CHAPTER XVI
MRS. VRAIN AT BAY
"You saw the dark man in the back yard on Christmas Eve?" repeated Lucian, much surprised by this discovery.
"Yes, I did," replied Rhoda decisively, "at half-past eight o'clock. I went out into the yard to put some empty bottles into the shed, and I saw the man standing near the fence, looking at the back of No. 13. When he heard me coming out he rushed past me and out by the side passage. The moon was shining, and I saw him as plain as plain."
"Did he seem afraid?"
"Yes, he did; and didn't want to be seen, neither. I told Mr. Wrent, and he promised me a cloak if I held my tongue. He said the dark man was waiting in the yard until the lady had gone, when he was coming in again."
"But the lady, you say, went at eight, and you saw the man half an hour later?"
"That's it, sir. He told me a lie, for he never came in again to see Mr. Wrent."
"But already the dark man had seen the lady?"
"Yes. He came in with her at seven, and went away at half-past."