"'Why,' I replied, 'to begin with I know something about your character!'
"'Then you're a fortune teller!' she exclaimed eagerly, 'can you read hands?'
"'I can read everything,' I said looking hard at her, 'hands, head, and feet. I am psychometrist, dentist, physician, metaphysician all in one!'
"'I don't understand,' she said looking queer, 'what is the meaning of all this?'
"'It means,' I said slowly, 'that I have discovered who sent those anonymous letters to Herbert Delmas!'
"'Anonymous letters! how dare you!' she cried, 'what have anonymous letters to do with me?'
"'A very great deal, madam,' I replied, 'shall I remind you of their contents and the occasions on which you wrote them?' I did so. I recited every word in them and told her the hour, day and place—namely, when and where each was written, and I summed up by asking what she would pay me not to tell Delmas.
"For some minutes she was too overcome to say anything; she sat grim and silent, her pale eyes glaring at me, her freckled fingers toying with the diamonds. She was baffled and perplexed—she did not know what course to pursue!
"'Well,' I repeated, 'what have you to say? Do you deny it?'
"She roused herself with an effort. 'No,' she said venomously, 'I don't deny it. Denial would be useless. How did you find out? Through one of the maids, I suppose. They were bribed to spy on me!'