"It is infamous, talking in this way," cried Elspeth, who was white with indignation. "What can ye expect frae a wumon wha wull nae dischairge her lawful indebtedness? The fair sex, they ca' ye, the unfair limmers ye are, the hail clamjamfarry. Adaam wis respectable beside Eve, the cutty, wi' her stolen fruit, and nae clothing." Herries began to laugh. The extreme humour of Mrs. Mountford, although quite unconscious, appealed to him, and the indignation of Gowrie was not less amusing. Everyone had his or her own axe to grind, as the saying goes, and each was ready to sacrifice everyone and anyone to get what he or she wanted. It was a Gilbert and Sullivan opera without music. "Come, Mrs. Mountford," said Angus, suddenly becoming serious, "tell me what you want." "I want you to have Captain Kyles arrested." "Why?" "Because I am quite sure that he murdered Sir Simon." "Impossible. I understood that you declared he was with Maud at the Hall on the night of the murder." "I said that at Maud's request," confessed Mrs. Mountford, with a blush. "Indeed, I have given in too much to her, and for doing so I ask your pardon, Mr. Herries." "You would have let him be hanged," cried Elspeth indignantly. "No, indeed, no, Mrs. Herries. Had Maud persisted in her mad intention of incriminating your husband, I should have come forward at the trial to denounce the real murderer--Captain Kyles." "Can you prove that he is guilty?" asked Angus quickly. "I can prove nothing. But I know that Sir Simon wrote a letter to Captain Kyles at Mr. Ritson's office, asking for a meeting at the 'Marsh Inn,' and telling him that he had disinherited Maud, because she insisted upon marrying him." "But Maud herself said that the letter was written to Señora Guzman," put in Elspeth. "Alas, that is merely jealousy, Maud knows that Captain Kyles will marry Señora Guzman, failing herself, and so wishes to remove a rival from her path. All love, Mrs. Herries, all love." "Humph," said Angus, "I must say that Maud has a very pretty way of getting rid of people. She was willing to hang me; she is willing to hang Señora Guzman; and all to marry the man who killed her father. A nice person, upon my word." "A cutty--a slut--a jade!" said Gowrie wrathfully. "Maud doesn't know that Captain Kyles killed her father," said Mrs. Mountford, "but she knew, as I do, that he was at the inn on the night of the crime." "He was the gentleman expected by Sir Simon?" "On the authority of the letter, which Captain Kyles showed to Maud, and about which Maud spoke to me--yes." "Then my cousin must have a shrewd idea that Kyles is guilty," said Herries. "However, we can talk of the ethics of Maud later. Where is Captain Kyles now? At the Hall?" "No. He is at the 'Marsh Inn,' stopping there, in fact. He wrote to Maud saying that he was putting up there for a week." "Did he explain his reason?"