"It was merely an idea," interrupted Audrey, feverishly. "The fact is, a certain spiteful woman hinted that my father was glad of my mother's death, so that he could marry Miss Pearl." "In fact, this person said plainly that Sir Joseph was guilty," said the other, bluntly. "Not exactly. But"--Audrey rose quickly and looked indignant--"it is quite ridiculous to think of such things." "And yet"--Perry Toat tapped the anonymous letter--"the person who wrote this may have written it because he suspected your father." "He? Then a man wrote it. What man? Can you guess?" "I can do more than guess," said the detective, drily. "I know by comparison of handwritings. This anonymous letter was written by Ralph Shawe." "Oh!" Audrey turned pale. "So that explains his conduct." CHAPTER XV RALPH'S SUSPICION It took Audrey some time to recover from the announcement so unexpectedly made by Miss Toat. In fact, she felt so faint that the detective made her drink a glass of water. When better she asked a question which had been in her mind all the time. "You don't accuse Mr. Shawe of--" "No, no, no!" said Miss Toat, hastily. "How can you think of such a thing? Mr. Shawe is perfectly innocent. He wrote the letter because he suspected another person." "Who is the other person?" Perry Toat hesitated. "I think it will be best for you to ask Mr. Shawe to give you an explanation," she said a trifle stiffly. "I can't say for certain whom he suspects. But it must be someone known to you, or he would not have worded his letter in the way he has done." Audrey leant her elbow on the table, and her now aching head on her hand. "I don't see how you can make out that Mr. Shawe wrote the letter," she said. For answer Perry Toat placed before her the letters which she had taken out of the tin box. These were from Ralph, giving various instructions to the detective. Beside these she placed the anonymous epistle. "You can see," said Miss Toat, quietly, "that although the handwriting of the anonymous letter is disguised, there is a great similarity to that of Mr. Shawe's. Here and here"--she pointed out several letters; and then, to clinch the matter, she said positively: "The paper is some which Mr. Shawe's office-boy keeps to make notes on. I have noticed that. Also the postmark is London." "But all this is not strong enough to prove that Mr. Shawe wrote the letter." "I think it is, Miss Branwin. However, it will be easy for him to deny the authorship if you ask him. I must say," added Miss Toat, determined to be perfectly frank, "that the evidence is slight, and I go mostly by the similarity of the writing. Also I told Mr. Shawe something which Parizade told me, which seemed to alarm him. Ever since then he has tried to stop me looking into the matter. Therefore I judge that to enlist you on his side he wrote this," and Miss Toat laid her lean hand on the anonymous epistle.