“I hate all that finery,” said the man irritably. “I repeat, that your wearing it is bad form. Now listen to me. Pelham must be arrested in a fortnight for the murder of his cousin!” “No, Luke, no, it cannot be.” “It shall be, Clara.” “I forbid it,” said the woman. “It is not in the bargain,” she continued. She brought out her words with almost a stutter—she was trembling so hard. “It is not in the bargain,” she repeated. “Six months was the bargain, six months after marriage. I for bid you to deal the blow a day before the time.” “You must be mad, Clara. You must see for yourself that circumstances change. If I do not have Pelham arrested he will turn the tables on me. Oh, I know I am safe enough, but I cannot afford delay. Who would have thought that Pelham, a sleepy sort of fellow——” “An alert lawyer, you mean,” interrupted Clara. “Ah, you think so! He fascinates you.” “He is an innocent man and a good man,” replied Mrs. Tarbot. “I like him well because he loved that child, because when the child died Mr. Pelham had a sense, not of rejoicing, but of sorrow. He is a good man, and when you strike him you do a fiendish deed. Give it up, Luke, give it up, and I will serve you to my dying day.” “Give it up! But I married you for the sake of it.” “Aye, I know that. Then you are inexorable?” He made no reply. He was taller than his wife, and he was looking down at her. The expression in his eyes caused her to turn aside. “I forgot for a moment,” she said at last slowly, “that I had united myself to a devil.” “Think me one if you will,” replied Tarbot. “Upon my word, I would rather you thought me a devil than a saint—it is less mawkish. Bah! when I remember that I married you for better for worse, till death us do part, I can scarcely contain myself.” Tarbot walked to the other end of the room. When he came back a new expression had come over Clara’s face. All sentiment had died out of it—it was hard and shrewd and businesslike as his own. “Well,” he said, “you look better now. I have much to say. Sit down at this table and I will place myself opposite to you.” She did what he told her. “Begin,” she said. “What have you to tell me?” “First of all, I shall analyze that medicine. I shall, of course, discover the hyocene. I will acquaint Mrs. Pelham with the fact, and get her to take the necessary steps to have Pelham arrested.” “When do you propose that he shall be arrested?” “This is Thursday, and he goes to Pelham Towers on Saturday. The arrest can take place in the course of next week.” “Suppose it does,” said Clara slowly: “what will happen next?” “He will be brought back to London and examined before the magistrate of the district in which little Piers died. Your evidence and mine will do the rest.” “My evidence?” said Clara.