"Patience! Patience!" said Dan in a teasing tone, "little girls should be content to wait. By Jove, we're off." The long train glided out of the station, gathering impetus as it left the lights of London behind. Mrs. Bolstreath made herself comfortable in one corner of the compartment, and Lillian did the same in another corner, while Dan sat on the opposite seat and addressed his conversation to both impartially. The girl could scarcely restrain her impatience, so anxious was she to learn the reason for this unexpected journey. "Now, Dan, now!" she cried, clapping her hands, "there is no stop until Bedford, so we have plenty of time to hear the story." "One minute," said Halliday, who was now in possession of the three sheets of foolscap, which he had rescued from Curberry's grip, "I must bring the story up to date, and cannot do so until I read this statement. By the way, Lillian, why should he send to you about the matter?" "I'm sure I don't know. But, of course, he knew how grieved I was over my father's murder, and perhaps wished to set my mind at rest." Dan looked at her curiously. "Why should you think that Penn knew of anything likely to set your mind at rest on that point?" Lillian cast down her eyes thoughtfully. "I always thought that Mr. Penn knew much more than he would confess about poor father's death. I quite forgot that I thought so until I got the letter asking me to look into the second volume of Gibbon's 'Decline and Fall' in Lord Curberry's library. Dear me!" murmured the girl, folding her hands, "how I did try to get into the library." "Curberry would not let you?" "No, I think he was puzzled why I wished to go. But he did not ask me any questions." "I quite believe that," said Dan, grimly; "asking questions was a dangerous game for him to play. However, when he found me in the library, he evidently recalled your desire to go there, and it flashed across him that we were working in consort. No wonder he destroyed the papers on the chance that Penn might have left incriminating evidence behind him." "I don't know what you are talking about," said Lillian, fretfully. "Well," observed Dan, smoothing out the foolscap, "Penn, no doubt, left the clue as to the whereabouts of the confession to you, so that you might learn who murdered your father." "Ah, I always believed Mr. Penn knew. Is the name in that paper?" she asked eagerly, and leaning forward. "It may or it may not be, dear. You see the greater part of the confession was destroyed by Lord Curberry. He was afraid." "Dan!" Lillian caught her lover's hand, "you don't think that Lord Curberry killed my father?" "No, no, no!" said Halliday, quickly. "I am sure he did not. However, you shall hear all that I know, and Laurance knows, and all that Mrs. Bolstreath is acquainted with. Only let me read these few sheets first."