"You will shew it to no one," she said, thrusting it into her pocket. "I forbid you to say a word."
"Tell me how it came to be here, and I will consider if it is right for me to be silent."
"I will explain nothing. Girl, what demon brought you here and shewed you that book? I came up here to look for it; I have been searching for over an hour. You came in and found it in a few minutes. It is fate--fate."
"Aunt Inez," Ruth drew back until she was standing up against the wall, "you--oh, no!--you did not--did not--kill the man!"
Mrs. Marshall shrugged her shoulders, her colour and her courage coming back to her almost as she spoke. "You are at liberty to think so if you like. I will not contradict you. No, indeed. I have other things to do."
"Will you contradict my father?"
"I forbid you to tell your father of this."
"I must! I will know the truth of this matter. There is an innocent woman in gaol for----"
"An innocent woman!" interrupted her aunt, with contempt. "Oh, yes, very innocent!" She paused and looked at Ruth. "Come downstairs," she said. "As you have found what I wanted, we need not remain here."
"You knew that this book was hidden here?"