Well, I have never met a soul except Lacroix to-day who has seen anything of him in the interval between his disappearance and his coming to claim the estates.

That means that for pretty well half a lifetime he passed completely out of the world.

Poor beggar! I fancy that he was hard up, for one thing." To Brooks the subject was fascinating, but he had an idea that it was scarcely the best of form to be discussing their late host with a man who was comparatively a stranger to him.

So he remained silent, and Molyneux, with a yawn, abandoned the subject.
"Where does Rochester hang out, do you know ?" he asked Brooks.

"I don't suppose for a moment I shall be able to find him." "His headquarters are at the Bell Hotel," Brooks replied.