“Wicked? Why wicked, since this beast ruined both me and my brother? I was only dealing out justice to him, as I dealt out mercy to Baldwin. And I made my plans cleverly. I knew that Mr. Bakche was haunting Mother Slaig’s, and counted on him recognizing my brute of a husband on that night, since he had already seen him here when he came to make inquiries about the peacock. I made Baldwin write to Sorley to appoint the thirteenth of November night as the time to come up. Baldwin showed me the reply, and I knew that he would be there. I took the stiletto which belonged to Sorley as I stole it along with the peacock when I left this house. Since it was his I thought it would make the evidence against him more certain. I went to Rotherhithe and watched. I saw Sorley go, and then I went up to Baldwin’s room and stabbed him. It doesn’t matter how I cajoled him to lie down and rest, and chose my time. I stabbed him to the heart and that is enough for you to know.”
Again her listeners shivered, for there seemed to be something terrible about this small frail woman admitting such a dreadful deed so callously and boldly. She smiled as she saw their feeling. “What a lot of cowards you men are,” she jeered, “you wouldn’t have acted so bravely; no, not you.”
“Go on, go on,” said Moon impatiently, “there’s no time to be lost.”
“I have nearly finished,” said Miss Grison tartly, “don’t hurry me, as you must admit that my confession is interesting. I killed Baldwin with this,” she added, taking up the stiletto which lay on the table, “and I took it away, along with the peacock, intending to hide both in this house. Jotty—ungrateful little reptile that he is—saw me with these when he came to Thimble Square to tell me of the murder. Ha! ha! of the murder which I had committed. I wept and wailed, as I was bound to do, since my dear brother had been murdered by Sorley. Then came the inquest, and I said nothing, for I waited my chance. The funeral took place here, and I stayed at Mrs. Millington’s, she has been a good friend to me. I came to this house on the day you know of, Mr. Fuller,” she went on, addressing herself to Alan who nodded in answer, “and while you and Marie were in the grounds, and this man—if he can be called a man—was asleep, I placed the peacock in that black-oak cupboard and the stiletto in the place behind that panel marked with a cross, where I knew Sorley kept those bits of glass——”
“They are jewels, valuable jewels,” cried her husband irrelevantly.
“Oh, get on with the confession,” said Latimer sharply, for the prolonged scene was getting on his nerves, “you hid the stiletto and peacock.”
“Yes,” said Miss Grison snappishly, “and then I waited, guessing that Sorley would probably seek Mr. Fuller’s help to solve the riddle of the bird. That was why I introduced the subject of cryptograms on that day when we were at tea, Mr. Fuller. When I learned that Jotty had Sorley’s reply to the request of Baldwin I sent him to you so that it might implicate this beast of a husband of mine. Then when Jotty told me about the drawing of the peacock, I knew that Sorley had consulted you, since no drawing had ever been made of the thing. My trap was set, and by making the matter of the peacock public, I closed it on the man I hate.”
She shut her mouth with a snap, and idly dug the stiletto into the table as if she had finished. “What else?” questioned Moon imperiously.
“Nothing else,” said Miss Grison raising her pale eyes; “you know all. The trap caught the bird, and my revenge would have been complete had not this fool learned more than he should have. You, I mean, you,” said Miss Grison walking slowly towards the Indian, “why couldn’t you let me have my way?”
“I wanted the jewels,” said Bakche stolidly, and not moving even when she was face to face with him.