‘Of course I do not know the places he lived in till he was ten—that is something of a drawback; but I think I am clever enough to keep my ignorance to myself till I have mastered the situation: and I shall not have to undergo a cross-examination, like the Claimant. Phil saw next to nothing of the Belassis set during his childhood. Places and people change vastly in eighteen years, and all that time spent knocking about the world can account for a good deal of forgetfulness. I do not feel nervous there. ‘Yes, it certainly is the only feasible plan for thwarting Uncle Belassis, rescuing Aunt Olive and Maud, and perhaps saving my sister from what is likely to prove a disastrous marriage (I quite rise to the situation, and already feel surrounded by relations). Phil would be delighted could he but enter into the scheme. He would rejoice to put upon my shoulders the responsibility of the first battles with Uncle Belassis. I wish he could stand by to witness my personification of himself. He would thoroughly enjoy it; but he must wait till I can tell the tale in days to come. ‘As to money, I shall of course use my own for all personal matters; his for the estate and his sister’s comforts. Stay, I cannot sign his cheques and mine too. Now, let me see: I am Philip Debenham; that fellow is Torrington Torwood. I must take him away from here, and leave him in the charge of some capable medical man under his new name. And before I assume my new name I must draw out a good round sum of money; and to avoid trouble, in case Phil is long like this, advise my bankers to honour, until further notice, cheques signed “Philip Debenham for T. Torwood.” They will think me cracked, but they must do it.’ Tor suited the action to the words. He wrote out a cheque for £500 (he always kept a heavy balance at the bank, being a prudent man), and a paper empowering Philip Debenham to sign his cheques. His own signature (‘T. Torwood’) he made feeble and shaky. ‘Now,’ said he, drawing a long breath, ‘I have signed my own name for the last time. Henceforth I am Philip Debenham.’ In his new capacity he proceeded to write three letters. The first was to the bankers to state that his friend Mr. Torwood was seriously ill, and the doctors feared the brain had suffered; so that in fear of what might ensue he had empowered the writer to act for him in all business and pecuniary matters, and desired that his signature should be honoured at the bank, as the enclosed paper testified. Tor did not know whether such a paper required the signature to be witnessed, but, to avoid any awkward results on this point, he got two innocent Kammermädchens to put their names to it without having the least notion what they were doing, or without knowing that they were even supposed to have seen it signed. The remaining letters were to Uncle Belassis and to Maud, briefly informing them of his intention of coming at once to England. He hoped to be with them in a week’s time.