shed to spare you anxiety, but you must
understand that your safety depends upon your remaining in this house,
and in keeping apart from all association with--your husband."

"You will find it difficult," she said, "to convince me of that."

"On the contrary," he said, "I shall find it easy--too easy, believe me.
You will remember my finding you at the wine-shop of Emil Sachs?"

"Yes!"

"You refused to tell me the object of your visit. It was foolish, for
of course I was informed. You procured from Emil a small quantity of the
powder prepared according to the recipe of Herr Estentrauzen, and for
which we paid him ten thousand marks. It is the most silent, the most
secret, the most swift poison yet discovered."

"I got it for myself," she said coldly. "There have been times when I
have felt that the possession of something of that sort was an absolute
necessity."

"I do not question you as to the reason for your getting it," he
answered. "Very shortly afterwards you left your carriage in Pall Mall,
and without even asking for your husband you called at his hotel--you
stole up into his room."

"I took some roses there and left them," she said "What of that?"

"Only that you were the last person seen to enter Mr. Sabin's rooms
before Duson was found there dead. And Duson died from a dose of that
same poison, a packet of which you procured secretly from Emil Sachs. An
empty wineglass was by his side--it was one generally used by Mr. Sabin.
I know that the English police, who are not so foolish as people would
have one believe, are searching now for the woman who was seen to enter
the sitting-room shortly before Mr. Sabin returned and found Duson there
dead."

She laughed scornfully.

"It is ingenious," she admitted, "and perhaps a little unfortunate for
me. But the inference is ridiculous. What interest had I in the man's
death?"

"None, of course!" the Prince said. "But, Lucille, in all cases of
poisoning it is the wife of whom one first thinks!"

"The wife? I did not even know that the creature had a wife."

"Of course not! But Duson drank from Mr. Sabin's glass, and you are
Mr. Sabin's wife. You are living apart from him. He is old and you are
young. And for the other man--there is Reginald Brott. Your names have
been coupled together, of course. See what an excellent case stands
there. You procure the poison--secretly. You make your way to your
husband's room--secretly. The fatal dose is taken from your