“Isn’t that rather personal?” said Mallow dryly.

“I beg your pardon.  But what I wish to say is this.  If you marry Miss Saxon and place yourself beyond Maraquito’s reach, I will be able to induce her to marry me.  Our interests are bound up together.  Now, to do this you must have Mrs. Octagon’s consent.  I can get it.”

“In what way?”

“She loves Basil, her son, more than she does herself,” went on Hale, paying no attention to the remark.  “To save him she would do much.”

“To save him from what?”

“Basil;” continued the lawyer, still not noticing the interruption, “is a young fool.  He thought himself sure of Miss Loach’s money—­and he was until a week before she died.  Then he came to Rose Cottage and insulted her—­”

“I have heard that.  She ordered him out of the house.”

“She did.  Miss Loach was a bitter, acrid old woman when the fit took her.  However, Basil insulted her so grossly that she made a new will and left all the money to Miss Saxon.  Now it happens that Basil, to supply himself with funds, when his aunt refused to aid his extravagance further, forged her name to a bill—­What’s the matter?”

“Nothing,” said Mallow, who had started from his chair, “only your intelligence is sufficiently unpleasant.”

“I can understand that,” sneered the lawyer, “since you wish to marry his sister.  You don’t want a forger for a brother-in-law.”

“Who does?” said Cuthbert, not telling that he was thinking of Basil in connection with a still darker crime.  “Go on, Mr. Hale.”

“The bill fell into my hands.  When Miss Saxon got the money she transferred the business to her own lawyer.  I had to give the bill up.”

“Ah!” said Mallow meaningly, “I see now the hold you had over Basil.”

“Yes, that was my hold.  I did not want to give up the bill.  But it had been met, and as Miss Loach is dead, there was a difficulty in proving the signature to be a forgery.  I therefore gave the bill to Miss Saxon.  She knew of her brother’s guilt—­”

“I see—­I see,” murmured Cuthbert, wondering if she had been shielding Basil as well as him.  “My poor girl!”

“She is a brave girl,” said Hale, in a voice of reluctant admiration.  “She met me and fought for her brother.  I gave way, as I did not wish to make trouble.  Why, it doesn’t matter.  However, you see how things stand.  Basil is a forger.  If his mother knew that he was in danger of being arrested she would consent to your marriage, and then I might marry Maraquito.  I have come here to tell you this.”

“But if Miss Saxon has the bill, and there is a difficulty of proving the signature, owing to Miss Loach’s death, I don’t see—­”

“Ah, not in this case.  But Basil Saxon forged my name also.  I hold a forged check.  I met it and said nothing about it.  Basil, thinking because his sister held the bill that he was out of my power, was most insolent.  But I said nothing of the check which he thought I never detected.  The more fool he.  He must have a fine opinion of my business capacity.  However, as the check is only for fifty hounds, he probably thought that it would escape my notice.  Well, you see how I can force Mrs. Octagon’s hand.  What do you say?”