"I should give Spruce rope enough to hang himself," said Vane quickly.
"In what way?"
"By promising him the money. If he accepts he will be condoning a felony and in that way will get himself into trouble."
"I will get into trouble also."
"I'm not so sure of that," said Vane, looking out of the window in a musing manner. "Spruce says that you are guilty, to suit his own ends. But I should not be surprised if he knew the name of the true assassin."
"Madame Alpenny?"
"I think so. No one but you and that woman knew of the appointment at the Gipsy Stile. You are innocent, so she must be guilty. And we have agreed that she had a strong motive to place you in possession of the property straight away. Yes, I truly think that she struck the blow, thus giving you the money at once and getting you under her thumb. She killed two birds with one stone."
"Don't be in such a hurry," said Owain dryly. "The appointment was advertised in the newspaper shown to me by Madame Alpenny. Other people may have gone there on the chance of getting something."
"Other people had nothing to gain by keeping the appointment, Owain, much less by murdering the old man. No. Some one who knew what his death meant to you is the assassin, and Madame Alpenny alone possessed that information."
"True enough. Well, and what do you propose?"