"Have you seen mother?" she asked quietly, and again her eyes were troubled.
"I've seen your mother," said Tarling. "I have also seen the telegram you sent to her. Come, Miss Rider, won't you let me help you? Believe me, a great deal more depends upon your answers than the satisfaction of my curiosity. You must realise how very serious your position is."
He saw her lips close tightly and she shook her head.
"I have nothing to say," she said with a catch of her breath. "If—if you think I have——"
She stopped dead.
"Finish your sentence," said Tarling sternly. "If I think you have committed this crime?"
She nodded.
He put away his notebook before he spoke again, and, leaning over the bed, took her hand.
"Miss Rider, I want to help you," he said earnestly, "and I can help you best if you're frank with me. I tell you I do not believe that you committed this act. I tell you now that though all the circumstances point to your guilt, I have absolute confidence that you can produce an answer to the charge."
For a moment her eyes filled with tears, but she bit her lip and smiled bravely into his face.