Because she wanted to get the assurance money."

"She may have been misled by the resemblance of the dead man to your
father."

"And who provided that resemblance? My dear Lucian, I would not be at
all surprised to learn that there was conspiracy as well as murder in
this matter. My father left his home, and Lydia could not find him. I
quite believe that. As she cannot prove his death, she finds it
impossible to obtain the assurance money; so what does she do?"

"I cannot guess," said Lucian, anxious to hear Diana's theory.

"Why, she finds a man who resembles my father, and sets him to play the
part of the recluse in Geneva Square. She selects a man in ill health
and given to drink, that he may die the sooner; and, by being buried as
Mark Vrain, give her the money she wants. When you told me of this man
Berwin's coughing and drinking, I thought it strange, as my father had
no consumptive disease when I left him, and never, during his life, was
he given to over-indulgence in drink. Now I see the truth. This dead man
was Lydia's puppet."

"Even granting that this is so, which I doubt, Diana, why should the man
be murdered?"

"Why?" cried Diana fiercely. "Because he was not dying quickly enough
for that woman's purpose. She did not kill him herself, if her alibi is
to be credited, but she employed Ferruci to murder him."

"You forget Signor Ferruci also proved an alibi."

"A very doubtful one," said Miss Vrain scornfully. "You did not ask that
Dr. Jorce the questions you should have done. Go up to London now,
Lucian, see him at Hampstead, and find out if Ferruci was at his house
at eight o'clock on Christmas Eve. Then I shall believe him guiltless;
till then, I hold him but the creature and tool of Lydia."

"Jorce declares that Ferruci was with him at the house when the murder
was committed?"

"Can you believe that? Ferruci may have made it worth the while of this
doctor to lie. And even granting that much, the presence of Ferruci at
the Jersey Street house shows that he knew what was going to take place
on that night, and perhaps arranged with another man to do the deed.
Either way you look at it, he and Lydia are implicated."

"I tell you it is impossible, Diana," said Lucian, finding it vain to
combat this persistent belief. "All this plotting of crime is such as
is found in novels, not in real life----"

"In real life," cried Diana, taking the words out of his mouth, "more
incredible things take place t