"And why?" asked Mrs. Mountford curiously.
"Because, it seems, the two loved one another."
"Absurd," cried Maud, her small face working with anger, "why, she only saw him once."
"Quite long enough to enable her to love him, and he to love her," said Gowrie, rather pleased to witness this disgust.
"But it's impossible, Angus loved me," she insisted, and a look of wounded pride passed over her face.
"So he told me," responded Gowrie dryly, "but that was two years ago. He said that he never really loved until he met Elspeth."
"Oh, did he?" cried Miss Tedder in disgust. "Then she won't have him for long. He'll be in gaol before many hours pass."
"I hope so," said Gowrie, playing his part extremely well. "I do not want my child to become the bride of a criminal."
"Exactly what I say, Miss Tedder. When I found that my daughter had fled to Herries in Buckinghamshire----"
"I found a letter waiting for me at a London address, telling me that she was going to marry Herries."
"Why was not the letter waiting at the inn?"
It was not, for the simple reason that Gowrie was too clever to give himself away. Mrs. Narby certainly would not depose that such a letter was waiting at the inn, therefore he placed the address at a safe distance where the police could not find it.
"I have a home in London, to which my child always writes," said he evasively, "and she wrote to me there, after I had found the inn empty of my jewel."
"Oh, go on," said Maud, impatient of this high-flown language.
"I'll not tell you that until I have your promise in writing to pay me the five hundred."
"You shall have it before you leave this room. But you will only get the money if Herries, I mean my cousin, is arrested."
"I ask no more," said Gowrie rubbing his hands and chuckling. "If Inspector Trent will come with me we can interrupt the marriage ceremony, which takes place to-morrow in the village church."
"Wait till I have your handwriting," said Gowrie, smartly, "but to proceed with the epic. I went to this village, and saw Herries, and my daughter. He told me that he was innocent, and that he had procured a special license to marry my child. I objected, as I wanted him first to clear his name. He says he cannot do that----"