“But when an innocent man is arrested, Pauline ought to tell what she knows!”
“I have told, and it seems to implicate you!”
The impending scene was averted by Haviland, who insisted on knowing what word should be sent to Loria.
“May as well get it off,” he said; “it takes long enough to get word back and forth to him, anyway. What shall I say for you, Polly?”
“Tell him to come over or not, just as he prefers, but that I shall be quite content if he does not care to come; and that I shall go to Egypt as soon as I can arrange to do so. Put it into shape yourself,—you know more about cabling than I do.”
Haviland went away to the library, and Hardy followed.
“Look here, Mr. Haviland,” said the latter, “what do these ladies mean by accusing each other of all sorts of things? Did either of them have any hand in this murder?”
“Not in a thousand years!” declared Gray, emphatically. “The girls never loved each other, but lately, even before the death of Miss Lucy, they have been at daggers drawn. I don’t know why, I’m sure!”
“But what do you make of this story of Miss Frayne’s about hearing Miss Stuart in her aunt’s room?”
“She didn’t hear her. I mean she didn’t hear Miss Stuart; what she heard was Miss Carrington talking to herself. The old lady was erratic in lots of ways.”