The Prince countered by assuring her that he had been grossly misunderstood by the Inspector, who was a dunderhead; but any mollifying effect that this might have had was at once ruined by Vicky, who accused him of wanting to get her out of the way. This made the Prince lose his temper, and he found himself in the middle of a violent quarrel with his persecutor before he had time to reflect that to call heaven to witness that she was a liar, a mischief-maker, and an unprincipled baggage was scarcely likely to assuage her mother's wrath. He clapped a hand to his brow, and cried out: 'Ah, my God, what am I saying? No, no, I do not mean it! But when you try to come between me and this dear Ermyntrude, I grow mad, I do not know what I say! For I love her, do you see? I love her!"
"A fine way to show me you love me!" said Ermyntrude. "Standing there insulting my baby! Oh, my eyes are opened at last! Don't touch me!"
"Duchinka, be calm!" implored the Prince. "It is a plot to undo me! Do not heed this foolish Vicky! She is jealous, but that I understand, and I forgive. You cannot think that I would seek to harm one who is dear to you!"
"Don't you talk to me!" said Ermyntrude. "You to try to fling my Vicky to the wolves!"
"Yes, I thought it wouldn't be long before I got cast for a part in this," said the Inspector, in a gloomy undertone.
"But I did not fling her to the wolves! It is false, quite false! Merely, when the police would have accused me, I said, to laugh to scorn the idea, "As well accuse Miss Fanshawe, or Miss Cliffe!" You see? To show the folly of it!"
Unfortunately Ermyntrude seized on only one point of this explanation, and exclaimed indignantly: "You dare to tell me you tried to drag Mary into it too? Well, never did I think to live to see the day when a Prince would behave like a cad! The idea of trying to put the blame on to two innocent girls, when for all we know, it was you who shot poor Wally all along, just because I told you I didn't hold with divorce! And if you think that I'd marry a man who comes to me with his hands red with my husband's blood, you've got a very funny idea of me in your head, because I wouldn't marry you, not if you had fifty titles! I dare say that's the way you carry on in Russia, but you needn't think you can bring your heathenish ways into this country, because you can't!"
The Prince showed signs of being about to tear his hair. "But I did not kill your husband! I defy you to say such a thing!"
"Then don't you let me hear you insinuating that my girl had anything to do with it! No, nor Mary either, for if anyone's behaved like a daughter to me I'm sure she has, and not a word will I hear against her!"
"Yet it is this quiet, good Mary who benefits by Carter's death!" said the Prince, nettled into taking another false step.