The young man withdrew his hand as soon as he recovered from his astonishment, and spoke very coldly. "You have changed your mind since our last meeting!" Madame Alpenny threw up her fat hands. "Ah, but what would you, my dear sir? I was angered at losing so beautiful a son-in-law. I said much that I have wept for saying. And to you also, in the churchyard, Mademoiselle," she added, turning to Gwen, who was frigid, "I spoke most wickedly. Ach! my dear young lady, you must forgive me for my open nature. We are all now friends here, I hope." She beamed all round the room, but there were no answering smiles. Zara laid her hand on her mother's arm and drew her back. "I must ask your pardon, Mr. Hench, for all the trouble which has been brought to you," she said seriously. "It was not your fault, Mrs. Bracken, nor that of your husband," said Owain very quickly. "I have nothing but friendship and admiration for you both, seeing the way in which you made the crooked straight between us," and he glanced at Gwen fondly. "Ah, what a good heart!" murmured the Hungarian lady, with her handkerchief to her eyes. "A heart of gold!" "Shut up!" growled Bracken to his mother-in-law, and twitched the old head mantle which she still wore over the famous orange-spotted dress. "I will not shut up, you rude man!" cried Madame Alpenny volubly. "Ah, to think of what I have suffered at the hands of Mistare Spruce, now happily deceased. He would have had me hanged!" "Did he accuse you of committing the murder?" asked Vane sharply. "But no. He was all sweetness and smiles. Yet, if Monsieur Hench had married Zara, then this Mistare Spruce would have accused me. He laid his plans to make me guilty. It was he, I find, who wrote the letter asking me to go to Hampstead. He wished me to be unable to prove where I was. If he had lived I should have put him in gaol," ended Madame, with a frown. "You nearly put Mr. Evans in gaol!" said Gwen icily. "Mistare Evans. Ah, yes--the real name of Monsieur Hench. No, I would not have put him in gaol, Mademoiselle. My talk was what you call--eh, yes--bluff. I might have been his beloved mother had I accepted his father's hand. Never would I have harmed him." "Oh, I think you would when you had me in your power, Madame," said Owain dryly. "Remember what you talked about in the churchyard." "Bluff--all bluff, Monsieur." "It would have been better had you acted fairly with me and told the truth at our first conversation. Then I should have known that I was Madoc Evans' heir and all this trouble would have been avoided. You also would have been the richer for such honesty, Madame." "Ah, but you will not turn from me now," said Madame in a wheedling tone. "See, Monsieur Hench, it is through me you have money and marry this sweet angel. I am poor; I am deserving. So give me----"