did he return to Kingsland Court?"

"At half past eleven, as nearly as I can judge. I did not see him for
some ten or fifteen minutes after; then Claudine, my lady's maid, came
and aroused me--said Sir Everard was in my lady's dressing-room and
wished to see me at once."

"You went?"

"I went immediately. I found Sir Everard in a state of passionate fury
no words can describe. By some means he had learned of the
assignation; through an anonymous note left upon his dressing-table, he
said."

"Did you see this note?"

"I did not. He had none in his hand, nor have I seen any since."

"What did the prisoner say to you?"

"He asked me where was his wife--he insisted that I knew. He demanded
an answer in such a way I dared not disobey."

"You told him?"

"I did. 'Is she with him?' he said, grasping my arm, and I answered,
'Yes.'"

"And then?"

"He asked me, 'Where?' and I told him; and he flung me from him, like a
madman, and rushed out of the house, swearing, in an awful voice, 'I'll
have their hearts' blood!'"

"Was it the first time you ever heard him threaten his wife's life?"

"No; the second. Once before I heard him say to her, at the close of a
dreadful quarrel, 'If ever you meet that man again, I'll murder you, by
the living Lord!'"

"What was the cause of the quarrel?"

"She had met Mr. Parmalee, by night and by stealth, in Sir Everard's
absence, in the Beech Walk."

"And he discovered it?"

"He did. Edwards, his valet, had gone out with me to look for some
article I had lost, and by chance we came upon them. We saw her give
him money; we saw her dreadfully frightened; and when Edwards met his
master again his face betrayed him--we had to tell him all."

"Did any one hear the prisoner use those words, 'I'll have their
hearts' blood!' on the night of the murder, but yourself?"

"Yes; Edwards, his valet, and Claudine, the lady's maid. We crouched
together in the hall, frightened almost to death."

"When did the prisoner reappear?"

"In little over half an hour. He rushed in in the same wild way he had
rushed out--like a man gone mad."

"What did he say?"

"He shouted, 'It is false--a false, devilish slander! She is not
there!'"

"Well--and then?"

"And then Claudine shrieked aloud and pointed to his hands. They were
dripping with blood!"

"Did he attempt any explanation?"

"Not then. His first words were, as if he spoke in spite of himself:
'Blood! blood! Good God,