In appearance he was of ample figure and of fresh complexion, and his eyes were, Miriam thought, the lightest blue eyes she had ever seen. His whole bearing was nothing if not military. And like most men who have a very soft side to women, he was apt to convey that much when first coming into contact with them. Miriam therefore did not take long making up her mind that with him her course must be one of complete frankness and confessed weakness combined. With such weapons--and it must be confessed she knew well how to use them--she had every hope of achieving success with Mr. Inspector Prince. "Well, Miss Crane, and what is it I can do for you?" he asked, when the door was closed upon them. "I have come to see you about Mr. Barton's murder, Mr. Prince." The pleasant smile vanished from his face, and gave place to an expression of extreme officialdom. "Indeed!" "Yes. I have something to tell you, which perhaps you will say I should have told you before. Mr. Barton's niece, Mrs. Darrow, accuses me of having inspired her uncle's murder!" "Miss Crane, you surprise me," said the inspector. "That would mean that you were an accessory before the fact--a very serious charge, very serious." "Exactly, and that is why I am here, Mr. Prince. I place myself unreservedly in your hands. It is, I need hardly say, as false a charge as it is malicious, and against such malice I feel I must protect myself. I felt that you were the proper person to come to. This Mrs. Darrow, I must tell you, hates me. I have been for some time, as I daresay you are aware, in her house as governess to her little boy. Not long since she contrived to overhear a conversation between myself and a friend of mine who came down from London to apply to me for help. She actually followed me to the place where I was to meet him, and in hiding listened to what passed between us. It so happened that my friend spoke of Mr. Barton in terms which he should not have used, and it is upon this that she has made this charge against me." "May I ask the name of your friend?" "Jabez----" Miriam gave a cursory glance round the room. "Jabez Tracey," she added, after a pause. Now if Inspector Prince had been as clever as the cleverest of his kind, he would not have failed to notice that glance of Miriam's, and, having noticed it, to remark that the name Tracey was there in all the largeness of print upon a list of voters hanging on the wall. As it was he noticed nothing of the kind. "Jabez Tracey," he repeated. "Well, let me hear some of the conversation, please, Miss Crane." Miriam complied readily, suppressing nothing, not even the fact that Jabez had threatened to "knife" Barton should he molest him. To do so would have been to make a false move she knew, since Mrs. Darrow was sure to make a feature of it. "And who is this man?" asked the inspector.