But Mrs. Geary would not be silenced. Her seemed to have disappeared, and she faced the negro, as bold as any Amazon. "I shall not hold my tongue, Adonis," she said, drawing a deep breath, "the time has gone by when you could me. I have suffered enough at your hands, and a fool I was to marry a black such as you are. You----"  
How long she would have gone on in that manner it is impossible to say, for the pent-up anger of years appeared to break . However, Gerald saw that people were coming out of their houses, and sauntering in the direction of the inn. that too much should be made public--for obvious reasons--he pushed his way past Mrs. Geary and into the house, commanding the two to follow him. They did so--the woman willingly enough. But the negro hung back with a and evidently tried his old tricks on his wife. There was a scream as Haskins entered the old , which he had occupied with Tod, and then the sounds of slapping and scuffling and swearing. Gerald flung himself into an armchair, and looked towards the open door. It was filled the next moment by Geary being thrust forward by his wife, who had and thrashed him into a dazed silence. She flung him into the room, and following herself closed and locked the door. before this, wrathful and gigantic, she a menacing finger at the black man.
 
"I was a fool to marry such a black savage as you are," she went on from where she had left off. "You have been a beast and a and have driven me to drink. The drink is in me now, and that is what makes me so bold."
 
"Wait till the drink is out of you," breathed Geary, trying to assert himself, and flashed an angry look in her direction. that look had cowed the woman, but now she simply snapped her fingers in his astonished face.
 
"It won't do, Adonis, it won't do. The worm has turned at last: you have made me desperate. I'll have no more of these murders and beatings and swearings. I am a Baptist myself, and you have nearly ruined my soul. But now, you black dog, it is my turn. To-morrow I go back to my mother at Barnstaple with my children. I can get work to do, and earn money to keep them and myself. As for you, stay here with your ill-gotten money for doing Major Rebb's dirty work. I could ruin you; but I shall not do that. Still, the truth must be told to this gentleman."
 
"What is that?" asked Gerald, sitting up, and expectant of what was coming. He saw the truth in Mrs. Geary's eyes.
 
"The truth is that Major Rebb murdered Bellaria."
 
"It isn't de troofth," muttered Geary, his huge fists.
 
His wife him. "Ah, you'd like to strike me, you animal," she said, in a loud voice. "But do--do. I dare you. Never again: oh, never again! I can die but once, and if you use your knife, I'll use my teeth and my hands and my feet to fight you. Better death than more of this dog life with you."
 
Her breast rose and fell stormily, and Gerald looked at her as amazed as was her husband. Never before had the ogress behaved in this fashion, although on several occasions she had tried to assert herself. But having turned, she left no room for doubt as to what she meant. Looking at the transformed woman, who had been into revolt, Haskins thought of Balzac's remark, which was now excellently : "There is nothing more horrible than the rebellion of a sheep."
 
"Wait; only wait."
 
It was Geary who , but he spoke without conviction, since he felt rather than saw that his rule was at an end. It is ever thus with . They those who are willing to serve them, for many years, and the milder the servant the greater burden does the master impose. Mrs. Geary had like a horse, doing more than was required of her. Still, the negro had not been pleased, and therefore had beaten and kicked his beast of burden, never dreaming of any revolt. But the measure was filled to the brim: the last straw had the camel's back rather than broken it; and Mrs. Geary had risen to assert the right of a human being. Adonis and threatened, but he knew that never again would his wife submit to his domination.
 
"With your domestic affairs I have no need to meddle," said Gerald, raising his hand to stop Mrs. Geary's speech and her husband's . "I think you are right to leave that , and if you need money I shall supply you with all you wish."
 
"Thank you, sir," said Mrs. Geary, dropping a curtsey; and glared at her husband. The drink was dying out of her, but she still fought, as she was supported by Haskins' presence. "You hear that, Adonis?"
 
"I'll go to law, sah," Geary, "you make my wife fight."
 
"You shall have more law than you bargain for," said Gerald coldly. "I can promise you that. Go on, Mrs. Geary, tell your story."
 
She placed her big arms akimbo, and spoke . "When Geary went after you on that night, sir, I knew he was up to some deviltry, since he almost stripped himself and used all the oil in the cruet stand to rub over himself. I spoke to the Major--that is, I went in to speak to him here, and ask what Geary was up to. But the Major was gone."
 
"Gone?" echoed Gerald. "Then he went immediately after I left?"
 
"Not exactly, sir. It was quite an hour after Adonis followed you that I came in here. Then Adonis came back wounded, and I bound up his arm. He asked if his old master was in, and when he heard that the Major had gone out he followed."
 
"Followed where?"
 
"I followed to the Pixy's House," said Adonis , "you may as well know dat what I know, sah. I hab noting to do wid de murder. I went ober de hills for de Major, and I found him coming back----"
 
"At what time was that?"
 
"After midnight," cried Mrs. Geary, "it was two o'clock before the Major and Adonis returned."
 
"And Bellaria was murdered--according to the medical evidence--about midnight," murmured Haskins. "So you went to the Pixy's House?"
 
"No, sah, I no go dere. I meet de Major coming back. He say dat he had gone to see if you, sah, had been visitin' de house, after you went from here. I tole him dat I tried to kill you, for I hear that you wished to make trouble for de Major. De Major berry angry wid me, and we come home. Den, in the morning, we hear ob de murder."
 
"Didn't the Major tell you that he had found Bellaria stabbed?"
 
"No, sah. Him say noting: I ask noting. Dat's all."
 
"If Major Rebb was in the Pixy's House at midnight, he either stabbed Bellaria himself, or he knows who stabbed her," said Gerald , and rose. "Is this all you have to tell me?"
 
"Dat all," growled the man . "But de Major did not kill. Bellaria asked for my big knife, 'cause she was feared."
 
"Did you know what she feared?"
 
"No, sah. De Major, he know, but he no tell me."
 
There was nothing to be done but to wait and see Rebb, so as to question him on this unexpected information, which Mrs. Geary had forced her cowed husband to give. Haskins slipped a sovereign into the woman's hand, and walked to the door. "If you follow me again to knife me, Adonis," he remarked, "remember I have a revolver."
 
The negro pointed to his useless right arm. "I can do noting," he said, and his eyes flashed as he added: "I should like to."
 
Mrs. Geary pushed past her husband. "No, you can do nothing with that arm. It has beaten me often enough. Geary," she pointed a finger at him, "now I leave your house with my children; this very moment I leave. I shall never see you again."
 
"You have nowhere to go, you fool ."
 
"I can tramp with the children to Leegarth and there a friend of mine can put me up for the night. I have this sovereign the young gentleman has given me, and to-morrow I take the train back to my mother."
 
"I think you are wise, Mrs. Geary," called back Gerald, and began his return journey to Silbury, leaving the negro and his wife to settle their private affairs as they best could. But he felt certain that Mrs. Geary meant what she said, and would leave the Devon Maid at once. She feared, now that she was more sober, and Gerald was gone, lest she should again to the tyranny of the negro.
 
The next morning Gerald received a letter from Tod, saying that he was going with Arnold to Belldown, a village on the hither side of Leegarth, and some ten miles distant. Haskins wondered why his friend and the tutor should go to such a place. Probably Tod had found some evidence which took him there, for examination of the same. But his letter was most unsatisfactory, as he gave no hint of what Arnold had explained. Gerald felt somewhat in the dark. However, it was useless to . When Macandrew had done what he wanted to do at Belldown--whatever that might be--he would come to Silbury with Mr. Arnold and explain himself. Meanwhile Gerald his soul in patience, and wished that Rebb would come down to the Pixy's House.
............