We have all pondered deeply, and the result was, that,
upon the whole, we were inclined to come to an opinion that the words he
so uttered were but the result of the mental disturbance that at such a
moment might well be supposed to be ensuing in the mind, and that they
related really to no foregone fact any more than some incoherent words
uttered by a man in a dream might be supposed to do." "It may be so." "I do not mean," remarked Mr. Chillingworth, "for one moment to attempt
to dispute, Henry, the rationality of such an opinion as you have just
given utterance to; but you forget that another circumstance occurred,
which gave a colour to the words used by your father." "Yes; I know to what you allude." "Be so good as to state it to the admiral." "I will. On the evening of that same day there came a man here, who, in
seeming ignorance of what had occurred, although by that time it was
well known to all the neighbourhood, asked to see my father. "Upon being told that he was dead, he started back, either with well
acted or with real surprise, and seemed to be immensely chagrined. He
then demanded to know if he had left any disposition of his property;
but he got no information, and departed muttering the most diabolical
oaths and curses that can be imagined. He mounted his horse, for he had
ridden to the Hall and his last words were, as I am told--

"'Where, in the name of all that's damnable, can he have put the
money!'" "And did you never find out who this man was?" asked the admiral. "Never." "It is an odd affair." "It is," said Mr. Chillingworth, "and full of mystery. The public mind
was much taken up at the time with some other matters, or it would have
made the death of Mr. Bannerworth the subject of more prolific comment
than it did. As it was, however, a great deal was said upon the subject,
and the whole comity was in a state of commotion for weeks afterwards." "Yes," said Henry; "it so happened that about that very time a murder
was committed in the neighbourhood of London, which baffled all the
exertions of the authorities to discover the perpetrators of. It was the
murder of Lord Lorne." "Oh! I remember," said the admiral; "the newspapers were full of it for
a long time." "They were; and so, as Mr. Chillingworth says, the more exciting
interest which that affair created drew off public attention, in a great
measure, from my father's suicide, and we did not suffer so much from
public remark and from impertinent curiosity as might have been
expected." "And, in addition," said Mr. Chillingworth, and he changed colour a
little as he spoke, "there was an execution shortly afterwards." "Yes," said Henry, "there was." "The execution of a man named Angerstein," added Mr. Chillingworth, "for
a highway robbery, attended with the most brutal violence." "True; all the affairs of that period of time are strongly impressed
upon my mind," said Henry; "but you do not seem well, Mr. Chillingworth." "Oh, yes; I am quite well--you are mistaken." Both the admiral and Henry looked scrutinizingly at the doctor, who
certainly appeared to them to be labouring under some great mental
excitement, which he found it almost beyond his power to repress. "I tell you what it is, doctor," said the admiral; "I don't pretend, and
never did, to see further through a tar-barrel than my neighbours; but I
can see far enough to feel convinced that you have got something on your
mind, and that it somehow concerns this affair." "Is it so?" said Henry. "I cannot if I would," said Mr. Chillingworth; "and I may with truth
add, that I would not, if I could, hide from you that I have something
on my mind connected with this affair; but let me assure you it would be
premature of me to tell you of it." "Premature be d----d!" said the admiral; "out with it." "Nay, nay, dear sir; I am not now in a position to say what is passing
through my mind." "Alter your position, then, and be blowed!" cried Jack Pringle, suddenly
stepping forward, and giving the doctor such a push, that he nearly went
through one of the sides of the summer-house. "Why, you scoundrel!" cried the admiral, "how came you here?" "On my legs," said Jack. "Do you think nobody wants to know nothing but
yourself? I'm as fond of a yarn as anybody." "But if you are," said Mr. Chillingworth, "you had no occasion to come
against me as if you wanted to move a house." "You said as you wasn't in a position to say something as I wanted to
hear, so I thought I'd alter it for you." "Is this fellow," said the doctor, shaking his head, as he accosted the
admiral, "the most artful or stupid?" "A little of both," said Admiral Bell--"a little of both, doctor. He's a
great fool and a great scamp." "The same to you," said Jack; "you're another. I shall hate you
presently, if you go on making yourself so ridiculous. Now, mind, I'll
only give you a trial of another week or so, and if you don't be more
purlite in your d--n language, I'll leave you." Away strolled Jack, with his hands in his pockets, towards the house,
while the admiral was half choked with rage, and could only glare after
him, without the ability to say a word. Under any other circumstances than the present one of trouble, and
difficulty; and deep anxiety, Henry Bannerworth must have laughed at
these singular little episodes between Jack and the admiral; but his
mind was now by far too much harassed to permit him to do so. "Let him go, let him go, my dear sir," said Mr. Chillingworth to the
admiral, who showed some signs of an intention to pursue Jack; "he no
doubt has been drinking again." "I'll turn him off the first moment I catch him sober enough to
understand me," said the admiral. "Well, well; do as you please; but now let me ask a favour of both of
you." "What is it?" "That you will leave Bannerworth Hall to me for a week." "What for?" "I hope to make some discoveries connected with it which shall well
reward you for the trouble." "It's no trouble," said Henry; "and for myself, I have amply sufficient
faith, both in your judgment and in your friendship, doctor, to accede
to any request which you may make to me." "And I," said the admiral. "Be it so--be it so. For one week, you say?" "Yes--for one week. I hope, by the end of that time, to have achieved
something worth the telling you of; and I promise you that, if I am at
all disappointed in my expectation, that I will frankly and freely
communicate to you all I know and all I suspect." "Then that's a bargain." "It is." "And what's to be done at once?" "Why, nothing, but to take the greatest possible care that Bannerworth
Hall is not left another hour without some one in it; and in order that
such should be the case, I have to request that you two will remain here
until I go to the town, and make preparations for taking quiet
possession of it myself, which I will do in the course of two hours, at
most." "Don't be longer," said the admiral, "for I am so desperately hungry,
that I shall certainly begin to eat somebody, if you are."