. "I want to know why you
lied to me this morning."

"I--I don't know what you mean. I didn't come here to be insulted." The
housekeeper uttered these words with a weak attempt at dignity, but her
lips went suddenly white.

"Don't put on any fine-lady airs with me, for they won't go down," said
Merrington, in a fierce, bullying tone. "You know what I mean very well.
You told me this morning, when I asked you, that you had sent in all the
servants to be examined. I have just discovered that you did not. There
was a girl, Milly Saker, whom I did not see. Why was that?"

It seemed to Captain Stanhill that the tension of the housekeeper's face
relaxed, and that a look of relief came into her eyes, as though the
question were different from the one she had expected.

"I did not tell you a lie," she replied, in a firmer tone. "I sent in
all the servants who were in the house at the time. Milly was not at
home."

"Where was she?"

"She went across to the village to see her mother, who is ill."

"With your permission, I presume?"

"Yes."

"Why did you permit her to go?"

"The girl's mother was very ill, and needed her daughter."

"You let her go, although I had told you I wanted to question all the
servants?"

"No, it was before you told me that I gave Milly permission to have the
morning off," responded Mrs. Rath quietly.

"Is that the true explanation?"

"Yes."

"Is it as true as your other statement?"

"What other statement?"

"The statement you made to me this morning when you assured me your
daughter had left this house to return to her employment at Stading?"
said Merrington, with a cruel smile. "That wasn't true, you know. How do
you describe that untruth? As a temporary aberration of memory, or
what?"

The housekeeper looked up with swift, startled eyes, and her thin hand
involuntarily clutched the edge of the table in front of her, but she
did not speak.

"You lied about that, you know," continued Merrington. "I've found out
your daughter has been in the house all day. Why did you tell me a lie?
Come, out with it!"

"You are too abrupt, Merrington," said Captain Stanhill, interposing
with unexpected firmness. "You have frightened her. Come, Mrs. Rath," he
said gently, "can you not give us some explanation as to why you misled
us this morning?"

"Because I didn't want my daughter to be drawn into this dreadful
thing," she exclaimed wildly. "I suppose it was very foolish of me," she
added,