They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease. He turned like death when he saw me. "This gentleman," said Devlin, "is angry at being detained by me, and would have resorted to violence if he thought it would serve his purpose. I have waited for your return to decide what to do." "You shall pay for this," Mr. Dowsett managed to say, "you and your confederate. If there is justice in this world, I will make you smart for your unlawful proceedings." "There _is_ justice in the world," I said calmly, "as you shall find." He was silent. With a weight of guilt upon his soul, he did not know how to reply to this remark. But he managed presently to ask: "How long do you intend to detain me?" "You shall know soon," I said; and, by a gesture, I intimated to Devlin that I wished to confer with him alone. He accompanied me from the room, and we stood in the passage, keeping guard upon the door, which Devlin locked from the outside. "There are no means of escape from within," he said. "I have seen to that." In a low tone I told him what I had done, and he approved. "The question now is," I said, "what step are we next to take?" "There lies the difficulty," replied Devlin. "You see my dear sir, we have no evidence upon which to arrest him." "No evidence!" I cried. "Is there not his own confession of guilt?" Devlin shook his head. "Spiritual evidence only, my dear sir. Not admissible in any court of law in the world. Impossible to obtain his arrest in a foreign country upon such a slender thread. He might bring the same accusation against us, and we might all be thrown into gaol, and kept there for months. That is not what I bargained for. Our best plan will be to get him back to England; then you can take some practicable step." "But how to manage that?" I asked. "It can be managed, I think," said Devlin. "I have a scheme. He knows nothing of the confession he has made. Lizzie Melladew's name has not been mentioned between us. It is only his fears and my strength of will that make him tractable. Before I put my scheme into operation, go up-stairs to see if his wife and daughter are in the house. I have my suspicions that they have flown. You will find me here when you come down." I ran up-stairs to the apartments occupied by Mrs. Dowsett. Devlin's suspicions were confirmed. The two women were gone. There were evidences around of a hasty flight, the most pregnant of them being a small box which had been broken open. I judged immediately that this was the box which had contained the two thousand sovereigns; and, indeed, I found two of the sovereigns under a couch, whither they had rolled while the bulk was being taken out. The conclusion I came to was, that the women, frightened that all was discovered, as I had informed them, had broken open the box, and, packing the gold away upon their persons, had taken to flight, leaving Mr. Dowsett to his fate.