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Page 59
"'I must see that paper, Musgrave,' said I, 'which
this butler of your thought it worth his while to
consult, even at the risk of the loss of his place.'
"'It is rather an absurd business, this ritual of
ours,' he answered. 'But it has at least the saving
grace of antiquity to excuse it. I have a copy of the
questions and answers here if you care to run your eye
over them.'
"He handed me the very paper which I have here,
Watson, and this is the strange catechism to which
each Musgrave had to submit when he came to man's
estate. I will read you the questions and answers as
they stand.
"'Whose was it?'
"'His who is gone.'
"'Who shall have it?'
"'He who will come.'
"'Where was the sun?'
"'Over the oak.'
"'Where was the shadow?'
"'Under the elm.'
"How was it stepped?'
"'North by ten and by ten, east by five and by five,
south by two and by two, west by one and by one, and
so under.'
"'What shall we give for it?'
"'All that is ours.'
"'Why should we give it?'
"'For the sake of the trust.'
"'The original has no date, but is in the spelling of
the middle of the seventeenth century,' remarked
Musgrave. 'I am afraid, however, that it can be of
little help to you in solving this mystery.'
"'At least,' said I, 'it gives us another mystery, and
one which is even more interesting than the first. It
may be that the solution of the one may prove to be
the solution of the other. You will excuse me,
Musgrave, if I say that your butler appears to me to
have been a very clever man, and to have had a clearer
insight than ten generations of his masters.'
"'I hardly follow you,' said Musgrave. 'The paper
seems to me to be of no practical importance.'
"'But to me it seems immensely practical, and I fancy
that Brunton took the same view. He had probably seen
it before that night on which you caught him.'
"'It is very possible. We took no pains to hide it.'
"'He simply wished, I should imagine, to refresh his
memory upon that last occasion. He had, as I
understand, some sort of map or chart which he was
comparing with the manuscript, and which he thrust
into his pocket when you appeared.'
"'That is true. But what could he have to do with
this old family custom of ours, and what does this
rigmarole mean?'
"'I don't think that we should have much difficulty in
determining that,' said I; 'with your permission we
will take the first train down to Sussex, and go a
little more deeply into the matter upon the spot.'
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