lf."

"I don't want any woman in the place," retorted Kemp. "There is no peace
for a man when a woman is about. But let us have no more of this idle
chatter. What's brought you over here? I suppose it's about Fred."

"Poor Fred!" The girl looked downcast for a moment, then she tossed her
head, puffed out some smoke, and exclaimed energetically, "But he's not
guilty, Kincher, and we'll get him off, won't we?"

"Not merely by saying so," replied Kemp. "But you'd better tell me how it
came about that he was arrested for the murder. The police gave away
nothing at the police court. Bill Dobbs was down there and he told me
they let out nothing, except that their principal witness against Fred is
that fellow Hill. I always knew he'd squeak. I told Fred to have nothing
to do with the job."

The girl's eyes flashed viciously. She tossed the cigarette into the
fire-place and straightened herself.

"That's the low, dirty scoundrel who committed the murder," she
exclaimed. "He ought to be in the dock--not Fred."

"Was Fred up there that night?" asked Kemp.

"Up where?"

"At Riversbrook, or whatever they call it."

"Yes."

"He told me he didn't go."

"It's because he was up there that the police have arrested him," said
the girl. "Hill gave him away. Oh, he's a double-dyed villain, is Hill.
And so quiet and respectable looking with it all! He used to let me in
when I went to Riversbrook, and let me out again, and pocket the
half-crowns I gave him. And I like a fool never suspected him once, or
thought that he knew anything about Fred coming to the flat. He didn't
let it out till the night Sir Horace quarrelled with me. Sir Horace found
out about--about Fred--and when I went up to see him as usual, he told me
that he had finished with me and he called Hill up to show me out. 'Show
this young lady out,' he said in that cold haughty voice of his, and the
wily old villain Hill just bowed and held the door open. He followed me
down stairs and let me out at the side door. There he said, 'I'll escort
you to the front gate, if you will permit me, miss. I usually lock the
gate about this time.' I thought nothing of this because he had come with
me to the front gate before. He followed me down the garden path through
the plantation till we reached the front gate. He opened the gate for me
and I said 'Good night, Hill,' but instead of his replying 'Good night,
Miss Fanning,' as he usually did, he hissed out like a serpent, 'You t