"Well," said Mrs. Mountford coldly, "I presume that will be the best way to settle the matter. And Mr. Herries," she added, giving him her hand, "I may tell you that I am glad you have got the money. Were Maud in possession, I would lose my influence over her, and then God knows what would happen to so feather-headed a creature. She would be surrounded by flatterers and sycophants, and would waste the money in excesses, ending probably in an insane asylum."
"But she is not mad."
"I tell you she is at times," said Mrs. Mountford impatiently. "The germs of insanity are in her, and it only needs great emotions to develop them into rank lunacy. See what she was prepared to do, in order to get Captain Kyles for a husband. She is not safe, she never will be safe; and Sir Simon did not want her to marry. No, Mr. Herries, you get this money and make good use of it. Maud and myself will go abroad and live on her thousand a year."
"You must let me add to that," said Herries shaking her hand in a hearty manner. "I believe that you are a good woman."
"I have had great troubles," said Mrs. Mountford, "and troubles make us think of others. When you are in possession of that large income, Mr. Herries, don't forget the poor and needy. Let your troubles aid you to remember the troubles of others."
"You can depend upon that," said Herries, and took his leave feeling a profound respect for Mrs. Mountford.
He was not so surprised as he might have been, on hearing of Maud's weakness. Several times, when he was courting her in Edinburgh, he had noticed how strange her manner was, and how careless she seemed to be of other people's feelings. But then he was blinded with what he took for love, and had not seen clearly. Now he could judge dispassionately, and felt certain,--apart from any personal benefit,--that the best thing that could have happened to Maud was the loss of the money. To weight so frail and fickle a creature with gold would have been to sink her in the ocean of life. He determined to allow Mrs. Mountford another thousand a year, for looking after her, and then the ex-governess could take the poor girl away to some lonely place, where she could quietly live out the rest of her life. In his own mind, Herries, with a sudden memory of a striking book, compared her to Lady Audley, and recalled how that celebrated heroine had been placed in seclusion as dangerous. Maud was just such another childish, pretty, cunning, dangerous woman, as that conceived by Miss Braddon.
Having made up his mind how to act towards his unfortunate cousin, Herries returned home, and told Browne and Elspeth all that had occurred. Both of them were much astonished, and were divided as to who was guilty of the crime. Elspeth fancied that Señora Guzman was guilty. Browne held that Kyles was the criminal. Herries shook his head.
"There's been so many mistakes over this case," he said, "that I am afraid to give an opinion. It might have been Mrs. Narby, for all we know."
"Mrs. Narby," ejaculated Elspeth, with a gasp. "Mrs. Narby," echoed the doctor, his face growing redder than ever.