“It isn’t confidential at all,” said Marchmont. “The public are in full possession of the facts, and we should be only too happy to put them in still fuller possession, through the medium of the Probate Court, if we could find a reasonable pretext. But we can’t.”

Here the waiter charged our table with the fussy rapidity of the overdue.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, sir. Rather early, sir. Wouldn’t like it underdone, sir.”

Marchmont inspected his plate critically and remarked:

“I sometimes suspect these oysters of being mussels; and I’ll swear the larks are sparrows.”

“Let us hope so,” said Thorndyke. “The lark is better employed ‘at Heaven’s gate singing’ than garnishing a beefsteak pudding. But you were telling us about your case.”