Stephen was amazed at the calm way in which his friend took the intelligence. However he had gone so far that there was nothing left to do but to confess all as he had confessed to Bess. In a hurried manner the young man repeated the tale, and informed Herrick how Bess had found out the truth by means of the revolver. "And now you must despise me" was his final remark. He sunk into his chair with a groan. Herrick paused for a moment to think. Then he carefully lighted his pipe. "I do not despise you by any manner of means," he said calmly, "but I must admit that I think you are quixotic." The word--to Stephen's mind was so inapplicable to the situation that he looked up astonished, scarcely believing his ears. "Quixotic!" he repeated. "I do not quite see." "Well," said Herrick nodding, "you see Mrs. Marsh is dead, so no harm can be done to her. It is good of you to screen her memory--" "Stop! Stop! What do you mean Herrick?" cried the Squire much agitated. "I mean that you have taken this guilt on your head to screen your step-mother's memory." Stephen paused. Then he looked up resolutely. "Yes," he said, "I may tell you, if I tell no one else. It was my mother who fired those shots. Bess found out about my pistol which my mother used, so I took the blame on myself." "You chivalrous ass!" said Herrick with a growl, "and you've been fretting over this? Why didn't you save time by telling me before?" "I thought--I thought--" "Never mind what you thought. After you came to seek your mother at the rectory, and did not find her, what did you do?" Stephen stared. "How do you know that I did not find her there?" he asked. "I know more than you think. Tell me all that you saw?" "I saw nothing," replied Stephen. "Corn said that my mother had gone to the Carr Arms. I could not find her there. I fancied in one of her rages, she might have gone up to 'The Pines.' I went there but saw nothing. Then I came back to the Carr Arms and found my mother. She said I had missed her. I thought she spoke the truth. I never questioned her even after I heard of Carr's death. It never entered my head that she had killed the man." "Then how did you guess?" "It came into my head like a flash when Bess said that my revolver was empty in three chambers. I was certain that when I put it away the whole six were loaded. Even as Bess spoke it entered my mind that my mother must have taken the revolver, and have gone up after she left the rectory a second time, to threaten the Colonel. She must have found him dead and then have fired the three shots into his body. Then she replaced the revolver. I never thought of looking at it. It was brought here along with some other things and it was only when Bess--" "I see," nodded Dr. Jim, "now look here Steve, had your mother another pistol--an old-fashioned horse pistol?"