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Page 58
"I say, Eldrick," he drawled, as he removed a newly-lighted cigar from
his lips. "There's an advertisement here which seems to refer to that
precious prot�g� of yours, who left you with such scant ceremony. Same
name, anyhow!"
Eldrick snatched up the paper, glanced at it and read a few words aloud.
"INFORMATION WANTED about James Parrawhite, at one time in practice as a
solicitor."
CHAPTER XVII
ADVERTISEMENT
Eldrick looked up at his partner with a sharp, confirmatory glance.
"That's our Parrawhite, of course!" he said. "Who's after him, now?" And
he went on to read the rest of the advertisement, murmuring its
phraseology half-aloud: "'in practice as a solicitor at Nottingham and
who left that town six years ago. If the said James Parrawhite will
communicate with the undersigned he will hear something greatly to his
advantage. Any person able to give information as to his whereabouts
will be suitably rewarded. Apply to Halstead & Byner, 56B, St. Martin's
Chambers, London, W.C.' Um!--Pascoe, hand over that Law List."
Collingwood looked on in silence while Eldrick turned over the pages of
the big book which his partner took down from a shelf. He wondered at
Eldrick's apparent and almost eager interest.
"Halstead & Byner are not solicitors," announced Eldrick presently.
"They must be inquiry agents or something of that sort. Anyway, I'll
write to them, Pascoe, at once."
"You don't know where the fellow is," said Pascoe. "What's the good?"
"No--but we know where he last was," retorted Eldrick. He turned to
Collingwood as the junior partner sauntered out of the room. "Rather odd
that Pascoe should draw my attention to that just now," he remarked.
"This man Parrawhite was, in a certain sense, mixed up with Pratt--at
least, Pratt and I are the only two people who know the secret of
Parrawhite's disappearance from these offices. That was just about the
time of your grandfather's death."
Collingwood immediately became attentive. His first suspicions of Pratt
were formed at the time of which Eldrick spoke, and any reference to
events contemporary excited his interest.
"Who was or is--this man you're talking of?" he asked.
"Bad lot--very!" answered Eldrick, shaking his head. "He and I were
articled together, at the same time, to the same people: we saw a lot of
each other as fellow articled clerks. He afterwards practised in
Nottingham, and he held some good appointments. But he'd a perfect mania
for gambling--the turf--and he went utterly wrong, and misappropriated
clients' money, and in the end he got into prison, and was, of course,
struck off the rolls. I never heard anything of him for years, and then
one day, some time ago, he turned up here and begged me to give him a
job. I did--and I'll do him the credit to say that he earned his money.
But--in the end, his natural badness broke out. One afternoon--I'm
careless about some things--I left some money lying in this
drawer--about forty pounds in notes and gold--and next morning
Parrawhite never came to business. We've never seen or heard of him
since."
"You mentioned Pratt," said Collingwood.
"Only Pratt and I know--about the money," replied Eldrick. "We kept it
secret--I didn't want Pascoe to know I'd been so careless. Pascoe didn't
like Parrawhite--and he doesn't know his record. I only told him that
Parrawhite was a chap I'd known in better circumstances and wanted to
give a hand to."
"You said it was about the time of my grandfather's death?" asked
Collingwood.
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