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He was a young school-master out of place when he was first taken up by my father, but he was a man of great energy and character, and he soon became quite invaluable in the household.

He was a well-grown, handsome man, with a splendid forehead, and though he has been with us for twenty years he cannot be more than forty now.

With his personal advantages and his extraordinary gifts-for he can speak several languages and play nearly every musical instrument-it is wonderful that he should have been satisfied so long in such a position, but I suppose that he was comfortable, and lacked energy to make any change.

The butler of Hurlstone is always a thing that is remembered by all who visit us.

"'But this paragon has one fault.

He is a bit of a Don Juan, and you can imagine that for a man like him it is not a very difficult part to play in a quiet country district.

When he was married it was all right, but since he has been a widower we have had no end of trouble with him.

A few months ago we were in hopes that he was about to settle down again for he became engaged to Rachel Howells, our second house-maid; but he has thrown her over since then and taken up with Janet Tregellis, the daughter of the head game-keeper.

Rachel-who is a very good girl, but of an excitable Welsh temperament-had a sharp touch of brain-fever, and goes about the house now-or did until yesterday-like a black-eyed shadow of her former self.

That was our first drama at Hurlstone; but a second one came to drive it from our minds, and it was prefaced by the disgrace and dismissal of butler Brunton.

"'This was how it came about.

I have said that the man was intelligent, and this very intelligence has caused his ruin, for it seems to have led to an insatiable curiosity about things which did not in the least concern him.

I had no idea of the lengths to which this would carry him, until the merest accident opened my eyes to it.

"'I have said that the house is a rambling one.

One day last week-on Thursday night, to be more exact-I found that I could not sleep, having foolishly taken a cup of strong café noir after my dinner.

After struggling against it until two in the morning, I felt that it was quite hopeless, so I rose and lit the candle with the intention of continuing a novel which I was reading.

The book, however, had been left in the billiard-room, so I pulled on my dressing-gown and started off to get it.

"'In order to reach the billiard-room I had to descend a flight of stairs and then to cross the head of a passage which led to the library and the gun-room.

You can imagine my surprise when, as I looked down this corridor, I saw a glimmer of light coming from the open door of the library.

I had myself extinguished the lamp and closed the door before coming to bed.

Naturally my first thought was of burglars.

The corridors at Hurlstone have their walls largely decorated with trophies of old weapons.

From one of these I picked a battle-axe, and then, leaving my candle behind me, I crept on tiptoe down the passage and peeped in at the open door.

"'Brunton, the butler, was in the library.

He was sitting, fully dressed, in an easy-chair, with a slip of paper which looked like a map upon his knee, and his forehead sunk forward upon his hand in deep thought.

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