Part 21 (1/2)

She held her chin high.

”It was all true, what I told you in the library, my being waked up by father's moving about, my going to the window, my seeing Berne and the judge facing each other across--her--there at the end of the awful yellow arm of light. But that wasn't all. The moment the light flashed on, the judge threw back his head a little, like a man about to cry out, shout for help. I am sure that was it.

”But Berne was too quick for that. Berne put out his hand; his arm shot across her; and his hand closed the judge's mouth. The judge made no noise whatever, but he shook his head from side to side two or three times--I'm not certain how many--while Berne leant over the body and whispered to him. It seemed to me I could almost hear the words, but I didn't.

”Then Berne took his hand from the judge's mouth. I think, before that, the judge made a sign, tried to nod his head up and down, to show he would do as Berne said. Then, when they saw she was dead, they both hurried around the corner to the front of the house, and I heard them come in; I heard the judge call to father and run up to your room.”

She was alarmed then by the amazement and disapproval in his face.

”Oh!” she said, and this time she took his hand. ”You see! You see! You don't understand! You think Berne killed her!”

”I don't know,” he said, wondering. ”I must think.” For the moment, indignation swept him. ”Wilton! A judge, a judge!--keeping quiet on a thing like that! I must think.”

XI

MOTIVES REVEALED

She let go his hand and, still leaning toward him, waited for him to speak. A confusion of misgivings a.s.sailed her--she regretted having confided in him. If his anger embraced Berne as well as Judge Wilton, she had done nothing but harm!

Seeing her dismay, he tried again to rea.s.sure her.

”But no matter!” he minimized his own sense of shock. ”I'm sure I'll understand if you'll tell me more--your explanation.”

Obviously, the only inference he could draw from her story as she had told it was that Webster had killed the woman and, found bending over her body, had sprung forward to silence the man who had discovered him.

Nevertheless, it was equally evident that she was sincere in attributing to Webster a different motive for preventing the judge's outcry.

Consideration of that persuaded Hastings that she could give him facts which would change the whole aspect of the crime.

Her hesitance now made him uneasy; he recognized the necessity of increasing her reliance upon him. If she told him only a part of what she knew, he would be scarcely in a better position than before.

”Naturally,” he added, ”you can throw light on the whole incident--light by which I must be guided, to a great degree.”

”If Berne were not ill,” she responded to that, ”I wouldn't tell.--It's because he's lying up there, his lips closed, unable to keep a look-out for developments, at the mercy of what the sheriff may do or say!--That's why I feel so dreadfully the need of help, Mr. Hastings!”

She slid back in her chair, moving farther from him, as if his kindly gaze disconcerted her.

”If he hadn't suffered this collapse, I should have left the matter to him, I think. But now--now I can't!” She straightened again, her chin up, the signal with her of final decision. ”He acted on his impulsive desire to prevent my being shocked by that discovery--that horror out there on the lawn. Things had happened to convince him that such a thing, shouted through the night, would be a terrific blow to me. I'm sure that that was the only idea he had when he put his hand over Judge Wilton's mouth.”

”I can believe that,” he said. ”Tell me why you believe it.”

”Oh!” she protested, hands clenched on her knees; ”if it affected only him and me!”

Her suspicion of her father recurred to him. It was, he thought, back of the terror he saw in her eyes now.

”But it does affect only him and me, after all!” she continued fiercely, as much to strengthen herself in what she wanted to believe as to force him to that belief. ”Let me tell you the whole affair, from beginning to end.”

She proceeded in a low tone, the words slower, as if she laboured for precision and clarity.