"No," sighed Horace, with an odd expression on his large face; "it would be an anti-climax." "Oh, hang your dramatic instincts," said Prelice crossly. "Why can't you answer the question?" "I am about to, if you will hold your tongue and sit down. You always did have too much chin-music, Prelice. Well," he looked round with a grin, like a somewhat malicious monkey, "if you must know, I got that will from Agstone." Mona dropped back into the seat whence she had arisen, and her example was followed by the three men. Horace's calm announcement took their several breaths away, and their individual legs could support them no longer. "It seems to me," cried Prelice, much annoyed, "that you are presuming on our credulity." "No; I am telling you the truth." "But did you know Agstone?" demanded Shepworth, staring. "Oh yes. He was my brother." "What! What! What!" quacked Martaban like an excited duck. "Go slow, old son of a gun," said the doctor, smoking calmly. "I told Lord Prelice yonder of my relationship, and there is no need for me to explain the same to you, beyond stating the fact that Steve Agstone was my brother. He knew of my address in London, and came to see me on the day after the murder." "Why didn't you give him in charge?" asked the lawyer. Horace surveyed the red face turned towards him in an aggravatingly calm way. "For two reasons," he grunted--"firstly, Agstone was my brother, and dog doesn't eat dog; secondly, I had no reason to believe that he had anything to do with the death." "But the knife which he brought to Mr. Shepworth's flat----" "Oh yes!" Horace glanced at the two young men and chuckled; "but you see there was no mention of the knife when Steve came to see me. Still, I must admit that he feared lest he should be accused of the crime." "Oh!" cried Mona, sitting bolt upright, "then he did not accuse me again?" "Not to me," answered the doctor promptly; "in fact, Steve seemed to be rather friendly inclined towards you." "No! No! No!" cried Mona earnestly. "He never liked me; he was jealous because my uncle loved me." "Well," Horace looked at his pipe rather than at the speaker, "I should not say that if I were you. In my opinion Steve was not so very devoted to Lanwin as was made out----" "But I thought----" "Never mind what you thought," said Horace rudely, and rose to walk up and down the room. "I am here to tell you facts. When I have explained as much as is possible for me to explain, I'm going." "Won't you stop here for the night?" asked Mona, surprised. "No," retorted Horace abruptly; "I won't. Now listen, as my time is valuable, and I can't remain here chattering nonsense, and----" "And behaving rudely," finished Prelice, with sarcasm. "Oh, you're there, my son, with your monkey-brand manners. There, there!" he went on teasingly, as Prelice jumped up, flushing, "don't get out your little gun. There's a lady present." "I wish you would remember that."