sturbed her once more over her endless writing; and I
insisted on her speaking out plainly.'

'Then you told her what you found when you opened the hiding-place?'

'Of course I did!' Henry replied. 'I said that I held her responsible
for the discovery, though I had not mentioned her connection with it to
the authorities as yet. She went on with her writing as if I had
spoken in an unknown tongue! I was equally obstinate, on my side. I
told her plainly that the head had been placed under the care of the
police, and that the manager and I had signed our declarations and
given our evidence. She paid not the slightest heed to me. By way of
tempting her to speak, I added that the whole investigation was to be
kept a secret, and that she might depend on my discretion. For the
moment I thought I had succeeded. She looked up from her writing with
a passing flash of curiosity, and said, "What are they going to do with
it?"--meaning, I suppose, the head. I answered that it was to be
privately buried, after photographs of it had first been taken. I even
went the length of communicating the opinion of the surgeon consulted,
that some chemical means of arresting decomposition had been used and
had only partially succeeded--and I asked her point-blank if the
surgeon was right? The trap was not a bad one--but it completely
failed. She said in the coolest manner, "Now you are here, I should
like to consult you about my play; I am at a loss for some new
incidents." Mind! there was nothing satirical in this. She was really
eager to read her wonderful work to me--evidently supposing that I took
a special interest in such things, because my brother is the manager of
a theatre! I left her, making the first excuse that occurred to me.
So far as I am concerned, I can do nothing with her. But it is
possible that your influence may succeed with her again, as it has
succeeded already. Will you make the attempt, to satisfy your own
mind? She is still upstairs; and I am quite ready to accompany you.'

Agnes shuddered at the bare suggestion of another interview with the
Countess.

'I can't! I daren't!' she exclaimed. 'After what has happened in that
horrible room, she is more repellent to me than ever. Don't ask me to
do it, Henry! Feel my hand--you have turned me as cold as death only
with talking of it!'

She was not exaggerating the terror that possessed her. Henry hastened
to change the subject.

'Let us talk of something more interestin