"It is a pity you did not ask me," he said, clenching his hands. "I should have completed the happy family party. Well, Burton has escaped now. We shall see if he will be so fortunate in the future." "Ah! you would murder him--I know it!" said Brenda, scornfully. "But he can take care of himself." "Very likely, Mrs. Burton; but can he protect himself from the law?" "What do you mean? That you are going to accuse my husband of Mr. Malet's murder? You are quite capable of it." "I am; and I can prove that he is guilty." Mr. Scarse cast an angry glance at the man. "You are a liar, Van Zwieten," he said savagely. "I wonder how I ever came to believe in you. You accuse first me of the crime, then my brother; now it is Harold Burton you would ruin. We are all three innocent." "Two of you, we will say. But the third is guilty." Van Zwieten spoke slowly, looking at Brenda the while. "I found the pistol with which the murder was committed. It has a name on the butt. And the name is that of Harold Burton!" The girl grew deathly pale and clasped her hands. "I do not believe it," she said bravely. "Well," drawled Van Zwieten, throwing himself back, "I can prove it by showing you the pistol--it is at my rooms in Duke Street. If you choose to come there--with your father, of course--you can see it. Yes, you may look and look; but your husband and no other killed Malet." "It is false. There was no reason why Harold should kill Mr. Malet." "Oh, pardon me, I think he had a very good reason," corrected Van Zwieten, blandly; "at least Captain Burton thought it a sufficient reason when I told him what I knew at Chippingholt." "Ah!" flashed out Mrs. Burton, "so this was what you told Harold to make him leave without saying good-bye to me!" "It was. I showed him the pistol, and he admitted that it was his----" "But not that he had used it!" "You are very sharp, Mrs. Burton; but that is just what he did confess." "I don't believe it!" cried the girl. "Nor I," joined in Mr. Scarse. "You are speaking falsely." Van Zwieten shrugged his mighty shoulders. "As you please," said he. "If I show it to the lawyers you may find that what I say is true. If it was not true how could I have made Harold Burton leave Chippingholt? Why did he keep his marriage with you a secret? Because he feared what I had to say about him. I had decided not to betray him if he left the lady to me. As it is, I shall speak." "As you choose!" said Brenda. "You can prove no motive for such a crime. Harold left Chippingholt because you told him that Mr. Malet had gambled away his twenty thousand pounds, and the poor dear did not want to tell me of his loss." "Oh, yes, I told him that also. I knew more of Malet's private affairs than you think. But Burton did not know the money was lost at the time he murdered Malet. He murdered him to get it." "You speak very confidently," returned Brenda, ironically. "You will now of course put the matter into the hands of the police."