“You certainly have so far as I am concerned.  By the way, when is the body to be buried?”

“The day after to-morrow.  Then the will has to be read.  I hope the old lady will leave you some money, Mallow.  She was reported to be rich.  Oh, by the way, I’ll look up that Saul coining case you speak of.”

“Why?” asked Mallow, bluntly and uneasily.

“It may have some bearing on this matter.  Only in the past will we find the truth.  And Miss Selina Loach certainly knew Miss Saul.”

As Jennings departed the postman came up the stairs with the late letters.  Cuthbert found one from Juliet and opened it at once.  It contained one line—­

“Don’t see the police about aunt’s death—­Juliet.”

Cuthbert Mallow slept very badly that night.

CHAPTER VIII

THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE

The most obvious thing for Cuthbert to do was to seek Juliet and ask for an explanation of her mysterious note.  He went to the “Shrine of the Muses” the very next day, but was informed that Miss Saxon and her mother had gone out of town and would not be back for a few days.  He could not learn where they were, and was leaving the house somewhat disconsolately when he met Basil.

“You here, Mallow,” said that young gentleman, stopping short, “have you been to see my mother?”

“I went to see Juliet,” replied Cuthbert, not sorry that the meeting had taken place, “but I hear she is out of town.”

“Well, not exactly.  The fact is, she and my mother have gone down to Rose Cottage and intend to stop there until the funeral is over and the will is read.”

“The will?” echoed Mallow.

“Yes.  Aunt Selina is likely to leave a great deal of money.  I expect it will all go to Juliet.  She never liked me.”

“Yet you were frequently at her house.”

“I was,” confessed Basil candidly.  “I tried to make myself as civil as possible, so that she might remember me.  Between ourselves, Mallow, I am deuced hard up.  My mother hasn’t much money, I have none of my own, and old Octagon is as stingy as he well can be.”

This sounded well coming from an idler who never did a stroke of work, and who lived on the charity of his step-father.  But Basil had peculiar views as to money.  He considered himself a genius, and that Peter should be proud to support him until, as he phrased it, he had “stamped his name on the age”!  But the stamping took a long time, and Basil troubled himself very little about the matter.  He remarked that genius should not be forced, and loafed away the greater portion of his days.  His mother kept him in pocket-money and clothes, Peter supplied board and lodging, and Basil got through life very pleasantly.  He wished to be famous, to have his name in every mouth and his portrait in every paper; but the work that was necessary to obtain these desirable things he was unwilling