"You murdered both," said Torry sternly, "and I intend to arrest you. In ten minutes you leave this room for prison." "But I am innocent!--innocent I tell you," screamed Vass, his brow beaded with perspiration. "I--I--I can--I can explain." In a moment Torry whipped out the locket, and held it out on the palm of his hand. "Then explain that." "Ah!" murmured Vass, falling back in his chair, "I am lost." "I thought so; you confess your guilt." The accusation seemed to galvanise the wretched creature into life. "Confess, confess!" he shrieked. "No, no! I am innocent! I swear it." "You'd swear anything to save your neck," said Torry coolly. "Come, sir, I am tired of this, let me put the darbies on." As in a dream Vass sat limply in his chair while Torry approached with the handcuffs. But at the first touch of the cold iron on his wrists he leaped up, and plunging past the detective fell on his knees before Frank. "Mr. Darrel! Mr. Darrel!" he implored with the tears streaming down his face, "help me, for God's sake! Oh, my poor mother. In heaven's name I am innocent! Don't let him drag me to prison." "What can I do?" said Darrel moved by this abasement. "I am not above the law. If you are guilty you must pay for your wickedness." "But I am innocent." "Then prove your innocence," cried Torry with a sneer. "I am always open to conviction." "I can't speak, I dare not speak!" moaned Vass, hiding his miserable face in his hands. "Then keep silence and hang." The poor wretch shuddered convulsively at the ominous word, and wept loudly. He cried like a woman, and lay on the floor moaning and groaning as in pain. Even Darrel was disgusted at this unmanly conduct, and advised him sharply to leave off whimpering. Torry went further. "Get up, you milk-sop, or I'll kick you," he cried. "This is not the way to meet your troubles. You say you can explain; do so, and save your neck, if you can." Finding all his howling did no good, Vass rose to his feet and dried his eyes. Driven like a rat into a corner, he turned to shew fight. "Give me a glass of water," said he, "and I'll tell you the truth." "How you killed Grent," said Torry, while Darrel got the water. "I did not kill Grent. I never saw him on that night." "Bah! you are a liar." "You had better hear what I have to say before you call me that," said the secretary with some spirit. Then he drank the water, arranged his disordered clothes, and with more composure than might have been expected from his former agitation made a strange confession. The details startled his two hearers not a little.