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Page 44
"I don't know!" answered Nesta. "My mother has had her two years--she's
a Barford woman. Sometimes I think she's sly and cunning. But I've given
her such strict orders now that she'll never dare to let any one see my
mother again without my consent."
"The other question's this," said Collingwood. "Have you any idea, any
suspicion of why Pratt wanted to see your mother?"
"Not unless it was about that stewardship," replied Nesta. "But--how
could that frighten her? Besides, all that's over. Normandale is
mine!--and if I have a steward, or an estate agent, I shall see to the
appointment myself. No!--I do not know why he should have come here!
But--there's some mystery. The curious thing is----"
"What?" asked Collingwood, as she paused.
"Why," she said, shaking her head wonderingly, "that I'm absolutely
certain that my mother never even knew this man Pratt--I don't I think
she even knew his name--until quite recently. I know when she got to
know him, too. It was just about the time that you first called here--at
the time of Mr. Bartle's death. Our butler told me this morning that
Pratt came here late one evening--just about that time!--and asked to
see my mother, and was with her for some time in the study. Oh! what is
it all about?--and why doesn't she tell me?"
Collingwood stood silently staring out of the window. At the time of
Antony Bartle's death? An evening visit?--evidently of a secret nature.
And why paid to Mrs. Mallathorpe at that particular time? He suddenly
turned to Nesta.
"What do you wish me to do?" he asked.
"Will you speak to Mr. Eldrick?" she said. "Tell him that his clerk must
not call upon, or attempt to see, my mother. I will not have it!"
Collingwood went off to Barford, and straight to Eldrick's office. He
noticed as he passed through the outer rooms that Pratt was not in his
accustomed place--as a rule, it was impossible to get at either Eldrick
or Pascoe without first seeing Pratt.
"Hullo!" said Eldrick. "Just got in from town? That's lucky--I've got a
big case for you."
"I got in last night," replied Collingwood. "But I went out to
Normandale first thing this morning: I've just come back from there. I
say, Eldrick, here's an unpleasant matter to tell you of"; and he told
the solicitor all that Nesta had just told him, and also of Pratt's
visit to Mrs. Mallathorpe about the time of Antony Bartle's death.
"Whatever it is," he concluded sternly, "it's got to stop! If you've any
influence over your clerk----"
Eldrick made a grimace and waved his hand.
"He's our clerk no longer!" he said. "He left us the week after you went
up to town, Collingwood. He was only a weekly servant, and he took
advantage of that to give me a week's notice. Now, what game is Master
Pratt playing? He's smart, and he's deep, too. He----"
Just then an office-boy announced Mr. Robson, the Mallathorpe family
solicitor, a bustling, rather rough-and-ready type of man, who came into
Eldrick's room looking not only angry but astonished. He nodded to
Collingwood, and flung himself into a chair at the side of Eldrick's
desk.
"Look here, Eldrick!" he exclaimed. "What on earth has that clerk of
yours, Pratt, got to do with Mrs. Mallathorpe? Do you know what Mrs.
Mallathorpe has done? Hang it, she must be out of her senses,--or--or
there's something I can't fathom. She's given your clerk, Linford Pratt,
a power of attorney to deal with all her affairs and all her property!
Oh, it's all right, I tell you! Pratt's been to my office, and exhibited
it to me as if--as if he were the Lord Chancellor!"
Eldrick turned to Collingwood, and Collingwood to Eldrick--and then both
turned to Robson.
CHAPTER XIII
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