"We know all about that, sir," boomed Mrs. Mountford, "Inspector Trent informed us of what you had told him. In the interests of justice, he is keeping Miss Tedder advised of all matters likely to lead to a detection of her father's murderer." "Then I need not go over the same ground again," said Gowrie readily, and laughing in his sleeve at the way in which he was deceiving these women, who doubtless thought themselves extremely clever, "sufficient it is to say, that I was asleep all the night, and departed early in the morning ignorant that a crime had been committed. When I returned many days later, I found that my daughter, whom I had left in the charge of Mrs. Narby----" "As a servant," interpolated Maud spitefully. "As a companion," persisted Gowrie obstinately. "I found that she had fled with Angus Herries!" "With my cousin," Maud rose excitedly, "did she know where he was?" "No," lied the reprobate skilfully, "she saw him at the inn, and then he escaped. Afterwards she received a letter from him, written from a Buckinghamshire village, asking her to join him." "And why?" asked Mrs. Mountford curiously. "Because, it seems, the two loved one another." "Absurd," cried Maud, her small face working with anger, "why, she only saw him once." "Quite long enough to enable her to love him, and he to love her," said Gowrie, rather pleased to witness this disgust. "But it's impossible, Angus loved me," she insisted, and a look of wounded pride passed over her face. "So he told me," responded Gowrie dryly, "but that was two years ago. He said that he never really loved until he met Elspeth." "Oh, did he?" cried Miss Tedder in disgust. "Then she won't have him for long. He'll be in gaol before many hours pass." "I hope so," said Gowrie, playing his part extremely well. "I do not want my child to become the bride of a criminal." "What do you mean by that?" "Exactly what I say, Miss Tedder. When I found that my daughter had fled to Herries in Buckinghamshire----" "How did you know she was there?" "I found a letter waiting for me at a London address, telling me that she was going to marry Herries." "Why was not the letter waiting at the inn?" It was not, for the simple reason that Gowrie was too clever to give himself away. Mrs. Narby certainly would not depose that such a letter was waiting at the inn, therefore he placed the address at a safe distance where the police could not find it. "I have a home in London, to which my child always writes," said he evasively, "and she wrote to me there, after I had found the inn empty of my jewel." "Oh, go on," said Maud, impatient of this high-flown language. "I then went to Buckinghamshire----" "To what village do you say?" "I'll not tell you that until I have your promise in writing to pay me the five hundred." "You shall have it before you leave this room. But you will only get the money if Herries, I mean my cousin, is arrested."