"I felt dreadfully about the murder, and I don't mind owning I had my
suspicions. I said to myself: 'I'll keep an eye on Miss Inez,' and I
did, as well as I could. She kept her room nearly all next day. Toward
night, Sir Victor was took down with the fever--wild and raving like,
and Miss Inez went with Lady Helena to sit with him and watch. I was
watching too, Sir Victor's room door. I don't know why, but I seemed
to expect something. About nine, or a little later, as I stood at one
end of the hall in the shadow, I saw the door open and Miss Inez come
out. She looked up and down to see if the coast was clear, then put
her shawl over her head, and walked very fast to the opposite end,
downstairs and out of the side door. I followed her. It was raining
and very dark, and at first I lost her among the trees. Then I heard a
whistle, and following it, the next thing I saw was a tall man smoking
a cigar, close beside her. It was too dark to see his face; I could
just make out that he was very tall. They were talking in whispers,
and what with the drip, drip of rain and the rustling of the trees, I
couldn't catch at first what they were saying."

"Indeed, Mrs. Pool," the coroner observed at this point, "that is to
be regretted. Eavesdropping seems to be your forte."

"I don't think it is any harm to listen in a good cause," Mrs. Pool
retorted, sullenly. "If you don't care to have me repeat my
eavesdropping, I won't."

"Repeat what you heard, if it bears on this case."

"The first words I heard, were from Miss Inez. She was giving him
something--money, I thought, and she said: 'Now go and never come back.