da was clinging to my arm, but uttered no word. I felt her fingers
trembling as she gripped me.

"I suppose you believe this native--eh?" asked the accused with sarcasm.
"He tried to blackmail me in Peru, and because I refused to be bled he
made a statement that I had killed my friend."

"Ah!" exclaimed the native. "Senos knows--he see with his own eyes. He
see Luis and you with snake in a box. Luis could charm snakes by music.
Senos watch you both that night!"

"Oh! tell what infernal lies you like," cried Cane in angry disgust.

"You, the 'Red' Englishman, are well known in Peru, and so is your
friend--the woman there, who help you in all your bad schemes," said
Senos, indicating the inanimate form of Mrs. Petre. "You introduced her
to my master, but he no like her--he snub her--so you send her to Lima to
wait for you--till you kill him, and get the paper--eh? I saw you steal
paper--big blue paper with big seals--from master's despatch-box after
snake bite him."

"Paper!" echoed Edwards. "What paper?"

"Perhaps I can explain something," Fremy interrupted in French. "I learnt
some strange facts only three days ago which throw a great deal of light
on this case."

"I don't want to listen to all these romances," laughed Cane defiantly.
He was an astute and polished adventurer, one of the cleverest and most
elusive in Europe, and he had all the adventurer's nonchalance and
impudence. At this moment he was living in that fine house he had taken
furnished for the summer and passing as Mr. Charles K. Munday, banker, of
Chicago. Certainly he had so altered his personal appearance that at
first I scarcely recognised him as the elegant, refined man whom I had so
foolishly trusted as a friend.

"But now you are under arrest, mon cher ami, you will be compelled to
listen to a good many unpleasant reminders," Fremy remarked with a broad
grin of triumph upon his round, clean-shaven face.

"If you arrest me, then you must arrest that woman there, Phrida Shand,
for the murder of Marie Bracq in my flat in London. She was jealous of
her--and killed her with a knife she brought with her for the purpose,"
Cane said with a laugh. "If I must suffer--then so must she! She killed
the girl. She can't deny it!"

"Phrida!" I gasped, turning to my love, who still clung to me
convulsively. "You hear what this man says--this vile charge he brings
against you--a charge of murder! Say that it is not the truth," I
implored. "Tell me that