Gebb remained silent for a few minutes, and watched Parge lighting his pipe. Then he asked suddenly, "Do you believe that Dean is innocent of this Kirkstone Hall crime?" "No!" replied Parge, deliberately, "I don't." "On what grounds?" "On the grounds of his defence." "H'm!" said Gebb, with an astonished look; "those are queer grounds on which to doubt a man." "Well, Absalom, you can judge for yourself. Dean declared that he was innocent." "They all do; and no doubt, having regard to this new crime, he said that Miss Gilmar was guilty." "No, he did not accuse her. He ascribed the crime to Laura." "What! to the sister?" "Yes! the mean hound, to the woman he was about to marry. Is not such a foul accusation enough to make you believe the wretch to be guilty?" "Not quite," rejoined Gebb, dryly; "a man may be a blackguard without being a murderer. Besides, this Laura seems to have been weak--in fact, half-witted; so Dean might have had some grounds for his belief. However, if you can recall his defence, I shall be in a better position to judge." "Briefly," replied Parge, "his defence was as follows. He declared that he was left alone with Kirkstone in the Yellow Boudoir, or rather smoking-room, about half-past ten o'clock." "Who left him and Kirkstone alone?" "The ladies. They accompanied the two from the drawing-room, and chatted with them for a few moments before saying good night." "What!" cried Gebb, suspiciously, "in spite of the disturbed atmosphere of the house, and the quarrelling?" "Yes! there existed, it seemed, a kind of armed neutrality, and, notwithstanding the situation, the quartet were civil enough to one another." "I have my doubts about so improbable a situation," said Gebb, shaking his head. "Well, and what took place after the ladies retired?" "Kirkstone and Dean quarrelled over the marriage. Kirkstone, it seemed, began to taunt Dean about his attentions to Miss Gilmar. Dean turned round, and declared that he was not attached to Miss Gilmar; nor, for the matter of that, to Laura. Both women, he said, were in love with him, and he could marry either without consulting Kirkstone. He furthermore swore that if Kirkstone insulted him any more, he would marry Laura without her brother's consent, and refuse to pay the money." "And no doubt at this point Kirkstone lost his temper," suggested Gebb. "So Dean declared; and the quarrel reached such a pitch that Dean----" "Killed Kirkstone," finished Gebb, quickly.