"Because," replied Torry, looking steadily at her, "Julia Brawn has been murdered." CHAPTER XI UNEXPECTED EVIDENCE When Torry stated so coldly that Julia Braw was dead, Donna Maria turned pale, trembled violently, and would have fallen but that Darrel, noticing her fainting condition, sprang forward in time to catch her in his arms. In a moment, however, she hastily withdrew herself from his embrace, and recovered her self-composure. Seating herself on a sofa, she remained silent for a few moments, but the pallor of her face, and the trembling of her lips, shewed how difficult it was for her to command her feelings. When she found her voice again, it was to explain the reason of her emotion. "After the death of my uncle," she said, in low tones, "anything of the same nature frightens me. That poor girl! It seems terrible that she should have met with the same tragic end as Mr. Grent." Donna Maria spoke excellent English, with but a slight foreign accent, so it was evident that her teacher, Miss Hargone, had instructed her thoroughly well. Darrel, who, as a writer, had some claim to be a judge, was amazed by the fluency of her speech and the extent of her vocabulary. Apparently the young girl was a born linguist since she spoke, almost faultlessly, a tongue other than her own; but, perhaps, her undeniable beauty affected the heart of Darrel sufficiently to render him enthusiastic in his judgment. Torry, less susceptible, paid little attention to the girl's beauty or intelligence. He saw in her merely a witness to be interrogated, not a woman to be wooed, and forthwith proceeded to examine her in a cold-blooded manner, sufficiently exasperating to his ardent companion. "Will you permit me, miss, to ask you a few questions?" he said politely. "On what subject?" asked Donna Maria, with haughty astonishment. "On the subject of this murder." "I know nothing about it." "You know the name of the dead woman?" "If she wore that hat, which I gave her only a fortnight ago, I believe her to be my maid, Julia Brawn. But, on the other hand, sir, she may have given the hat to someone else." "That is very true," replied Torry, gravely, while Darrel sat silently admiring the beauty of Maria Sandoval; "but this woman was tall and fair, with blue eyes and a scar on her right temple." "That is her; that is Julia," cried Maria quickly. "She got that scar from falling from a tree when she was a girl. Poor creature! When was she killed?" "A little over a week ago." Donna Maria started and fixed her black eyes on Torry. "A week ago?" she repeated. "On what day?" "On a Sunday morning; half an hour, more or less, after Mr. Grent was murdered." "Holy Virgin!" cried the girl, half rising. "Where?" "Near Cleopatra's Needle on the Thames Embankment." "I read in the newspapers that a crime had been committed there," said Maria hurriedly, "but I did not think----"