n. Silver, of course, clamored for his blackmail, but
Miss Greeby promised to recompense him, and also threatened if he did
not hold his tongue that she would accuse him and Garvington of the
murder. Since the latter had forged the letter and the former had
borrowed the revolver which had killed Pine, it would have been
tolerably easy for Miss Greeby to substantiate her accusation. As to her
share in the crime, all she had to do was to deny that Silver had passed
the borrowed revolver on to her, and there was no way in which he could
prove that he had done so. On the whole, Silver had judged it best to
fall in with Miss Greeby's plans, and preserve silence, especially as
she was rich and could supply him with whatever money he chose to ask
for. She was in his power, and he was in her power, so it was necessary
to act on the golden rule of give and take.

And the final statement which Silver made to Lambert intimated that
Garvington was ignorant of the truth. Until the bullet was produced in
the library to fit the revolver it had never struck Garvington that the
other weapon had been used to kill Pine. And he had honestly believed
that Silver--as was actually the case--had remained in his bedroom all
the time, until he came downstairs to play his part. As to Miss Greeby
being concerned in the matter, such an idea had never entered
Garvington's head. The little man's hesitation in producing the
revolver, when he got an inkling of the truth, was due to his dread that
if Silver was accused of the murder--and at the time it seemed as though
the secretary was guilty--he might turn king's evidence to save his
neck, and explain the very shady plot in which Garvington had been
engaged. But Lambert had forced his cousin's hand, and Silver had been
brought to book, with the result that the young man now sat in his room
at the inn, quite convinced that Miss Greeby was guilty, yet wondering
what motive had led her to act in such a murderous way.

Also, Lambert wondered what was best to be done, in order to save the
family name. If he went to the police and had Miss Greeby arrested, the
truth of Garvington's shady dealings would certainly come to light,
especially as Silver was an accessory after the fact. On the other hand,
if he left things as they were, there was always a chance that hints
might be thrown out by Chaldea--who had everything to gain and nothing
to lose--that he and Agnes were responsible for the death of Pine. Of
c