Frisco was quite ready to show grounds. "Well in the first place I held my tongue about Mrs. Marsh firing at the dead body."
"Yes. I owe you something for that," said Stephen flushing and wincing.
"In the second," said Frisco raising his finger. "I brought you that will unwitnessed so that you can still keep the money. If Robin had got the girl I shouldn't have done that. My name as one witness and Santiago as another, and where would you be?"
"Santiago was never in this house," said Herrick, "and a will has to be signed when the testator and the witnesses are together."
"Oh, I'd have arranged all that. My own signature you could not dispute as I was Carr's right-hand man. I'd have paid Santiago half a year's income to sign. He'd have done it like a shot. And the will would have stood any test then."
"That is true enough," said Herrick reflectively, "so long as the Colonel's signature was right the rest was easy. Where did you get this will?"
"It was on his table. He must have been fooling with it when the old woman Petronella shot him. It was about this will that Mrs. Marsh made such a fuss, only she thought the money was to be left to me."
"Ah! You let that out yourself."
"Being drunk," said Frisco with a laugh, "well I took away the will and afterwards thought to use it, by marrying Robin to Bess Endicotte. But you see Mr. Marsh," he added turning to Stephen, "I did not have the witnesses names put, so you keep the money instead of handing it over to Miss Bess."
"Whether he had done so or not," cried Dr. Jim hotly, "Bess would not have taken it. The money is rightfully Stephen's."