'Don't be silly, mother,' her husband replied irritably.
'There's one on the wall immediately behind you.'
He pointed to the Malay sword on which for some reason his eyes had been unconsciously resting.
Mrs Skinner drew quickly into the corner of the sofa, with a little frightened gesture, as though she had been told that a snake lay curled up beside her.
'Suddenly the blood spurted out from Harold's throat.
There was a great red gash right across it.'
'Millicent,' cried Kathleen, springing up and almost leaping towards her, 'what in God's name do you mean?'
Mrs Skinner stood staring at her with wide startled eyes, her mouth open.
'The parang wasn't on the wall any more.
It was on the bed.
Then Harold opened his eyes.
They were just like Joan's.'
'I don't understand,' said Mr Skinner.
'How could he have committed suicide if he was in the state you describe?'
Kathleen took her sister's arm and shook her angrily.
'Millicent, for God's sake explain.'
Millicent released herself.
'The parang was on the wall, I told you.
I don't know what happened.
There was all the blood, and Harold opened his eyes.
He died almost at once.
He never spoke, but he gave a sort of gasp.'
At last Mr Skinner found his voice.
'But, you wretched woman, it was murder.'
Millicent, her face mottled with red, gave him such a look of scornful hatred that he shrank back.
Mrs Skinner cried out.
'Millicent, you didn't do it, did you?'
Then Millicent did something that made them all feel as though their blood were turned to ice in their veins.
She chuckled.
'I don't know who else did,' she said.
'My God,' muttered Mr Skinner.
Kathleen had been standing bolt upright with her hands to her heart, as though its beating were intolerable.
'And what happened then?' she said.
'I screamed.
I went to the window and flung it open.
I called for the ayah.
She came across the compound with Joan.
"Not Joan," I cried.
"Don't let her come."
She called the cook and told him to take the child.
I cried to her to hurry.
And when she came I showed her Harold. "The Tuan's killed himself!" I cried.
She gave a scream and ran out of the house.
'No one would come near.
They were all frightened out of their wits.
I wrote a letter to Mr Francis, telling him what had happened and asking him to come at once.'
'How do you mean you told him what had happened?'
'I said, on my return from the mouth of the river, I'd found Harold with his throat cut.
You know, in the tropics you have to bury people quickly.
I got a Chinese coffin, and the soldiers dug a grave behind the Fort.