“Marchese, how can anybody have any doubt on the matter.  Alas, that I should have to say so, it is too self-evident.  You persuade this poor creature to go out alone with you into the Pineta at an extraordinary hour of the morning, knowing then,—­or according to your own showing, becoming aware soon after you started—­that it was your uncle’s intention by a marriage with this woman to destroy utterly every prospect you have in the world.  What other human being can have had any ill-will against this woman, or any interest in destroying her?  Your interest in doing so is of the very strongest possible kind.  It was no case of robbery.  The girl was put to death by some one, who had an interest in doing so.  She is last seen alive with you; I find you with a singularly scared and troubled manner pretending to make inquiry respecting her, your real object evidently being to ascertain whether the fact of the murder were yet known, and to give rise to the impression that you knew nothing of the poor woman’s fate.  Then, when confronted with the corpse you are seen to be absolutely overcome by your emotion.  Now, as I have simply stated the facts, do you imagine that a moment’s doubt will be felt as to who has done this deed?”

Ludovico felt the cold sweat break out on his forehead, as he listened to the lawyer’s words.  The logic of the facts did most unquestionably seem to make out a fatally strong case against him.  And it was difficult to judge—­very difficult even for the shrewd and practised lawyer to judge—­whether the consciousness of crime, or the horror of seeing by how terribly strong evidence the suspicion of crime was brought home to him, were the cause of the emotion he manifested.

Signor Fortini, again, with rapid and practised acuteness, ran over all the circumstances in his mind; and his conclusion, unavoidable, as he felt it, was that the Marchese must have done the deed.  That the criminal authorities would come to the same conclusion he could not feel the smallest doubt.

“Good God!  Signor Fortini, this is very dreadful! it is as new to my mind—­it comes upon me now for the first time, as much as if I had not known the fact of her death.  But I see it—­I see it all; as you put the matter now before me.  What am I to do?—­gracious heaven, what am I to do?”

“I have already told you, what you have to do; the only thing that you can do.  You have time enough to make it quite safe, that you may be across the frontier before any pursuit can overtake you.  As for pursuing you across the frontier, that can only be done diplomatically, and of course by means which would leave you ample time to quit Tuscany.”

“Signor Fortini, I am innocent of this crime.  It is a crime which sickens me with horror to think of.  What passed in the Pineta passed exactly as I told you.  I left that unhappy girl sleeping, intending to be absent from her but a few minutes.  And as there is a God in heaven I never again saw her till I saw her dead at the gate,” said Ludovico, speaking with intense earnestness.