June 13th. The "Neptune" has arrived, and Carmela has secured her
passage. She is going to Sir Mark Trevor in England, and will be
escorted by her cousin, Vassalla. I should not wonder if they were
engaged by the time they reach London. Carmela and her sister made up
their quarrel, and went out together, then Carmela came back alone,
almost crying and shut herself in her room. Mrs. Verschoyle's a minx;
later on that lady came back in a fearful rage, I fancy she must have
spoken to some one who differed from her; she tried to see Carmela,
but that young lady very properly refused to be further insulted, so
Mrs. Verschoyle shut herself up in her room. Carmela went away without
saying good-bye to her, and Mrs. Verschoyle refused to come to dinner.
After dinner, I went up to her room, and knocked at the door; it was
still locked, and I could obtain no answer from her, so I went to bed
early, having a headache.
June 14th.--Next morning Mrs. Verschoyle was not at breakfast, and
sent down word she had a headache; no wonder, with the way she lets
her violent temper run away with her. I saw her later in the day, and
asked her why she did not answer when I knocked on the previous night.
She said she was asleep and did not hear me. I did not speak to her
again. She has lost both her lovers and her sister, and I'm not sorry.
Here all extracts from the diary likely to be of any use to us end,
and if you will read them carefully, you will see that according to
the report of Mrs. Dexter, faithfully given, Mrs. Verschoyle did not
leave the house on the night of the sailing of the "Neptune," so she
could not have been on board, and consequently must be innocent of the
crime.
Now, of course, it is a debatable question whether or not Mrs.
Verschoyle really did leave the house. You will perceive that she
refused to come down to dinner, and stayed in her own room. After
dinner, Mrs. Dexter went up to her door, found it locked, and could
get no answer. Now, what was easier than for Mrs. Verschoyle to slip
out of her room while all were at dinner, and the servants away in the
kitchen, lock her door, to lead to the belief that she was still
there, and go off to the ship, commit the crime, and come home again?
Unluckily, Mrs. Dexter went to bed early, or Mrs. Verschoyle's return
would not have escaped her lynx-eyes; so if she did go out as I
surmise--and, mind you it is only a surmise--the servants might have
seen her return. I therefore questioned the servants, but could get
no satisfactory answers out of them, as they could remember nothing;
not even money could sharpen their wits. In this extremity, I
bethought myself of boldly asking Mrs. Verschoyle herself, and in the
drawing-room, after dinner, I led the conversation round to the
excellence of the P. and O. steamers, and asked her if she had seen
the "Neptune"? She winced and changed colour a little, and then
answered, "No." Mrs. Dexter then became my ally, and the conversation
was as follows:--
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