Part 38 (2/2)
Is it a woman?”
”It is.”
”What is the first letter of her name? Is it one of the first three letters of the alphabet?”
”Yes.”
”B?”
”Yes.”
”Beauly?”
”Beauly.”
He threw his hands up above his head, and burst into a frantic fit of laughter.
”I have lived long enough!” he broke out, wildly. ”At last I have discovered one other person in the world who sees it as plainly as I do. Cruel Mrs. Valeria! why did you torture me? Why didn't you own it before?”
”What!” I exclaimed, catching the infection of his excitement. ”Are _your_ ideas _my_ ideas? Is it possible that _you_ suspect Mrs. Beauly too?”
He made this remarkable reply:
”Suspect?” he repeated, contemptuously. ”There isn't the shadow of a doubt about it. Mrs. Beauly poisoned her.”
CHAPTER x.x.x. THE INDICTMENT OF MRS. BEAULY.
I STARTED to my feet, and looked at Miserrimus Dexter. I was too much agitated to be able to speak to him.
My utmost expectations had not prepared me for the tone of absolute conviction in which he had spoken. At the best, I had antic.i.p.ated that he might, by the barest chance, agree with me in suspecting Mrs. Beauly.
And now his own lips had said it, without hesitation or reserve! ”There isn't the shadow of a doubt: Mrs. Beauly poisoned her.”
”Sit down,” he said, quietly. ”There's nothing to be afraid of. n.o.body can hear us in this room.”
I sat down again, and recovered myself a little.
”Have you never told any one else what you have just told me?” was the first question that I put to him.
”Never. No one else suspected her.”
”Not even the lawyers?”
”Not even the lawyers. There is no legal evidence against Mrs. Beauly.
There is nothing but moral certainty.”
”Surely you might have found the evidence if you had tried?”
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