.

MURDER OF THE MASON'S LABOURER.
It was towards noon of the very next day that Bryce made a forward step in the matter of solving the problem of Richard Jenkins and his tomb in Paradise.

Ever since his return from Barthorpe he had been making attempts to get at the true meaning of this mystery.

He had paid so many visits to the Cathedral Library that Ambrose Campany had asked him jestingly if he was going in for archaeology; Bryce had replied that having nothing to do just then he saw no reason why he shouldn't improve his knowledge of the antiquities of Wrychester.

But he was scrupulously careful not to let the librarian know the real object of his prying and peeping into the old books and documents.