Ste. Marie sat down on a hamper with his stick between his knees, and wrote a little note to be sent on when Mlle. Nilssen’s whereabouts should be known.  It was unfortunate, he reflected, that she should have fled away just now, but not of great importance to him, because he did not believe that he could learn very much more from her than he had learned already.  Moreover, he sympathized with her desire to get away from Paris—­as far away as possible from the man whom she had seen in so horrible a state on the evening past.

He had kept the fiacre at the door, and he drove at once back to the rue d’Assas.  As he started to mount the stair the concierge came out of her loge to say that Mr. Hartley had called soon after Monsieur had left the house that morning, had seemed very much disappointed on not finding Monsieur, and before going away again had had himself let into Monsieur’s apartment with the key of the femme de menage, and had written a note which Monsieur would find la haut.

Ste. Marie thanked the woman, and went on up to his rooms, wondering why Hartley had bothered to leave a note instead of waiting or returning at lunch-time, as he usually did.  He found the communication on his table and read it at once.  Hartley said: 

I have to go across the river to the Bristol to see some relatives who are turning up there to-day, and who will probably keep me until evening, and then I shall have to go back there to dine.  So I’m leaving a word for you about some things I discovered last evening.  I met Miss Benham at Armenonville, where I dined, and in a tete-a-tete conversation we had after dinner she let fall two facts which seem to me very important.  They concern Captain S. In the first place, when he told us that day, some time ago, that he knew nothing about his father’s will or any changes that might have been made in it, he lied.  It seems that old David, shortly after the boy’s disappearance, being very angry at what he considered, and still considers, a bit of spite on the boy’s part, cut young Arthur Benham out of his will and transferred that share to Captain S. (Miss Benham learned this from the old man only yesterday).  Also it appears that he did this after talking the matter over with Captain S., who affected unwillingness.  So, as the will reads now, Miss B. and Captain S. stand to share equally the bulk of the old man’s money, which is several millions—­in dollars, of course.  Miss B.’s mother is to have the interest of half of both shares as long as she lives.  Now mark this:  Prior to this new arrangement, Captain S. was to receive only a small legacy, on the ground that he already had a respectable fortune left him by his mother, old David’s first wife (I’ve heard, by-the-way, that he has squandered a good share of this.)

Miss B. is, of course, much cut up over the injustice to the boy, but she can’t protest too much, as it only excites old David.  She says the old man is much weaker.