"I don't know what you mean," said the professor quietly; "but I admit that I did not wish you to learn the part I had taken in this matter. I visited my cousin frequently. I saw a portrait of her husband, and recognised Mr. Fane."
"Where did you see him?"
"One day--no, on two occasions, I saw him walking with Miss Mason. I asked who he was. She told me her brother-in-law. When I saw Fane while calling on Mrs. Fane the other day I remembered his face again. But for the moment I forgot where I had seen him."
"Come now," cried Luther, "you couldn't forget a face like that--especially the face of a man whom you were trying to ruin."
"Bocaros put his hand to his head. My brain is not very clear at times," he faltered. "I often think I will take leave of my senses. I assure you, gentlemen, that I forgot where I had seen Mr. Fane when we came face to face the other day."
"Well, it doesn't matter," said Tracey, seeing that the man spoke truly; "go on, and tell us what you did."
"I said nothing to Mrs. Brand for a time, although I knew that her husband was married to another woman. She and her husband did not get on well together, and I did not want to make them more unhappy. Then she inherited the money, and before that Brand went presumably to Australia."
"He was here under the name of Fane," said Arnold.
"He was. I saw him at times. Well, Flora got the money. I wanted some. She talked of making a will in her husband's favour, for she still loved him. I then hinted that he was married. She nearly went out of her mind. I refused to tell her the truth until she made a will in my favour. She did. And she treated me very badly," burst out Bocaros, warm with the memory of his wrongs; "she changed the will after she got the truth out of me. When I heard of her death, I quite thought the money would come to me. Instead of that----"
"It was a case of the biter bit," said Arnold. "I think Flora did quite right. You had no right to levy blackmail."