body. In other
words, Mrs. Richford's husband was a party to that daring crime. Why
that body was fetched away we cannot inquire into, at present. What I
want to know, and what I must know, is what Mrs. Richford and her
husband quarrelled about."

Berrington winced. He had no pleasant vision of Beatrice being
cross-examined by this sharp, shrewd policeman. And yet the thing was
inevitable. Field's eyes asked a question.

"All right, Inspector," Berrington said, not without some irritation.
"I'll go and see the lady, and let her know what you have already found
out. I suppose it is fatal to try and conceal anything. This comes of a
lady marrying such a sweep as that."

Beatrice listened calmly enough to all Berrington had to say. It was
not nice to have to tell her story over again, but she decided to
conceal nothing. She had done a foolish thing, a wrong thing to save her
father, and the world was going to know the whole sordid truth. But so
long as Mark stood by her, what did the opinion of the world matter?

"Ask Inspector Field in here," she said. "No, I do not blame you, my
dear old friend. Is it not far better that everything should come out? A
dreadful crime has been committed and the guilty should be punished,
whoever they are."

Inspector Field came in, very sorry and very apologetic for the trouble
he was causing. He was quite different from the hard man who had been
cross-examining Berrington outside.

"I fancy you can give me certain information," he said. "I have some
little hesitation in saying anything personal as to the character of Mr.
Richford----"

"You need not hesitate," Beatrice said bitterly, "on my account. I am
going to speak freely, and all the more so because I see the possibility
of having to repeat it all in the witness box. I married my husband with
the sole idea of saving my father from dis----"

"Unpleasantness," Field said swiftly. "There is no occasion for anything
of _that_ kind to come out in the witness box. For family reasons you
became Mrs. Richford. There is no reason why your sacrifice should have
been altogether in vain."

"That is very good of you," Beatrice said gratefully. "Let me say that I
am not in love with the man whose name I am supposed to bear. Had
anything happened to my father before yesterday, my marriage would never
have taken place. My quarrel with my husband was that he knew my father
was dead two hours before the ceremony was fixed to take place."