He flushed angrily, for he saw that I had divined his motives; but he stuck to his guns. "Which I have won," he repeated. "When the assizes come off I shall have to appear against you. I have only to repeat the evidence I gave to Boscawen, and you will swing." "Possibly yes, probably no," was my reply. "What do you mean?" "Look you," I said boldly; "when I set out for Endellion I imagined the kind of men I had to contend with; when I entered your house I took the measure of your whole tribe. I knew that the Killigrews of Falmouth, before that branch of the family died out, were honest loyal gentlemen, but I saw that the Killigrews of Endellion were----" I stopped. "What?" he asked. "I will reserve my opinion," I replied; "but I can tell you this, I did not go like a lamb to the slaughter." "It seems to me that you did," he replied with a sneer. "True, you seemed to win for a time, and you succeeded in taking away my affianced wife. But what is the result of it? You are in the county jail for treason, and the hangman's rope is dangling over your head." "As far as that is concerned," I replied jauntily, for I determined to put a bold face on the matter, "my neck is as safe as yours, as you will find out in good time. As for the maid, she is where you will never get her." "Do not be too sure," he replied; "we have not earned the title of sleuthhounds for nothing." My breath came freer as he said this. I believed that he was ignorant of the maid Nancy's whereabouts. Probably he had come to me in order to obtain information. "Moreover," he went on, "you are here on a very grave charge. Unless it is to my interest to do otherwise, I shall certainly give evidence against you at the assizes, and nothing can save you from death." "Man alive," I replied, "you do not hold the destinies of the world in your hand. There be men born of women besides Otho Killigrew." "But none that can save you." "I have no doubt but that you are a clever fellow, Killigrew," I said; "but omniscience belongeth not to man." "Well, who can save you?" "Those who _will_ save me at the proper time." "Uncle Anthony cannot give evidence; he dare not show himself," replied Otho; "neither will Nancy. She would thereby frustrate all her desires." Little as he might suspect it, he had by this answer revealed something of his mind to me. For one thing, Uncle Anthony was still at large, and it was evident that he thought the maid Nancy would sacrifice much by appearing in a public way. "And what desires would she frustrate?" I asked with a laugh. "Maybe you know, may be you do not. I will assume that you do not," was his answer. I laughed again, for I saw what his answer might mean. Upon this he looked glum for some seconds, and seemed to hesitate as to what steps he should take.