"Nothing appears,
All is ;
Chance ,
All is revealed."
 
 
It was a great idea, and one which had never entered the brains of the detectives employed in the case, so Maxwell looked upon it as an earnest of success. He told no one about it, not even Mrs. Belswin, nor Kaituna; but informing them that he was called out of town for a few days on business, made his preparations for going to Deswarth, and finding out all particulars regarding the case which had not come to light at the inquest.
 
Then Chance .
 
On the morning of his departure he was having breakfast at his rooms, intending to catch the eleven train to Deswarth, when his departure was indefinitely by the appearance of a visitor.
 
And the visitor was Mrs. Belk.
 
She sent up her name to Archie, who told the servant to admit her, wondering on what errand she had come--never for a moment thinking that she could have anything to do with the Deswarth tragedy.
 
Mrs. Belk entered, dressed in her widow's , with her mean evil face looking smug and under the white frill of her widow's cap. On seeing Archie she curtsied in an old-fashioned way, and, with the natural of the lower orders, waited for him to speak first.
 
"You wish to see me," he said, looking at her in some surprise, for such an odd figure had never before entered his .
 
Mrs. Belk, with another curtsey, signified that she did wish to see him, and had come to London for that purpose. This reply having been made, she shut her mouth with a snap, and waited, still giving no hint of her errand.
 
"Will you not be seated, Mrs.--Mrs.----"
 
"Belk, sir," said the woman, seeing that Archie was at a loss, "perhaps, sir, you may know my son, Samson Belk."
 
"Oh, yes! the good-looking bailiff," replied Maxwell, carelessly. "Is he your son?"
 
"He is, sir," answered Mrs. Belk, her heart with pride at hearing the on her son's good looks. "He was bailiff to Sir Rupert, but now he is bailiff to the new baronet, Sir Thomas Pethram."
 
"Indeed. I'm very glad his are so good," said Archie politely, wondering what all this domestic history had to do with him.
 
"His prospects ain't good, sir; and that's why I've come up to see you."
 
"But, my good woman, what can I do?" cried the young man in .
 
Mrs. Belk in her chair, significantly, and went on talking in a manner most to the subject in hand.
 
"Sir Thomas," she said, with snappy deliberation, "is a hard man. Sir Rupert was hard, there's no denying, and my boy--who is proud--didn't get on with being crushed. If Sir Rupert hadn't died he would have left his service; but as he did die, and Sir Thomas asked him to stay on--he knowing all the ins and outs of the place--he did so, thinking Sir Thomas would be a better master."
 
"And he was disappointed?"
 
Mrs. Belk nodded her head emphatically.
 
"You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear," she said, sententiously; "and that's what Sir Thomas is. A hard gentleman, sir, who thinks my boy is a slave; so we are going to leave his service."
 
"But, Mrs. Belk," observed Archie, rather puzzled, "what on earth has all this got to do with me?"
 
"I'm coming to that, sir," replied the woman, ; "me and my boy wondered what we'd do when we left Sir Thomas; for situations, Mr. Maxwell, are hard to get--especially for poor folks like us."
 
Maxwell nodded an , and waited until she came to the reason of her visit.
 
"In the papers," pursued Mrs. Belk, with a faint smile of triumph on her pale face, "me and my boy saw that strong men was being exhibited in London, and all the was mad on 'em."
 
"Yes, I believe that is the case. This strong man craze is in all the music-halls."
 
"My son, sir, is called Samson, and he is as strong as a horse."
 
"Yes, I know that," said Archie, with the cordial of physical strength which one Englishman feels for another. "He is tremendously strong. I've seen him do some wonderful things. Well, and your son proposes to come up to London and exhibit his strength."
 
"Yes, sir," said Mrs. Belk, with a look of triumph; "he does, sir. It's my idea."
 
"I've no doubt it's a good one. While the craze lasts he may make money; but after----"
 
"I'll take care of the money, sir," answered Mrs. Belk, grimly. "He'll make hay while the sun shines, and I'll take care when the sun doesn't shine that we'll have something to live on."
 
"Do you want me to help you in this, then?"
 
"In a sort of way, sir; but not for nothing."
 
Maxwell smiled.
 
"Really, I don't know what you can do for me."
 
"You wait, sir, and I'll tell. To git a start in London requires money, and me and my son want fifty pounds to give us a start."
 
"Indeed. I'm afraid I can't advance the money."
 
"So you say now, sir; but when you know what fifty pounds 'ull buy, perhaps you will."
 
Archie's curiosity was now aroused, owing to the significance of her words. There was evidently something important behind all this apparently idle , and he waited with some anxiety as to what she was going to tell him.
 
"You are engaged to Miss Pethram, sir, I'm told," said Mrs. Belk, .
 
"Yes, I am. What then?" replied Maxwell rather , not his private affairs being mentioned by a complete stranger.
 
Mrs. Belk forward in a mysterious manner, touched him on the knee, then flung herself back in her chair with a searching look.
 
"Has she found out who killed her father?"
 
"Good God!"
 
Maxwell jumped to his feet with an ejaculation, and, one hand grasping the back of his chair, stood looking at the mean figure before him in silent amazement.
 
"What do you mean?" he demanded in a voice.
 
The woman carried an black leather bag, of no small size, with a metal clasp, and this she shook slowly at him as she replied to his question.
 
"In here," she said, in her voice--a voice that neither rose nor fell, but kept on droning constantly in the same monotone--"in here I have something which may lead to the discovery of the criminal."
 
Maxwell . Was chance going to reveal the secret which he had been so afraid was a secret for ever? He had been about to go down to Deswarth on an apparently hopeless quest, without anything to guide him to a conclusion; and lo! at the very time when he was starting, this woman appeared from the clouds with the asseveration that she knew something which would be a sure guide to the revealing of the mystery.
 
"In that bag?" he said, mechanically, looking at it in a fascinated fashion. "In that bag?"
 
With a cry of relief he advanced and stretched out his hands eagerly.
 
"Give it to me! What is it? Give it to me?" The woman put the bag behind her back with a frown.
 
"No," she answered, in the same passionless voice. "Nothing for nothing. I have told you what I wanted. Give me fifty pounds, and you sha............