The woman dropped back into her chair and clutched at her breast as though she felt a cruel pain in her heart. Her face looked grey in the dim light of the room, and she suddenly seemed to have aged. Even her confident bearing fell away from her and she crouched as though smitten to the earth. Never was there so rapid or so terrible a transformation. "Oh, for God's sake," she moaned brokenly, "for--for--my brother. Heaven knows we did not get on over well together, but that he--he--that he should--It's a lie. I tell you, it's a lie. Why, Francis has given up all his life to doing good. Everyone round here blesses his name; he was generous to a fault. And you dare to--dare to--oh!" She leaped to her feet again and strove to recover her proud hearing. "I don't believe it. Liars! both of you."
"Maunders is the liar and not us, then," said Vernon quietly.
"I never trusted him, I never liked him," moaned Miss Hest; "he is----" Then she unexpectedly fell back again into her chair, utterly unstrung and broken down, an old, grey woman, miserable beyond belief. "Francis--my brother--our good name--oh! oh! Say that it isn't true," and she wept piteously.
"I regret to say that it is," said the Colonel, extremely sorry to dash her hopes to the ground, and he rapidly related all that had been discovered. As he proceeded Miss Hest lifted her face, which grew more composed.
"And is this all the evidence you have to go upon?" she inquired with scorn; "The word of a man whom you admit to be a scoundrel?"
"You forget," said Vernon gravely, "that your brother endorsed the accusation by flight and by taking his accomplice with him."
"Such an accusation might well make a man fail to stand his ground," said the woman resolutely, "and on the spur of the moment Francis may have lost his wits. But he will return to repel this accusation."
"From what you say of a Deed of Gift, Miss Hest, that does not seem likely to happen. If your brother is innocent let him surrender himself to the police and stand his trial."
"I shall advise him to do that at once. Where is he to be found?"
"No one knows, and the police would give much to learn. But you heard last from him, since he sent the Deed of Gift and informed you of his plans."