"Good," said Beatrice, leaning forward and placing her arms on the small table between them. "I shall tell you what I have heard to-day; and then you must tell me what you know." "About what?" asked Paslow, lighting another cigarette with shaking hands, and not daring to look at her. "In the first place, about my parentage." This time he did look at her, and in much amazement. "You are the stepdaughter of Alpenny," he said quietly, "and the daughter of Mrs. Hedge, whomsoever she may be." "Is that all you know?" she asked, looking at him. "Yes. I have never heard anything else." "But I have. I heard this day, and from Orchard the shepherd, who was your father's servant, that I am the daughter of Colonel Hall." Vivian dropped his cigarette and jumped up with an exclamation of genuine surprise. "Did Orchard tell you that?" he asked. "He did. Mrs. Hedge, my mother, was really Mrs. Hall, and married Mr. Alpenny because--because----" She hesitated. "Because why? She must have had a strong reason to marry that old rascal." "She had. Alpenny, according to Mrs. Snow----" "What does Mrs. Snow know about your affairs?" asked Vivian angrily. "A great deal. She was my mother's best friend,--so she says--and her bitterest enemy, as I have found out. Mrs. Snow declared that my mother married Alpenny to prevent Alpenny accusing her of murdering her husband, and my father." "Oh! It is incredible," muttered Vivian, clutching his hair. "Wait till you hear details. I think my mother is innocent myself, but certainly the evidence seems to be against her," and Beatrice, without giving Vivian time to intervene, told him all that she had heard from the old shepherd and from Mrs. Snow. He listened in silence, although his amazement was too profound and too openly expressed, to be anything else than genuine. "What do you think?" said Beatrice, when she had finished. "I don't know what to think," he muttered, glancing sideways at her and then away into the shadowy garden. "I believe Orchard is right, and that you are the daughter of the man who was murdered in this house. But I do not believe what Mrs. Snow says. Your mother--or, indeed, any woman--would never commit a crime in so brutal a manner. I don't believe any woman unless an Amazon would have the strength, for one thing." "So I think," said Beatrice heartily; "and I am glad that you agree with me. However, the discovery of my parentage does not make any difference to my position." "I don't know so much about that," said Paslow, meditatively. "It might be that Colonel Hall left money. As he is dead, and your mother is dead--as Alpenny's wife, any money that there is should come to you." "Well," said Beatrice, watching the effect of her words, "it seems to me that the necklace is mine. I understand that it is valued--so Major Ruck said--at ten thousand pounds. If I can find that, I certainly will be an heiress. But Durban wants me to leave it alone." "For what reason?"