We
became alarmed, as we knew people had been round the house of
late--"
"Mr. Mallow--"
"Yes, the fool. We knew he had come prowling after ghosts.
But he found nothing. Well, I--" here Hale's voice died
away. The doctor gave him some more brandy and looked
significantly at Jennings.
"Get him to tell all at once," he whispered, "he's going."
"Yes, I'm going," murmured Hale. "I don't mind, though I am
sorry to leave Maraquito. Well," he added, in a stronger
voice. "I went out to see what was up. We found Emilia lying
dead near the tree. She had been stabbed to the heart. A
bowie knife was near. In great alarm I got Maraquito to come
out, as the body could not be left there. We dropped it down
the tree-trunk and got it into the factory. Then we wondered
what was to be done. Maraquito suggested we should take it
back to the sitting-room, and then, people being ignorant of
the passage, no one would know how Emilia had met with her
death. I thought there was nothing else to be done. We
carried the body through the passage and placed it in the
chair. I arranged the cards on the lap, knowing the servant
had seen Emilia in that position, and that it would still
further throw prying people"--here Hale glanced at Jennings--
"off the scent. Hardly had we arranged this and closed the
floor, over us when we heard that someone was in the room. It
was a woman, and we heard her speaking to the corpse, ignorant
that the woman was dead.
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