured Mr. Bathurst engagingly. The Editor picked up his telephone receiver. “Bring me a complete file of the ‘Independent’ for the month of February of last year. Bring it up to my private room.” “Here we are,” he declared five minutes later. “Here are our issues of February five, twelve, nineteen and twenty-six. I remember the affair made a big stir at the time. I remember the big London dailies gave it a rare lot of attention although news was by no means scarce at the time. Perhaps one of them might prove more useful to you.” “It’s possible, of course,” conceded Anthony. “But I thought the local paper would probably contain more detail in its report. A question of local interest and all that.” “I see. Will you run through them here? Or quietly elsewhere?” “Let me have half an hour with them quietly, will you? I don’t suppose I shall require them any longer than that. There are one or two features of the case with which I am not too familiar. I just want to have a closer look at them. Half an hour should be ample.” The Editor assented with a cordial smile and Mr. Bathurst thanked him appropriately. The “Ram and Raven” proved to contain a quiet saloon and a table in the corner thereof served excellently for liquid refreshment and quiet reading. The issues of February five and February twelve each contained a column concerning the “Mutual Bank Frauds.” The usual sensational headlines were well to the fore. “Astounding Disclosures.” “Sensational Revelations.” “Defalcations amounting to £250,000.” “Prominent Directors Believed to be Involved,” were among the many to be found at the head of the columns relative to the case. Sales must have been good during those weeks. In the issue of the nineteenth, Mr. Bathurst found something more pertinent to the subject of his inquiry. The paragraph that aroused his interest so acutely ran as follows: “Since our last issue we are able to announce authoritatively that important developments have taken place with regard to the amazing conditions prevailing at the Mutual Bank. These developments—the precise nature of which was being freely whispered in well-informed circles as long ago as last Monday—culminated on Wednesday afternoon in the sensational arrest of no less a person than Sir Felix Warburton, one of the Bank’s most well-known and most influential directors. We are able to state that Sir Felix will be charged at Westhampton Police Court this morning (Friday) on charges of embezzlement and fraudulent conversion. The arrest was made at the residence of Sir Felix—‘Wyvenhoe Towers,’ Nillebrook.” When he read the sentence which immediately followed, Mr. Bathurst rubbed his