"Yes. Listen, Lord Caranby," and Jennings related the episode of the knife, and how he had brought Mallow and Juliet together. "And it seems to me," went on the detective, "that Cuthbert learned something from Miss Saxon which he does not wish to tell me." "Something to do with Mrs. Octagon." "Why with her?" demanded Jennings suddenly. "Oh, because I think Isabella capable of much. She is a fatal woman!" "What do you mean by that phrase?" "Isabella exercised a bad influence on my life. But for her I should have married Selina and should not have fallen in with Emilia Saul. I should have been happy, and probably Selina would not have met with her tragic death." "Do you think the sister has anything to do with it?" "I can't say. All I know is that whomsoever Isabella came into contact with had trouble. I do well to call her a fatal woman." "Humph!" said Jennings, "I would rather call Maraquito a fatal woman, as I believe she brought about the death in some way for the double purpose of silencing Miss Loach regarding the factory of coins and of stopping the marriage of her rival with Cuthbert." Curiously enough, Cuthbert was shown into the room at this moment. So interested had Caranby and Jennings been in their conversation that they had not heard the bell. Mallow looked in good health, but his face wore a worried expression. Without preamble, and after greeting his uncle, he walked up to his friend. "Jennings," he said calmly, "I have seen Juliet, and she agrees with me that this case should not be gone on with." "Ah! does she, and on what grounds?" "Because she has consented to marry me. She intends, at my request, to make over Miss Loach's money to her mother. We have had quite enough dabbling in crime, and we are both sick of it." "I think you are very wise," said Caranby unexpectedly, "let the case be, Mr. Jennings." "What did Miss Saxon tell you?" asked the detective irrelevantly. Mallow sat down and in a calm voice detailed all that he had learned from Juliet. "So you see it throws no light on the subject." Had Mallow mentioned the time at which Juliet asserted she saw him climb over the wall a new light would certainly have been thrown. But he purposely omitted this, and simply said that Juliet had seen him. "I told you I was there, Jennings," he added. "Quite so," said the detective. "Certainly, nothing new has come out." "Well, then leave the case alone." "I fear I shall have to, now that the Rexton house has been burnt down," and Jennings related in his turn what had taken place. Cuthbert listened moodily. "You see," he said, "everything is against us. I only wanted the mystery cleared up so that Juliet might marry me, but now that she wishes to do so, without searching further, I am not going to do anything else." "Nor I," said Jennings sadly, "nothing is to be learned. The case will remain a mystery to the end of time."