Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment. He never expected to hear that Juliet herself had been on the spot. Seeing this, she went on quickly. “Now you can understand why I held my tongue. You were at Rose Cottage on that night. You have enemies who know you were there. I have been threatened should I insist on our engagement being fulfilled that you will be arrested. Therefore I kept away and held my tongue.”

“But if you had told me this long ago —”

“How could I?” she cried vehemently. “Could I come and say to you, I believe you are a murderer?”

“Did you believe that, Juliet?” he asked in a grieved tone.

“Yes and no,” she faltered. “Oh, Cuthbert, you know how I love you. I could not bring myself to think you were guilty — and yet the proofs are so strong. You were at Rose Cottage at a quarter to eleven —”

“No. I was there at a quarter past ten.”

“I tell you I saw you at a quarter to eleven. You were getting over the wall into the park. Then there was the knife — your knife.”

“How did you know it was mine?”

“By the notches. You told me you always cut three notches on the handle of any weapon you possessed. One day when mother and I came to afternoon tea at your place you showed me some of your weapons — the knife amongst them. One knife is much like another, and I would not have noticed but for the notches and for the fact that I saw you on that night. I hid the knife and Mr. Jennings —”

“He found it,” said Mallow. “Quite so. He told me he did. When you left the attic he contrived to —”

“Then the closing of the door was a trick,” said Juliet in an agitated tone. “I might have guessed that. He took the knife. He has threatened to arrest you, so Miss Garthorne says.”

“She says rightly,” replied Mallow, thinking it best to make use of all he knew, so as to force her to speak freely. “But of course, if you can explain —”

“Explain!” she cried wildly and sinking into a chair. “What can I explain? That I saw you climbing that wall, running away apparently from the scene of your crime. That I found the knife by the body?”

“What!” Cuthbert started up and looked at her. “You saw the body?”

“Yes. I was in the house — in the room. I found my aunt dead in her chair, with the cards on her lap, exactly as the parlor-maid saw her. Near her on the floor was the knife. There was blood on the blade. I picked it up — I saw the handle was notched in three places, and then —”

“Then you suspected me.”

“No. Not till I saw you outside.”

Cuthbert took a turn up and down the dais much perplexed. “Juliet,” he said. “I swear to you I never killed this woman.”

Juliet flew to him and folded him in her arms. “I knew it — I knew it,” she said, “in spite of the letter —”

“What letter?”

“That accusing you and threatening to tell the police about you if I did not break the engagement.”

“Who wrote it?”

“I can’t say, save that it must have been some enemy.”

“Naturally,” replied Mallow cynically. “A friend does not write in that way. Have you the letter with you.”

“No. It is at home. I never thought of bringing it. But I will show it to you soon. I wish now I had spoken before.”

“I wish to heaven you had!”

“I thought it best to be silent,” said Juliet, trying to argue. “I feared lest if I spoke to you, this enemy, whosoever he is, might carry out the threat in the letter.”

“Is the letter written by a man or a woman?”

“I can’t say. Women write in so masculine a way nowadays. It might be either. But why were you at the cottage —”

“I was not. I went to explore the unfinished house on behalf of Lord Caranby. I was ghost-hunting. Do you remember how you asked me next day why I wore an overcoat and I explained that I had a cold —”

“Yes. You said you got it from sitting in a hot room.”

“I got it from hunting round the unfinished house at Rexton. I did not think it necessary to explain further.”

Juliet put her hand to her head. “Oh, how I suffered on that day,” she said. “I was watching for you all the afternoon. When you came I thought you might voluntarily explain why you were at Rexton on the previous night. But you did not, and I believed your silence to be a guilty one. Then, when the letter arrived —”

“When did it arrive?”

“A week after the crime was committed.”

“Well,” said Cuthbert, rather pained, “I can hardly blame you. But if you loved me —”

“I do love you,” she said with a passionate cry. “Have I not proved my love by bearing — as I thought — your burden? Could I do more? Would a woman who loves as I do accuse the man she loves of a horrible crime? I strove to shield you from your enemies.”

“I thought you were shielding Basil. Jennings thought so also.”

Juliet drew back, looking paler than ever. “What do you know of him.”

“Very little,” said Cuthbert quickly. “Was he at Rose Cottage on the night in question?”

“No. He was not there. I did not see him.”

“Yet he was at the Marlow Theatre with you.”

“Yes. He left the theatre before I did.”

“Sit down, Juliet, and tell me exactly how you came to be at Rose Cottage on that night and why you went.”

Miss Saxon seated herself and told all she knew. “It was this way,” she said, with more calmness than she had hitherto shown. “Basil and I went to see this new melodrama written by Mr. Arkwright —”

“What? The man Mrs. Octagon wishes you to marry?”

“Yes. He has written a play to make money. My mother was angry, as she thought such a thing was not worthy of him. He sent her a box. She refused to go, so Basil and I went. But the play was so dull that Basil left early, saying he would come back for me.”

“Do you know where he went?”

“No. He did not say. Well, the play became worse instead of better. I was weary to death, so I thought as the theatre was near Rexton, that I would go and see Aunt Selina. Then I hoped to return to the box and meet Basil. I was told the play, being a long one, would not be over till midnight. I left the theatre at a quarter past ten. It took fifteen minutes to drive to the cottage. Then I entered quietly to give aunt a surprise.”

“Ah! It was you opening the door that Thomas heard.”

“Yes! At half-past ten; I had a latch-key. Aunt Selina loved me very much and wanted me to come and see her whenever I could. So that I could come and go at pleasure without troubling the servants, she gave me a latch-key. I happened to have it in my pocket. I really wished to see her about this quarrel she had with Basil.”

“What was this quarrel about?”

Juliet deliberated before replying. “It was a small thing,” she said at length. “Aunt Selina was fond of Basil and often gave him money. Mr. Octagon doesn’t allow Basil much, and mother has enough to do to make both ends meet. Basil is, I fear, extravagant. I know he gambles, though he never told me where he went —”

“To Maraquito’s,” said Cuthbert. “I have met him there.”

“I know,” said Juliet in rather a reproachful tone. “I wish you would not gamble, Cuthbert.”

“I have given it up now. I only played for the excitement, but since our engagement I have hardly touched a card. I shall not play for money again. My visits to Maraquito’s now are purely in the interests of this case.”

“Does she know anything about it?” asked Juliet, astonished.

“Yes,” replied Mallow, wondering if the girl knew that Mrs. Octagon had paid a visit to Senora Gredos. “Mrs. Herne, who was your aunt’s friend, is the aunt of Senora Gredos.”

“I never knew that. But about this quarrel. Basil spent more money than he could afford, poor boy —”

“Young scamp,” murmured Cuthbert.

“Don’t blame him. He means well,” expostulated Juliet. “Well, aunt gave him a lot of money, but he always wanted more. Then she refused. About a week before Aunt Selina died, Basil wanted money, and she declined. They had words and she ordered Basil out of the house. It was to try and make it up between them that I called on that night.”

“Are you sure Basil did not go also?”

“I don’t think so,” said Juliet doubtfully. “He was on bad terms with Aunt Selina and knew he would not be welcomed. Besides, he had not a latch-key. Well, Cuthbert, I reached Rose Cottage at half-past ten and let myself in. I went downstairs quietly. I found Aunt Selina seated in her chair near............