“I know.  But sometimes there are such things as flaws in a title.  That is to say, somewhere and at some time there has been a transfer of that property that was illegal.  In such a case the property belongs to the previous holder, no matter in how many instances it has changed hands since.  In the present case it was perfectly plain that Mrs. Barnes thought she owned that land, having inherited it from her uncle.  Therefore she could not be forced to sell unless it was discovered that there was a flaw in the title—­that she did not own it legally at all.  I told my client—­Mr. Kendrick, here—­that, and he ordered me to have the title searched or to search it myself.  I have spent a good deal of time at the recorder’s office in Ostable doing that very thing.  And I discovered that there was such a flaw; that Mrs. Barnes did not legally own that land upon which her house stands.  And, as the land was not hers, the house was not hers either.”

Holliday Kendrick struck the desk a thump with his fist.

“Good!” he cried.  “Good enough!  I told ’em I generally got what I wanted!  Now I’ll get it this time.  Kendrick—­”

“Wait,” said John.  “Captain Obed, you understand me so far?”

The captain’s outraged feelings burst forth.

“I understand it’s durn mean business!” he shouted.  “I’m ashamed of you, John Kendrick!”

“All right! all right!  The shame can wait.  And I want you to wait, too—­until I’ve finished.  There was a flaw in that title, as I said.  Captain Bangs, as you know, the house in which Mrs. Barnes is now living originally stood, not where it now stands, but upon land two or three hundred yards to the north, upon a portion of the property which afterward became the Colfax estate and which now belongs to Mr. Kendrick here.  You know that?”

Captain Obed nodded.  “Course I know it,” he said.  “Cap’n Abner could have bought the house and the land it stood on, but he didn’t want to.  He liked the view better from where it stands now.  So he bought the strip nigher this way and moved the old house over.  But he did buy it and he paid cash for it.  I know he did, because—­”

“All right.  I know he bought it and all the particulars of the purchase perhaps better than you do.  A good deal of my time of late has been given to investigating the history of that second strip of land.  Captain Abner Barnes, Mrs. Barnes’ uncle, bought the land upon which he contemplated moving, and later, did move the house, of Isaiah Holt, Darius Holt’s father, then living.  Mr. Holt bought of a man named David Snow, who, in turn, bought of—­”

Holliday Kendrick interrupted.  “Snow bought of me,” he growled.  “Worse luck!  I was a fool to sell, or so I think now; but it was years ago; I had no idea at that time of coming here to live; and shore land was of no value then, anyhow.  The strip came to me as a part of my father’s estate.  I thought myself lucky to get anything for it.  But what’s all this ancient history got to do with it now?  And what do you mean by sending me this letter and that check?”