This had been
placed there a few days before by the workman I spoke of. Several
secret springs had been placed on the inner side of the lower
horizontal piece of the window-frame, by pressing any one of which the
sash was lowered; so that no one, ignorant of the secret, could pass
out from within, without resting the hand on one of these springs, and
so bringing down the armed sash suddenly on the underlying hand.
'There was, of course, a trial. The poor culprit, in mortal terror of
death, shrieked out a confession of the murder just as the jury had
returned from their brief consultation, and before they had time to
pronounce their verdict of "guilty." But she denied shooting Lord
Pharanx, and she denied stealing the jewels; and indeed no pistol and
no jewels were found on her, or anywhere in the room. So that many
points remain mysterious. What part did the burglars play in the
tragedy? Were they in collusion with Cibras? Had the strange behaviour
of at least one of the inmates of Orven Hall no hidden significance?
The wildest guesses were made throughout the country; theories
propounded. But no theory explained _all_ the points. The ferment,
however, has now subsided. To-morrow morning Maude Cibras ends her life
on the gallows.
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