"Ah!" cried Berry in triumph. "You murdered him." Frank darted forward and placed himself before the little man. "If that is so," he said, "I must be innocent." "You are not," snarled Berry. "You shot Starth, and this black nigger finished him off." "Starth was dead when I put the knife into his heart," said Tamaroo. "You were afraid when you found that he was killed as Anchor had been killed in San Francisco." "You gave me a bad quarter of an hour, I admit," said Berry; "but I guess Lancaster will swing, and you'll get gaol, Tamaroo." "Nothing of the sort," said Jarman, coolly. "You can't do what you like, Berry. I'll see to that." "See to yourself," said Berry, wrathfully. "See to your own life. If I give the word, neither you nor Lancaster will leave this place alive. I can depend upon Balkis." "Yes," said Balkis, "you can depend upon me." Her eyes were fixed on Fairy Fan with a vindictive expression, and her words bore a different meaning to what Berry gave them. He quite believed that Balkis was on his side, and went on in triumph. "There are men in the pay of Balkis who would knife you as soon as I chose. Take care, Jarman, I am not to be trifled with. I mean to get that money." "Forty thousand a-year," put Tamaroo; and Fan's eyes sparkled. "So much as that?" she said, clasping her hands. "Yes," said Frank. "I don't suppose I'll spend half of it." "You!" cried the Captain, with a howl of derision. "You won't spend it. You hang and the money goes to Denham." "Supposing it does," said Eustace, suddenly--"suppose your clever plot comes to a successful conclusion, how are you going to get the money from Denham?" "He'll do anything I wish him to do." "Oh no, he won't. You disgusted him by asking that he should play the spy on Lancaster. He came down to me, and, in conjunction with Tamaroo, I have opened his eyes to your rascality. Denham is on the side of Lancaster, and your plot to coerce him has failed." Fan laughed derisively. "I can twist him round my finger." "Oh no. He is in love with Miss Arrow, the daughter of the rector of Wargrove. He will have nothing further to do with you, Mrs. Anchor." Berry's face was changing colour. He recognised that he had made a mistake in letting Natty get beyond his influence, and did not know what to do for the moment. If he had Lancaster hanged, Natty would get the money--that was always intended--but now Natty was on the side of the enemy, he and Fan would never enjoy the forty thousand a-year. Perhaps it would be better to make some bargain with Lancaster. Darrel guessed that the little skipper thought of hedging, and hastily interposed. "Let's get this over," he said. "Here is Lancaster, whom we know is guilty of murder. Balkis had better conduct us to the upper part of the house, since she does not wish the police to come here. Then Lancaster can be arrested."