THE MYSTERY OF LINCOLN'S INN
BY ROBERT MACHRAY
AUTHOR OF "GRACE O'MALLEY," "THE VISION SPLENDID,"
"A BLOW OVER THEHEART," ETC.
TORONTO
THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, LTD.
1910
PRINTED BY
WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,
LONDON AND BECCLES.
THE MYSTERY OF LINCOLN'S INN
CHAPTER I
It was at half-past ten in the forenoon of a Saturday in July that Mr.Cooper Silwood, precise in attire, composed in appearance, and punctualas usual to the minute, walked into his room on the first floor of 176New Square, Lincoln's Inn, where were the offices of Eversleigh, Silwoodand Eversleigh, the well-known and long-established firm of solicitorsof which he was a partner.
He was met, as was customary, on his entrance by the head-clerk, JohnWilliamson, who had already opened and sorted out methodically theletters received over-night. An admirable specimen of his class,Williamson generally wore an air of great imperturbability, but thismorning his face had a troubled expression.
"Anything special, Mr. Williamson?" asked Silwood quietly, putting awayhis hat and gloves.
"There are two or three important matters to attend to, sir," repliedthe man quickly. "The most important is a letter from Mr. MorrisThornton," he continued, but in a markedly different tone; at the sametime, he looked at his principal with an anxiety he tried hard but justfailed to dissemble.
"From Mr. Thornton," observed Silwood, calmly; he noticed, but was in nowise disconcerted by, the head-clerk's manner.
"Yes, sir; he writes from Vancouver."
"And what does he say?" inquired Silwood.
"He states that he is coming home immediately," answered Williamson, andnow there was unmistakable anxiety in his voice as well as in his face.
"Indeed!" exclaimed Silwood, who had given a slight yet perceptiblestart on hearing the news. "It's surely very sudden," he went on after apause of a few seconds. "In his last letter—let me see; we got it abouta fortnight ago—he said nothing about returning soon to England."
"He did not mention it at all, sir, I am certain. But you will see fromthis last letter of his that he has a very strong reason for leavingBritish Columbia; he is seriously ill—so ill that he has been warned byhis doctor to set his affairs in order. One knows what that means—he isin a critical condition."
And again Williamson scanned his master's face apprehensively.
"Ah, very sad," said Silwood, but he spoke in a strange, hollow tone,glancing the while at Williamson with a curious glittering light in hiseyes that was sinister and menacing. It suddenly faded away, however,and he asked quite evenly, "Does he say when he is coming?"
"Oddly enough, sir, he gives no precise date. But here is his letter,"said Williamson, picking it out from the pile on Silwood's table.
Silwood, knowing Williamson was watching him narrowly, and consciousthat it was necessary to preserve an aspect of calmness, read Thornton'sletter with the utmost deliberation and with no more concern than wasnatural in the pitiful circumstances of the case.
"Very sad, very sad," he said, when he had perused the letter, which heput down in front of him with elaborate carelessness; "verydistressing!" he added, shaking his head.
There was a moment of silence, and then Silwood remarked to Williamsonthat he might go, but as the head-clerk was withdrawing he called himback.
"Has Mr. Eversleigh come in yet?" he asked.
"Yes, sir; a few minutes ago."
"Have you to