"Here's a schedule, prepared by Mr. Multenius himself, and handed by him to me not many weeks ago, of his property outside this business," he remarked. "I'll go through the items. Shares in the Great Western Railway. Shares in the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway. Government Stock. Certain American Railway Stock. It's all particularized--and all gilt-edged security. Now then, about his house property. There's a block of flats at Hampstead. There are six houses at Highgate. There are three villas in the Finchley Road. The rents of all these have been collected by Messrs. Holder and Keeper, estate agents, and evidently paid by them direct to your esteemed relative's account at his bank. And then--to wind up--there is a small villa in Maida Vale, which he let furnished--you never heard of that?" "Never!" exclaimed Zillah, while Melky shook his head. "There's a special note about that at the end of this schedule," said Mr. Penniket. "In his own hand--like all the rest. This is what he says. 'N. B. Molteno Lodge, Maida Vale--all the furniture, pictures, belongings in this are mine--I have let it as a furnished residence at L12 a month, all clear, for some years past. Let at present, on same terms, rent paid quarterly, in advance, to two Chinese gentlemen, Mr. Chang Li and Mr. Chen Li--good tenants." Zillah uttered another sharp exclamation and sprang to her feet. She walked across to an old-fashioned standup desk which stood in a corner of the parlour, drew a bunch of keys from her pocket, and raised the lid. "That explains something!" she said. "I looked into this desk the other day--grandfather used to throw letters and papers in there sometimes, during the day, and then put them away at night. Here's a cheque here that puzzled me--I don't know anything about it. But--it'll be a quarter's rent for that house. Look at the signatures!" She laid a cheque before Melky and Mr. Penniket and stood by while they looked at it. There was nothing remarkable about the cheque--made out to Mr. Daniel Multenius on order for L36--except the two odd looking names at its foot--_Chang Li: Chen Li_. Otherwise, it was just like all other cheques--and it was on a local bank, in Edgware Road, and duly crossed. But Melky instantly observed the date, and put one of his long fingers to it. "November 18th," he remarked. "The day he died. Did you notice that, Zillah?" "Yes," answered Zillah. "It must have come in by post and he's thrown it, as he often did throw things, into that desk. Well--that's explained! That'll be the quarter's rent, then, for this furnished house, Mr. Penniket?"