The words went past Lisle, but the calm, authoritative voice soothed her. She said with a faint note of pleading,

“Do you think it wasn’t true?”

“I don’t know, my dear.”

“She fell,” said Lisle -“and she was killed – Lydia – I didn’t know her – it’s a long time ago. They said it was a lucky accident-”

Miss Silver’s needles paused.

“I think they said something more than that. What did they say?^”

Lisle put a hand to her cheek in a strange frightened gesture. She wanted to go on talking, but she did not want to talk about the thing that had really frightened her. When she approached it even in thought everything in her went cold and numb. There was no pain yet, but there would be pain when this numb terror relaxed – there would be anguish. Talking kept it away. She went on talking.

“They said her money saved him from having to sell Tanfield, but I don’t know if that is true. The money nearly all went in the depression – Dale told me that himself. And they said it was my money he wanted now.”

“I see. You have money of your own?”

The dark grey eyes dwelt on her without expression. The white lips said,

“Yes.”

“I see. And you have made a will – leaving your money to your husband?”

“Yes.”

“When did you do this?”

“A fortnight ago. We have only been married six months.”

Miss Silver knitted. Lisle Jerningham fell silent, and heard a drawling voice which said:

“The money’s tied up, but I believe he comes into it if anything happens to her.”

And the other voice, quick with malice:

“Is she going to have an accident too?”

Pain stirred the numbness at Lisle’s heart. Fear stabbed her. Better to say it herself than to listen to the voices. She said on a shuddering breath,

“ ‘Is she going to have an accident too?’ That’s what they said – an accident – because if he had the money to do what he liked with he could keep Tanfield. And I don’t like it very much, you know, because it’s so big. I’d rather live at the Manor – it’s more like a home. So I said why not sell Tanfield? There’s a man who wants to buy it. But Dale said his people had been there always, and we quarrelled. But he wouldn’t – just because of that! Oh, it was an accident!”