“Hold him, miss, hold him quick!” cried Aleck Mclntosh. “Git back there, Sophy, what’s the matter with ye? D’ye want to be torn to pieces? What’s that ye was goin’ to say?”
“She––she never shot him by accident! She––she did it on purpose, for revenge, that’s what she did, the she-devil!”
She was still standing before Madge and her voice was shaking with excitement, while her arms and hands trembled with her passion.
“What’s all that?” cried Pat Kilrea. “Ye wasn’t here to see, was ye? How d’ye know she done it a-purpose, for revenge? Ye must have some reason for sayin’ such things. Out with ’em!”
But now Sophy was shrinking back, afraid of her own outburst, fearing that she might have revealed something. Her voice shook again as she replied.
“I––I ain’t got any reason,” she stammered. “I––I was just thinking so. It––it came to me all of a sudden. Maybe I’m mistaken.”
“Mistaken, was it?” asked Pat Kilrea. “Folks ain’t got any right to be mistaken when it comes to accusin’ others of murder. If you hadn’t had some reason to speak that way ye’d have kept yer mouth shut, I’m 230 thinking. Why don’t ye come right out with it?”
“I––I didn’t really mean anything by it,” stammered Sophy again.
“What revenge was that you was referring to?” he persisted.