Maraquito herself killed the woman. I am sure of it. That
coining factory--"
"Did you know of its existence?"
"No, I didn't," snapped Mrs. Octagon. "I knew nothing of
Emilia's criminal doings. I let her bear the name of my
sister--"
"Why?" asked Mallow, quickly, and not knowing what Maraquito
had said to Caranby.
"I don't know," replied Mrs. Octagon, sullenly, "Emilia was in
some trouble with the law. Her brother and mother were
afterwards arrested for coining. She might have been arrested
also, but that I agreed to hold my tongue. Emilia pushed
Selina off the plank. Then she turned and accused me. As it
was known that I was on bad terms with Selina, I might have
been accused of the crime, and Emilia would have sworn the
rope round my neck. Emilia made me help her to change the
dress, and said that as the face of the dead was disfigured,
and she was rather like Selina--which she certainly was, she
could arrange. I did not know how she intended to blind my
father. But my father died unexpectedly. Had he not done so,
the deception could not have been kept up. As it was, I went
to the inquest, and Emilia as Selina pretended to be ill. I
saw after her and we had a strange doctor. Then we went
abroad, and she came back to shut herself up in Rose Cottage.
I tried to marry Caranby, but Emilia stopped that."
"Why did she?"
"Because she loved Caranby in her tiger way. That was why she
insisted you should marry Juliet.
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