“I can’t understand that myself.  But I decline to mix myself up in the matter.  You will have to learn the reason yourself.”

“I intend to,” said Mallow rising, “and the reason I am certain is connected with the violent death of her sister!” A speech to which Caranby replied by shaking his head.  He did not agree with the idea.

“And you see, in spite of Mrs. Octagon’s hint, I had no reason to kill Selina,” said Caranby gravely.  “I cannot understand why Isabella should accuse me—­”

CHAPTER VI

A PERPLEXING CASE

The morning after his visit to Lord Caranby, Mallow was unexpectedly called to Devonshire on account of his mother’s illness.  Mrs. Mallow was a fretful hypochondriac, who always imagined herself worse than she really was.  Cuthbert had often been summoned to her dying bed, only to find that she was alive and well.  He expected that this summons would be another false alarm, but being a dutiful son, he tore himself away from town and took the mid-day express to Exeter.  As he expected, Mrs. Mallow was by no means so bad as she hinted in her wire, and Cuthbert was vexed that she should have called him down, but she insisted that he should remain, and, unwilling to cause her pain, he did so.  It was four days before he returned to London.  But his visit to Exeter was not without results, for he asked his mother about Caranby’s romance.  Mrs. Mallow knew all about it, and highly disapproved of her brother-in-law.

“He’s crazy,” she said vigorously, when the subject was brought up one evening.  “All his life he has been queer.  Your father should have had the title, Cuthbert!”

“Well, I shall have it some day,” said her son soothingly.  “Caranby is not likely to marry.”

“Yes, but I’ll never be Lady Caranby,” lamented Mrs. Mallow, who was intensely selfish and egotistical.  “And I should have adorned the title.  Such an old one as it is, too.  But I’m glad that horrid Selina Loach never became his wife.  Even that Saul girl would have been better.”

“Don’t speak evil of the dead, mother.”

“I don’t see why we should praise the bad dead,” snapped Mrs. Mallow.  “I never liked either Isabella nor Selina.  They were both horrid girls and constantly quarrelling.  They hardly ever spoke to one another, and how you can contemplate marrying the daughter of Isabella, I really don’t know.  Such a slight to me.  But there, I’ve said all I had to say on the subject.”

To do her justice, Mrs. Mallow certainly had, and never ceased nagging at Cuthbert to break the engagement.  Had she known that Mrs. Octagon had forbidden the marriage she would have rejoiced, but to save making awkward explanations to a woman who would not hold her tongue, Cuthbert said nothing about the breach.

“Did you like Miss Saul, mother?” he asked.