“Mr. Watson,” said Mr. Bradshaw, as the old clerk made his appearance, “here is some mistake about those Insurance shares we purchased for Benson ten or a dozen years ago.  He spoke to Mr. Farquhar about some bonus they are paying to the shareholders, it seems; and, in reply to Mr. Farquhar’s letter, the Insurance Company say the shares were sold twelve months since.  Have you any knowledge of the transaction?  Has the transfer passed through your hands?  By the way” (turning to Mr. Farquhar), “who kept the certificates?  Did Benson or we?”

“I really don’t know,” said Mr. Farquhar.  “Perhaps Mr. Watson can tell us.”

Mr. Watson meanwhile was studying the letter.  When he had ended it, he took off his spectacles, wiped them, and replacing them, he read it again.

“It seems very strange, sir,” he said at length, with his trembling, aged voice, “for I paid Mr. Benson the account of the dividends myself last June, and got a receipt in form, and that is since the date of the alleged transfer.”

“Pretty nearly twelve months after it took place,” said Mr. Farquhar.

“How did you receive the dividends?  An order on the Bank, along with old Mrs. Cranmer’s?” asked Mr. Bradshaw sharply.

“I don’t know how they came.  Mr. Richard gave me the money, and desired me to get the receipt.”

“It’s unlucky Richard is from home,” said Mr. Bradshaw; “he could have cleared up this mystery for us.”

Mr. Farquhar was silent.

“Do you know where the certificates were kept, Mr. Watson?” said he.

“I’ll not be sure, but I think they were with Mrs. Cranmer’s papers and deeds in box A, 24.”

“I wish old Cranmer would have made any other man his executor.  She, too, is always coming with some unreasonable request or other.”

“Mr. Benson’s inquiry about his bonus is perfectly reasonable, at any rate.”  Mr. Watson, who was dwelling in the slow fashion of age on what had been said before, now spoke—­

“I’ll not be sure, but I am almost certain, Mr. Benson said, when I paid him last June, that he thought he ought to give the receipt on a stamp, and had spoken about it to Mr. Richard the time before, but that Mr. Richard said it was of no consequence.  Yes,” continued he, gathering up his memory as he went on, “he did—­I remember now—­and I thought to myself that Mr. Richard was but a young man.  Mr. Richard will know all about it.”

“Yes,” said Mr. Farquhar gravely.

“I shan’t wait till Richard’s return,” said Mr. Bradshaw.  “We can soon see if the certificates are in the box Watson points out; if they are there, the Insurance people are no more fit to manage their concern than that cat, and I shall tell them so.  If they are not there (as I suspect will prove to be the case), it is just forgetfulness on Benson’s part, as I have said from the first.”

“You forget the payment of the dividends,” said Mr. Farquhar, in a low voice.