trouble. I do well to call her a fatal woman."

"Humph!" said Jennings, "I would rather call Maraquito a fatal woman,
as I believe she brought about the death in some way for the double
purpose of silencing Miss Loach regarding the factory of coins and of
stopping the marriage of her rival with Cuthbert."

Curiously enough, Cuthbert was shown into the room at this moment. So
interested had Caranby and Jennings been in their conversation that
they had not heard the bell. Mallow looked in good health, but his
face wore a worried expression. Without preamble, and after greeting
his uncle, he walked up to his friend.

"Jennings," he said calmly, "I have seen Juliet, and she agrees with me
that this case should not be gone on with."

"Ah! does she, and on what grounds?"

"Because she has consented to marry me. She intends, at my request, to
make over Miss Loach's money to her mother. We have had quite enough
dabbling in crime, and we are both sick of it."

"I think you are very wise," said Caranby unexpectedly, "let the case
be, Mr. Jennings."

"What did Miss Saxon tell you?" asked the detective irrelevantly.

Mallow sat down and in a calm voice detailed all that he had learned
from Juliet. "So you see it throws no light on the subject." Had
Mallow mentioned the time at which Juliet asserted she saw him climb
over the wall a new light would certainly have been thrown. But he
purposely omitted this, and simply said that Juliet had seen him. "I
told you I was there, Jennings," he added. "Quite so," said the
detective. "Certainly, nothing new has come out."

"Well, then leave the case alone."

"I fear I shall have to, now that the Rexton house has been burnt
down," and Jennings related in his turn what had taken place.

Cuthbert listened moodily. "You see," he said, "everything is against
us. I only wanted the mystery cleared up so that Juliet might marry
me, but now that she wishes to do so, without searching further, I am
not going to do anything else."

"Nor I," said Jennings sadly, "nothing is to be learned. The case will
remain a mystery to the end of time."

Caranby rose and took Cuthbert's arm. "You young men are
faint-hearted," he said, with a shrug.

"If you want my opinion, Mrs. Octagon killed her sister. A fatal
woman, I tell you both--a fatal woman."

"And a clever one," said Jennings gloomily, "she has baffled me."

CHAPTER XIX

SUSAN'S DISCOVERY

Although Jennings appe