Paul nodded. "It was the only thing you could do," he said, musingly; "but I must see Miss Clyde and get the truth out of her."
"An' y' mus' see Mr. Lovel," said Brent, heavily. "I ain't goin' to let the doctor be strung oop. Let Mr. Lovel git away t' Americy, an' then I'll tell arl I've told you about Miss Clyde and Mr. Lovel, an' th' perlice will let t' doctor out o' gaol."
"No doubt," said Mexton, rising. "And in the meantime, Brent, you had better hold your tongue until I give you leave to speak."
"I shan't speak till Mr. Lovel ses 'es I can," said Brent, doggedly.
"I'll see Mr. Lovel about that, Brent. In the meantime, as I said before, hold your tongue. If Inspector Drek knew what you have done you would get into trouble."
"Shan't, sir, if y' don't tell him!"
"I don't intend to tell him," rejoined Paul, coldly. "I'll thrash out this matter for myself. If Miss Clyde killed that poor girl, she must suffer for her crime."
"I 'ope they'll string 'er oop!" said Brent, vindictively. "I 'ate 'er; she turned me off wi'oot a character."
Paul shrugged his shoulders at this last speech, which betrayed the motive for Brent's accusation, and went away from the inn. It was now growing late, and he had to return to his duties in Marborough. There was no time to ride out two miles and see Miss Clyde; nor, if there had been, would Paul have sought an interview so soon after the conversation with Brent. He wished for a quiet time to consider all that had been told to him; to marshal his facts and to draw deductions therefrom. The truth is, Mexton was becoming bewildered by the sudden shifting of the blame from one person to another. At first, on the face of the circumstantial evidence supplied by Eliza, it seemed that Dr. Lester was guilty; and even after the sifting of such evidence by coroner and jury, it had been found strong enough to imprison him pending a more extended trial. Then, by the belief of Herne regarding the bribery--which was afterwards admitted by Brent--and by the declaration of Iris, it appeared that Lovel had committed the crime. Now came the ploughman, who positively asserted that Miss Clyde had killed Milly. Which one of the three witnesses was to be believed? which of the three accused was to be deemed guilty? Paul could not say.
He quite admitted that Miss Clyde, in a moment of jealousy at seeing Lovel with her rival, might have given way to the strong temper which she was known to possess. But it was incredible that she had gone to the Winding Lane with a pistol to designedly murder the girl. The question was: Where had she obtained the weapon wherewith to commit the crime? No doubt she had seen Lovel follow Milly into the lane, and had come after him. That was clear enough; but it did not account for Miss Clyde's possession of a pistol, without which she could not have shot the girl. On the whole, Paul doubted the story of Brent, which was doubtless dictated by a feeling of hatred against the woman who had dismissed him from her employment. By the time he reached Marborough, the journalist had come to the conclusion that Miss Clyde would be able to refute the accusation; and he determined to give her the chance of doing so next day at a personal interview. Paul believed that she would prove her own innocence, and might also offer from her own knowledge some solution of the mystery.