"Where?" asked Byner. "Tell me exactly. It's important." "Pratt 'ud come up fro' t' town i' t' tram," answered Pickard. "He'd approach this here terrace I tell'd you about by a narrow lane that runs off t' high road. He'd meet him there, would Parrawhite." "Did you ever ask any question of Pratt about Parrawhite?" "No--never! I'd no wish that Pratt should know owt about my dealin's with Parrawhite. When Parrawhite never come back--why, I kep' it all to myself, till now." "What do you think happened to Parrawhite, Mr. Pickard?" asked Byner. "Gow, I know what I think!" replied Pickard disgustedly. "I think 'at if he did get any brass out o' Pratt--which is what I know nowt about, and hewn't much belief in--he went straight away fro' t' town--vanished! I do know this--he nivver went back to his lodgin's that neet, 'cause I went theer mysen next day to inquire." Eldrick pricked up his ears at that. He remembered that he had sent Pratt to make inquiry at Parrawhite's lodgings on the morning whereon the money was missing. "What time of the day--on the twenty-fourth--was that, Mr. Pickard?" he asked. "Evenin', sir," replied the landlord. "They'd nivver seen naught of him since he went out the day before. Oh, he did me, did Parrawhite! Of course, I lost mi brass--fifty odd pounds!" Byner gave Eldrick a glance. "I think Mr. Pickard has earned the ten pounds you offered," he said. Eldrick took the hint and pulled out his cheque-book. "Of course, you're to keep all this private--strictly private, Mr. Pickard," he said as he wrote. "Not a word to a soul!" "Just as you order, sir," agreed Pickard. "I'll say nowt--to nobody." "And--perhaps tomorrow--perhaps this afternoon--you'll see me at the _Green Man_," remarked Byner. "I shall just drop in, you know. You needn't know me--if there's anybody about." "All right, sir--I understand," said Pickard. "Quiet's the word--what? Very good--much obliged to you, gentlemen." When the landlord had gone Eldrick motioned Byner to pick up his hat. "Come across the street with me," he said. "I want us to have a consultation with a friend of mine, a barrister, Mr. Collingwood. For this matter is assuming a very queer aspect, and we can't move too warily, nor consider all the features too thoroughly." Collingwood listened with deep interest to Eldrick's account of the morning's events. And once again he was struck by the fact that all these various happenings in connection with Pratt, and now with Parrawhite, took place at the time of Antony Bartle's death, and he said so. "True enough!" agreed Eldrick. "And once more," pointed out Collingwood. "We're hearing of a hold! Pratt claims to have a hold on Mrs. Mallathorpe--now it turns out that Parrawhite boasted of a hold on Pratt. Suppose all these things have a common origin? Suppose the hold which Parrawhite had--or has--on Pratt is part and parcel of the hold which Pratt has on Mrs. Mallathorpe? In that case--or cases--what is the best thing to do?"