She and he were people for whom I and every one who knew anything of their lives had the highest esteem and admiration." "You can imagine no reason, then, for my father leaving England for good ?" "Certainly not!" "You know of no reason why he should have abandoned his trip to Australia and gone to Canada ?" "None!" "His doing so is as inexplicable to you as to me ?" "Entirely." "You have never doubted Lord Arranmore's story of his death ?" "Never.

Why should I ?" "One more question," Brooks said.

"Do you know that lately I have met a traveller--a man who visited Lord Arranmore in Canada, and who declared to his certain knowledge there was no other human dwelling-house within fifty miles of Lord Arranmore's cabin ?" "He was obviously mistaken." You think so?
"It is certain." Brooks hesitated.
"My question," he said, "will have given you some idea of the uncertainty I have felt once or twice lately, owing to the report of the traveller Lacroix, and Lord Arranmore's unaccountable kindness to me.
You see, he isn't an ordinary man.

He is not a philanthropist by any means, nor in any way a person likely to do kindly actions from the love of them.

Now, do you know of any facts, or can you suggest anything which might make the situation clearer to me ?" "I cannot, Mr.Brooks," the older man answered, without hesitation.
"If you take my advice, you will not trouble yourself any more with fancies which seem to me--pardon me--quite chimerical.