“I deny it,” said the woman, as she left his side and came round to mine.  “But I now know, what I always suspected, that you are a villain.  Sir,” she continued, “this man, and his brother Dr. Rogers, prevailed upon me to give them a paper, to enable them to get out of Colonel Graeme the money he won from my husband.  I believe they have got it, and that they are keeping it from me.”

“They have not got it,” said I, “and never will.  The money is yours, and will be paid to you, if to any.”

“Thank God!” she exclaimed.  “No good could come out of the designs of this man and his brother.  They made it up to terrify the colonel”——­

A look from the man stopped her; but the broken sentence was to me a volume.  They sat and looked lightnings at each other; and I contented myself with thinking, that when a rotten tree splits, bears catch honey.

“Oh, I’m not to be frightened,” she continued, as she gathered up courage to dare the villain.  “I will tell all about the ten of diamonds which I heard made up between them.”

“You most haggard of all haggard hags!” cried the man, as his fury rose, “do you know, that while I could have got you this money, I can cut you out of it?  Was it the loss of the money, think ye, that made the wretched coward, your husband, shoot himself?  No, it was conscience.  They were a pair of villains.  I know that Gourlay had a secreted card, whereby he was to blackleg Graeme, and that it was disappointment, shame, and conscience, working all together, that made him draw the trigger to end a villanous life.  But the game is up,” he continued, as he rose and got hold of his hat; then standing erect and fearless, he held out his finger, pointing to me—­“Rymer!” he said impressively, but with devilish calmness, “let your ears tingle as you think of me; it will keep you in remembrance of a friend, who, when next he meets you, will embrace you cordially—­about the heart, you know.  Good night!”

“And well gone,” said the woman, as she heard the door slammed with a noise that shook the crazy tenement.  “Oh!  I am so happy you have come to relieve me of an engagement which I was ashamed of, and which would have yielded me nothing; for their object was to force money out of your friend, and then divide it between them.”

“How did Rogers or Ruggieri find you out?” inquired I.

“I cannot tell; the nose of a bloodhound has a finer sense than a sheep-dog’s.”

“And how did you come to know of the compact between the brothers?”

“They got unwary under wine drunk at that fir table.  The doctor was the medical attendant of Colonel Graeme, and this gave him means of working upon his conscience; and I know they have been at this work for a time.”

“But how did Ruggieri come to know about the ten of diamonds?”

“Oh, the card was found crumpled up under the table by Ruggieri himself, who, with you, was present at the play.  He has the card at this moment.  I have seen it.  But this is the first time I ever heard of Gourlay’s intention to cheat.  I will never believe that; but then I am his widow, and may be too favourable to him, while Ruggieri was his enemy, and may be too vindictive.”