"I took possession of his papers. They explained everything," I replied simply. "And now," I added, "the reason I am here is to inquire if I can assist you in any way, and to repeat my readiness to do so." "No," she answered, shaking her head sadly. "No assistance that you could render me, Mr Leaf, would, I regret to say, be of any avail," and I saw tears welling in her eyes. "But you must not give up like this," I urged. "You must endeavour to shield yourself, even if you fail, after all. The man is dead; his mouth is closed." "Ah, yes. That is just it. If he lived he might, perhaps, have had compassion upon me." "He refused to tell the truth--that you were at his villa at Tivoli on that evening, and therefore could not have been in Rome, eh?" She halted, glaring at me open-mouthed. She saw that I knew the truth, and after a few moments' silence with her eyes fixed upon mine, she exclaimed in a low, hoarse voice:-- "He preserved silence because he dared not tell the truth. He was a cur and a coward." "And also a thief, it would seem," I added. "Yes--you have seen what the papers are saying about him, I suppose? The police are searching for him all over Europe. They have no idea that he is already dead and buried." "Perhaps it is as well; otherwise the papers would have fallen into their hands. As it is I took possession of them all and restored them to the Italian Embassy--all but this," and I drew out her letter of appeal, and, opening it, handed it to her. She glanced at it, crushed it in her hand with a sigh, her dark eyes still fixed upon mine, as though she were trying to read my innermost thoughts. "Who are your enemies?" I asked in a kindly tone of sympathy. "Tell me, Miss Miller, what have they alleged against you?" Her brows again contracted. She set her lips hard but remained silent, determined not to satisfy me regarding the charge against her. I pressed her to speak, but she was firm and quite immovable. "Now that Nardini is dead I am helpless in the hands of my unscrupulous enemies," was her low, inert answer. "That letter is best destroyed," I said. Then with murmured thanks she tore it into tiny fragments and scattered it to the wind which carried the pieces away across the wide field of ripe corn. I told her nothing of the yellow document, that hideous record which Nardini had preserved with her letter. On the contrary, I implored her pardon for my visit and for my piece of audacious imposture, and, as we walked on together, explained how her father and myself had become friends. At first she seemed full of fear and suspicion, but gradually, as I gave a full description of how Miller had taken me over the house to see the pictures and antiques, and she saw how enthusiastic I was over the beautiful old place, she became reassured. Did she know the secret of her father's double life? In any case I could see that she was prepared to go to any length in order to shield him.