"Gracious!" was Ruth's not very original exclamation. "Did she believe that he had killed his father? How terrible!"
"Very terrible!" said Heron, gravely. "Now you can understand how it was that Webster was taken ill. For his mother had told him that she believed him to have killed his father; then she forbade him to re-open the case. She was perfectly willing to remain where she was so long as he was safe and free."
"Oh, she is a noble woman!" cried Ruth. "But it was not Neil who either consciously or unconsciously committed the crime; Mrs. Garvey says he did not. But who it was she cannot tell. One moment, Geoffrey, and I will tell you all more explicitly than I could do by letter." And she proceeded to relate the whole story from beginning to end.
"Well, we are as far from the truth as ever," Geoffrey said, when she had finished. "I think the next step is to shew that broken link to Mrs. Jenner. She may be able to remember someone who used to wear such an ornament."
Ruth took the link out of her purse and gave it to him. "But you will send it back again when you have done with it?" she said. "I want to keep it."
"As a memento of this horrible affair?" he asked, with a smile. "You are like the man who had a book bound in a human skin. I do not care for such things myself; but you shall have it back with a full report of what Mrs. Jenner says. And now, dear, I think we may talk a little about ourselves. After all, this case is not the whole of life to us."
And they did talk about themselves. Among other things, she told him of her encounter with Job, the Sapengro, and his astonishment when she had spoken to him in the Romany tongue. "How on earth did you learn it?" he asked, amazed.
"Oh, when I was at school, and after I left, too, I was fond of reading Lavengro."
Then they dropped the subject, and were busy talking of themselves and their prospects when Mrs. Chisel glided into the room; and Geoffrey found that he had an important engagement at the nearest town, and took his leave. For the society of the elder sister was more than he could endure. They both went to see him off, and at the door a few whispered words passed between him and Ruth. Mrs. Chisel was immediately on the alert.
"What did he say to you?" she asked as soon as he was out of earshot.