"I didn't do anything with it. I mean, I simply took a cigarette out of it, and put the case down on the table in the drawing-room, and never thought of it again until all this loathsome fuss started. Only Mathilda Clare - who's quite the ugliest woman I've ever laid eyes on - practically accused me of having had the case all the time. Of course, she was simply out to protect Stephen, Willoughby says. Because Mr. Mottisfont said, who was likely to pick up the case except Stephen himself? which is perfectly true, of course. And if you ask me, Mathilda Clare deliberately tried to throw the blame on to me because she knew Mr. Herriard didn't like me!"
"Now that's a thing I can't believe!" said the Inspector gallantly.
"No; but he didn't, all the same. In fact, that's why I came here. It was my mother's idea, actually, that I should have a chance to get to know Mr. Herriard. Personally I think he was a woman-hater."
"If he didn't like you, he must have been. Didn't he want his nephew to marry you?"
"Well, no, as a matter of fact he didn't. Only I feel sure I could have got round him, if only Stephen hadn't made everything worse by annoying him over something or other. Of course, that's just like Stephen! He would! I did try to make him be sensible, because Uncle Joe dropped a word in my ear, but it was no use."
"What sort of a word?" asked Hemingway.
"Oh, about Mr. Herriard's will! He didn't actually say everything was left to Stephen, but I sort of gathered it."
"I see. Did you tell Mr. Stephen?"
"Yes; but he only laughed, and said he didn't care."
"He seems to be a difficult kind of young man to have to do with," said Hemingway.