I didn't take the stiletto, nor did I know who had; but I was afraid you might think Ferruci took it.

The stiletto was Italian, and the Count is Italian, so it struck me you might put two and two together and suspect Ercole.

I never thought you'd fix on me," concluded Lydia, with a scornful toss of her head.
"As a matter of fact, I fixed on you both," said Lucian composedly.
"And for what reason?
Why should I and the Count murder poor Mark, if you please?
He was a fool and a bore, but I wished him no harm.

I was sorry as any one when I heard of his death, and I offered a good reward for the catching of the mean skunk that killed him.

If I had done so myself I wouldn't have been such a fool as to sharpen the scent of the hounds on my own trail." "You were in town on Christmas Eve ?" said Denzil, not choosing to explain the motives he believed the pair had for committing the crime.
"I was.