You have a sister-in-law, the widow of your husband's brother.

As her testimony is of the utmost importance in the inquiry which is to be made into the cause and manner of her daughter's death, I should be very glad to have a few minutes' talk with her if, as we have every reason to believe, she is in this house at the present moment." Mrs.Edward Duclos was a strong and upright woman, but this direct address, this open attack, was too much for her.

However, before replying, she had a question of her own to put, and she proceeded to ask it firmly, quietly and apparently with every expectation of its being answered: "How did you learn that Mr.Duclos had a brother and that this brother had left a widow ?" "Not from you, madam," he smiled.

"Nor from your husband.

I very much wish we had.