Any jury would. She's a most attractive-looking
woman. You'd have found her innocent yourself if you'd been on that
jury."
"I would not."
"Yes, you would. I've seen her, remember. You haven't, so you can't
possibly tell what you'd have done."
"I don't see," said the Major, "that her being good-looking proves that
she murdered her husband."
"No, it doesn't, but it accounts for the jury letting her off. The
evidence was amply sufficient for a conviction, and the judge summed up
dead against her. And any way it doesn't matter to us about the
evidence, for she owned up to me in the train. I told her I'd keep her
secret for her, and I don't intend to tell anybody except you. Apart
from her feelings altogether it wouldn't suit us for the story to get
out in Ballymoy. Simpkins would be choked off at once if he knew it.
Men have such a ridiculous prejudice against marrying a woman with any
sort of past."
"I don't think Simpkins would mind," said the Major, "if he thought she
had any money. That's the kind of beast he is."
"She has plenty," said Meldon, "Lorimer's, I daresay. At least she
looks as if she had plenty, and that's the same thing in this case.
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