A mSTINGUISHED STRANGER. 81 



thought he abominated Bob. I left instructions with my 

 solicitors that everything was to be sold, and I have since 

 heard that every penny I owed has been paid, though it 

 only left me with a couple of hundred ; but that was 

 more than I expected." 



"We heard you had been drowned in South Africa," 

 said Lady Winifred. 



" Drowned ; not I ! Though ' John Lawrence ' was nearly 

 potted by the Matabele once or twice, confound them." 



" What ! Were you the ' John Lawrence ' who, with ten 

 troopers, held Barker's homestead against overwhelming odds, 

 and whose name was in everyone's mouth ? " exclaims Lord 

 Healingborough. 



Tom Beverley laughed. " I expect so," he said. " But 

 never mind about that now. Not long ago I received a 

 letter from Freeman, who was Uncle James's valet, say- 

 ing that he had found a will dated three years ago, and 

 that he had every reason to believe that the will read 

 after my uncle's death was a forgery." 



" To make a long story short," continued he, " Freeman 

 went into the library to turn out the gas the night before my 

 uncle died, and was surprised to find Bob busy writing there. 

 He seemed rather embarrassed, as it was very late, and 

 Freeman remembers he tried to shuffle some papers out of 

 sight. After leaving the room. Freeman heard him, as he 

 fancied, retire to bed, so went in to turn out the gas 

 once more, and finding some books lying about on the 

 writing-table — no doubt left there by my uncle before the 

 fit seized him — returned them to the shelves. Among the 

 number were some belonging to another room, so he put 

 them there. Then he heard my cousin return and relight 

 the gas ; and when he looked in to ask him if he would 

 mind putting the gas out, as he was then going to bed, he 

 found he had taken several books from the shelves, and was 



F 



