"If you will boldly advertise," I said, "what else can you expect?
`_Meet me two_.'"
My shot hit its mark. At once I saw that the advertisement really had
reference to the affair.
"Surely," I said, "there was no need to advertise? You could have
communicated by post, telegram or telephone!"
"Ah! you are mistaken," he answered quickly. "We had reasons for
advertising--but I cannot explain them now. Tell me, knowing all that
you know--how you discovered it I don't attempt to guess--but what are
you going to do?"
"Do?--Nothing. It's no concern of mine."
"But--but--"
"There is no `but,'" I interrupted, "except that, having told you what I
know, Mr. Whichelo, I expect your full confidence in return."
"And you shall have it, Ashton," he exclaimed at once. "Oh, I can
assure you, you shall have it."
"Then perhaps you'll tell me first," I said abruptly, "how that will of
your brother's came to be found in the safe among the ruins of Chateau
d'Uzerche after the fire. Had it not been found, you would, I
understand, have been sole heir to the fortune your brother left to
Frank Faulkner."
"Yes, you are quite right," he answered, with a quiet laugh. "I should
have been. That will was stolen from my brother."
"So I guessed. But by whom?"
"By Paulton and the Baronne, his companion."
"Stolen by Paulton and the Baronne!" I echoed. "But in what way could
they benefit by stealing it, as the money would have come to you had the
will not been found? Why did they not destroy it?"
"Well--to tell the truth, they have a hold over me," he went on quickly,
"just as they have over Thorold. Probably they refrained from
destroying it, intending to get Faulkner into their clutches."
"I don't follow you," I said. "Even if they have a hold over you, as
you say, they could not have benefited by you inheriting this money."
"Ah! You are mistaken," he answered. "They would have benefited
considerably. Had I inherited that fortune, it must all have gone to
them. I can't say more than that."
"Blackmail?" I asked.
He nodded.
"And do they blackmail Thorold in the same way?"
Again he nodded in the affirmative.
At last I seemed to be really on the verge of unravelling the mystery
which had puzzled me so long--also on the way to discovering the
closely-guarded secret of the Thorolds.
After a brief pause, I put another question to him.
"Is all that French gold I have seen, genuine?" I asked. "I know some
of it is, because I had some tested."
"How many?" he inquired, in a tone of surprise.
"Three. They were all good."
"Most of them are base coin," he said. "A small proportion only are
coin from the French mint."
"Then Thorold--and you, also, I take it--have had to do with uttering
base coin."
"You are wrong--in a sense. It may appear so to you. It would seem so
to most people, most likely. In point of fact we are both innocent. We
have been made a catspaw--how I cannot explain. You see, I am wholly
frank with you. That is because I trust you, Ashton--and I don't trust
many men, I can assure you."
This was getting interesting.
Whichelo, finding how much I knew, had unreservedly thrown off all
pretence. I suppose he thought it his safest plan, as indeed it was. I
had given him my word I would hold my peace if he dealt with me openly,
and evidently he believed me.
From the morning-room we had strolled towards the back premises, and
this conversation had taken place in the butler's pantry, quite a big
room. The only door was immediately behind us. All the time we had
been conversing--and we must now have talked for over an hour--the door
had stood half-open. Now, happening, for some reason, to turn round, I
noticed that it was shut.
"Hullo!" I exclaimed, starting up surprised. "Why, I thought that door
was open!"
At once we dashed over to it. I turned the handle to the right and
tugged at it; then to the left and again tugged. It had been locked
from the outside--shut and locked so carefully, that we had not heard a
sound.