"Why not to me in the first instance?"
"Because you are too honest," burst out the woman, raising her pale eyes. "If you got the will you would have made its contents public, even though, as Mr. Leigh stated, you would lose all. For that reason I had no hold on you and would never have got money from you. By telling Mr. Mallien I managed to extract a promise from him that when he came into the property he would give me an annuity."
"Of two hundred a year?" inquired Carrington.
"We did not mention any sum," retorted Mrs. Beatson, "but that was the amount I intended to ask."
"And the amount which you told your son a mythical aunt was leaving you."
"I had to give my son some reason for being possessed of the annuity."
"Hum!" said Carrington with a shrug. "You haven't got the annuity yet, and now you never will have."
"I am not so sure of that. After all, if I hadn't told, Mr. Carrington, the cousin of my master would never have known of his good fortune."
"Then the will really does leave the property to Eunice Filbert?" questioned Rupert nervously.
"I don't know. I have not read the will."