"That is not quite accurate," replied the young man. "I left the moat-house on the afternoon of the day that the murder was committed, and returned to London. What is it you wish to ask me? I am afraid I cannot enlighten you about the crime in any way, for I know nothing whatever about it. It came as a great shock to me when I heard of it." "Is this your revolver?" said Merrington, producing the weapon and laying it on the table. "Why, yes, it is," said the young man, picking it up and looking at it in unmistakable surprise. "Where did you get it?" "Where did you have it last?" was Merrington's cautious rejoinder. "Let me think," returned Nepcote thoughtfully. "Oh, I remember. The last time I saw it was at the moat-house on the day before my departure. We were using it for a little target practice in the gun-room downstairs." "And what did you do with it afterwards?" "That I cannot tell you," responded Nepcote. "I have no recollection of seeing it since. I have never thought about it." "Nor missed it?" "No. It is no use to me--it is not an Army revolver. But it seems to me that I must have left it in the moat-house gun-room after the target shooting. After we finished shooting some of us had a game of bagatelle on a table in the gun-room. I must have put the revolver down and forgotten all about it afterward. I have no recollection of taking it upstairs, and I have certainly never seen it since. Was it found in the gun-room?" "It was found at the moat-house, at any rate. It was the weapon with which Mrs. Heredith was killed." "What!" His exclamation rang out in horror and incredulity. "Why, it is impossible. The thing is a mere toy." "A pretty dangerous toy--as it turned out," was the grim comment of Merrington. "It seems incredible to me," persisted the young man. "It's very old, and you have to be very strong with the finger and thumb to make it revolve. And the cartridges are very small; only seven millimetres--about a quarter of an inch. I've had the old thing for years, but I never regarded it as a real fire-arm. I'd never have let the girls use it in the gun-room if I'd thought it was a dangerous weapon. Perhaps there is some mistake." "There is no mistake," replied Merrington. "Mrs. Heredith was killed with that revolver, and no other. We were unable to establish the identity of the weapon until a day or two ago, and that is one of my reasons for calling on you to-day--to make quite sure of the identity and see if you could tell me where you left it." "I have no doubt now that I must have left it behind me at the moat-house," responded Nepcote. "I was recalled to France and went away in a hurry. God forgive me for my carelessness. To think that it resulted in this terrible murder!" His face had gone suddenly white. "Did you return to France that night?" asked Merrington carelessly.