Mrs. Dexter: Your sister went to England in the "Neptune?" Mrs. Verschoyle: Yes, and so did my cousin, the Marchese Vassalla, but for all that, I did not see the boat. Myself: Why--did you not go on board to say good-bye? Mrs. Verschoyle: No; I had a headache, and did not leave my room. Mrs. Dexter: Yes, I remember. I knocked at your door, and could get no answer. Mrs. Verschoyle (quickly): I was asleep. Myself: It was a pity you did not see the "Neptune"; she is such a magnificent vessel. This closed the conversation, and left things as they were. You see, Mrs. Verschoyle denies that she left the house on that evening; so if this is the case, she can prove an _alibi_, and thus cannot be accused of committing the crime. I, however, am not satisfied with her denial; she winced when I mentioned the "Neptune"; moreover, I knew that her husband was on board, as she met him during the day; which, by the way, explains the passage in Mrs. Dexter's diary, that she returned in a rage. To my mind, therefore, the only people who can definitely say if she were on board, are Miss Carmela Cotoner and the Marchese Vassalla; for even if she went on board secretly to see her husband, she could not have escaped notice by her sister and cousin. My advice, therefore, is for you to see either Miss Cotoner or the Marchese Vassalla, and find out if Mrs. Verschoyle were on board before the "Neptune" sailed; if so, we can pursue our inquiries; if not, we must turn in another direction. As I have now got all the information I can obtain here, I am leaving to-morrow for England, and if possible, will get the stiletto used in the committal of the crime from the authorities at Gibraltar. I may add that I have obtained a specimen of Mrs. Verschoyle's writing to compare with the paper you gave me; and though there is a similarity, there is also a distinct difference; but then handwriting does alter in five or six years, and the best thing will be to submit the papers to an expert, who can easily tell if they were written by the same person. I will call at Mr. Foster's rooms directly on my arrival in England, and report more fully. Yours obediently, JULIAN ROPER. CHAPTER XV. MARCHESE MATTEO VASSALLA. After reading Roper's letter, Ronald went to Foster's chambers and showed it to him. The barrister read it in silence, and then laying it down on the table, looked hard at Monteith. "You see, I was right," he said, tapping the letter with his fingers; "Miss Cotoner is, as I thought, the sister of Mrs. Verschoyle." "Yes," replied Ronald, quickly; "but she has nothing in common with her." "Ah! you think not--let me see;" taking up the letter and glancing over it; "they both have tempers." "Any woman would show temper, living with such a fiend as Mrs. Verschoyle," retorted Ronald, defending Carmela. "They both loved the same man,--meaning Verschoyle." "But Carmela's love for him was only a girlish fancy, as she says herself in Mrs. Dexter's diary."