"Am I not telling you!" said Stephen impatiently. "When my mother went to Saxham I knew she would fail. A woman could not deal with a devil like my beloved uncle. I determined to see what I could do with a revolver. I would have fought a duel with him to keep my rights," said the young man fiercely, "but I would not have killed him in cold blood. No, indeed." "Well go on," said Bess, "I want to know all." "There is little to tell," said Marsh-Carr. "I was going to Saxham to fetch home my mother who was at the rectory. I thought I would visit 'The Pines' and see the Colonel. I did so, some time before nine." "Ah! it was about that hour Sidney saw you." "I daresay. I stood on the lawn looking at the tower, and could not make up my mind to enter the house. It was all ablaze with lights, and quite deserted." "No," said Bess recalling her own experience. "I heard you fire the shots and saw Frisco at the door. He was drunk and hanging on to the post." "You heard me fire the shots. I did not know you were about?" "I was then. I had gone to look for Sidney. But you see Frisco--" "It was Frisco," said Stephen vehemently. "I tell you Carr was dead when I went up, lying face downward. If Frisco was at the door, he was just clearing out after killing the man. He knew that he would be arrested." "But he must have heard the shots?" "Then he knew that someone had discovered the body which would make him run for it all the more quickly. However to make a long story short I fired the three shots you know of, and then returned to my mother at the rectory. I said nothing about the matter, as I had not killed Carr. If Frisco is not the murderer I do not know who is. That is all I can tell you Bess, you see I am not such a guilty wretch as you thought." "I know that," said Bess impetuously, "If you were I should insist upon your leaving Ida. To fire at the dead was savage, but, as I know the man must have been dead at the time--the medical evidence proves that, I will say nothing. Why did you not tell me of this before?" "What use would it have been?" said Stephen raising his eyebrows, "I cannot tell you anything likely to lead to the capture of the assassin, and beside it is not a pleasant thing to tell about myself. I should not have told you now, but that you have been one too many for me. I should have re-loaded the three chambers of that revolver. But I forgot and put it away thinking all six were loaded. I should be ashamed to let Jim or Ida know that I had been such a beast." "I shall say nothing to them," said Bess coldly, "but I am disappointed in you Stephen." "I know," said the young man humbly, "I should have had more self-control. But you will not turn your back on me for this Bess?" "No. All the same I can't feel as I did towards you. Let me go away and think Stephen. And--put away that revolver." Marsh-Carr nodded, and slipped the weapon into his pocket. But he made no attempt to detain Bess. She went away with a sore heart.