"First, because I am innocent of the crime you accuse me of and second, I believe you placed this poisoned arrow-head here in order to implicate me in the murder."
"I can speak openly to you," said Ellersby, coolly, "because you are in my power. I did place the poisoned arrow-head there, in order to secure evidence against you!"
"Then it was you killed my wife!" cried Balscombe, stepping towards him with the arrow-head in his hand.
"I never said I did!" retorted Ellersby, audaciously, "but I can tell you this--I met your wife on that night after you left her, and I asked her for those letters as they compromised both her and myself. She told me where they were and described the hiding-place to me. Last time I was here I searched and discovered the secret, but the letters were not there."
"No. They were removed by me."
"So I see--but if I did not find the letters, I found something better--the locket with my portrait which you took from your wife's neck on that night, so as I wanted to marry Miss Penfold and wanted you to help me, I placed there the arrow-head so as to force you for your own safety to help me. I have succeeded, and you must do what I order, or swing for it."
"You devil!" cried Balscombe, madly. "It was you who murdered my unhappy wife--do not deny it!--I can see it in your cowardly face--I will accuse you before the world, and hang you for your crime!"
"Bah!--who will believe your word against mine? There is no evidence against me!"
"Your own confession!"
"Does not include a confession of murder--what I have said to you in private I will deny in public--you have no witnesses."