"They were mine," said Curberry, gasping with relief, "and now they are burnt." "They were Penn's," retorted Halliday sharply, "perhaps that is why they have been destroyed by you." "What do you mean; what do you mean?" "Never mind. I think you understand." "I don't. I swear I don't." "In that case," said Dan slowly, "you can make public the fact that I came into your library to find a document in the second volume of Gibbon, which was placed there by Marcus Penn. But you won't, Lord Curberry." "If the papers were not destroyed, I would place them before the Coroner at once," said Curberry, wiping his face and with a glance at the fire on which fluttered a few black shreds--all that remained of what he had thrown in. "I think you must be mad to talk as you do." "If I am, why not make the matter public?" asked Dan drily. "I don't care about a scandal," said Curberry loftily. "Well," Halliday retreated to the library door, "perhaps the death of Penn will be scandal enough. Those papers doubtless contained an account of the reasons which led to his death." "I'm sorry that I burnt them then," said Curberry in a studied tone of regret. "I am an impulsive man, Mr. Halliday, and you should not have annoyed me in the way you did. How did you know that the papers were in the second volume of Gibbon?" "Never mind." "Were they addressed to you?" "Never mind." "What were they about?" "Never mind!" "D---- you, sir, how dare you?" "Good-day, Lord Curberry," interrupted Dan, and walked out of the room, leaving his host looking the picture of consternation and dread. CHAPTER XV. ABSOLUTE PROOF It did not require a particularly clever man to guess that Lord Curberry was connected with the Society of Flies. Had he been entirely ignorant of that association, he would not have displayed such agitation when he saw the papers in Dan's hand, nor would he have struggled to gain possession of them, much less have destroyed them. Penn certainly was one of the gang, and on that account, probably Curberry had engaged him as a secretary after the death of Moon. Also he may have had some suspicion that Penn was a traitor, and had guessed that the papers betrayed the society. Otherwise, he would have placed the same before the Coroner, so as to elucidate the reason why the secretary had been done to death. That he had been, Halliday was quite convinced, as Penn was too nervous a man to commit suicide and must have been assisted out of the world by some other person. "But the verdict of suicide has been brought in," argued Laurance, when Dan related his adventure. "I daresay. Curberry's evidence was to the effect that Penn had been considerably worried of late. Of course, that is true, but he wouldn't have killed himself, I'll swear. However," Dan chuckled, "I have a sheet or two remaining of the confession, and we may learn much from that." "Will it state that Curberry belonged to Queen Beelzebub's gang?"