Well, what have you done?

　　"When I joined up in January, 1901- just two years ago- youngGodfrey Emsworth had joined the same squadron. He was ColonelEmsworth's only son- Emsworth, the Crimean V.C.- and he had thefighting blood in him, so it is no wonder he volunteered. There wasnot a finer lad in the regiment. We formed a friendship- the sort offriendship which can only be made when one lives the same life andshares the same joys and sorrows. He was my mate- and that means agood deal in the Army. We took the rough and the smooth together for ayear of hard fighting. Then he was hit with a bullet from anelephant gun in the action near Diamond Hill outside Pretoria. I gotone letter from the hospital at Cape Town and one from SouthHampton. Since then not a word- not one word, Mr. Holmes, for sixmonths and more, and he my closest pal.

　　"Well, when the war was over, and we all got back, I wrote to hisfather and asked where Godfrey was. No answer. I waited a bit and thenI wrote again. This time I had a reply, short and gruff. Godfrey hadgone on a voyage round the world, and it was not likely that hewould be back for a year. That was all.

　　"I wasn't satisfied, Mr. Holmes. The whole thing seemed to me sodamned unnatural. He was a good lad, and he would not drop a pallike that. It was not like him. Then, again, I happened to know thathe was heir to a lot of money, and also that his father and he did notalways hit it off too well. The old man was sometimes a bully, andyoung Godfrey had too much spirit to stand it. No, I wasn't satisfied,and I determined that I would get to the root of the matter. Ithappened, however, that my own affairs needed a lot of straighteningout, after two years' absence, and so it is only this week that I havebeen able to take up Godfrey's case again. But since I have taken itup I mean to drop everything in order to see it through."Mr. James M. Dodd appeared to be the sort of person whom it would bebetter to have as a friend than as an enemy. His blue eyes werestern and his square jaw had set hard as he spoke.

　　"Well, what have you done?" I asked.

　　"My first move was to get down to his home, Tuxbury Old Park, nearBedford, and to see for myself how the ground lay. I wrote to themother, therefore- I had had quite enough of the curmudgeon of afather- and I made a clean frontal attack: Godfrey was my chum, Ihad a great deal of interest which I might tell her of our commonexperiences, I should be in the neighbourhood, would there be anyobjection, et cetera? In reply I had quite an amiable answer fromher and an offer to put me up for the night. That was what took medown on Monday.