saluting Jannan and Jasper
Penny, he, seated himself directly before Essie Scofield, fastening upon
her an unwavering, glacial gaze.

"Now, pay attention," he proceeded at once.

"I'll go over a few facts--this Daniel Culser, you were in love with
him; no length you wouldn't go, lost your senses completely; and he--all
he cared about was the money he could wring out of you. As soon as you
were paid the sums that Mr. Penny allowed you, this Culser got it from
you; he took every cent and wanted more. Said he would leave you unless
you got hold of something really worth while. Then, of course, you
carried on, promised to get him more and more; said you could force a
fortune from Mr. Penny, anything to keep the young man. Hey?" he
demanded suddenly.

The woman looked up with a haggard wonder, an irrepressible shudder; her
hands raised and fell, and she nodded dumbly.

"Then, while Culser was in the house, Mr. Penny unexpectedly turned up
and said--perhaps before Daniel himself--that you could expect nothing
more, and made it plain that he was not to be intimidated. Daniel Culser
was for leaving you, didn't intend to hang around for a bloody little
quarterly; and, when you realized that he meant, or you thought he
meant, what he said, you went crazy and shot him.... What!" He got no
response from her now; she cowered away from him, hiding behind an
updrawn shoulder, a fold of the shawl. "But listen to this," Al Schimpf
shot at her, leaning forward, "here's what happened, and you must
remember every fact:

"The fellow had been around the house day after day. You had encouraged
him at first; but then you got frightened; he beat you--hear
that?--struck you with his fist, and threatened worse if you didn't go
through old Penny's pocket for him. He even hinted at something you
might do together, and then get away with a mint. Culser was at it when
Mr. Penny called, and took it up when he left, at about six o'clock. He
said he wanted money bad, debts were hounding him; and he was going to
get it out of Penny, out of you. There's where you said you would warn
Jasper Penny; and remember how he struck you, in the back, because you
turned, and it hurts yet--there up by the left shoulder, the left
shoulder, the left! Then, he had been drinking in your house and at a
tavern, he threatened to kill you if you didn't do what he wanted. You
honestly thought he'd do it, and snatched a pistol out of a table
drawer, and.... Do you under