The Professor interrupted him. “I happened to be the foreman of the jury. When you mentioned the name of Copperdock the other night, I fancied that it was familiar to me. Eventually I remembered that a man of that name had been one of the jurymen. More out of curiosity than anything else, I took steps to discover the names of the remainder of the panel. They were Tovey, Colburn, Pargent, Martin, Goodwin, and five others, whom I am informed have since died.” “Good heavens!” exclaimed Hanslet. “Then you mean that this Morlandson, who was released from gaol after serving his sentence, is the murderer! Why on earth didn’t you tell me so before, Dr. Priestley? It will be simple enough to trace him. Our people at the Yard will know all about him.” “They do,” replied the Professor drily. “They have a completely authenticated record of his death, which occurred five years ago. In fact, I am now taking you to the place where it happened.” “But he can’t have died five years ago if he murdered Copperdock only last week!” exclaimed Hanslet in bewilderment. “There’s some mistake. There must have been two Morlandsons and you’ve got hold of the wrong man.” The Professor shrugged his shoulders. “Ask our landlord, when we return to the inn,” he replied. “He is a most communicative man, and will, no doubt, be delighted to tell you the story, as he told it to me. I had the same doubts as you have expressed, and it was these doubts which brought me down here. I enquired for Morlandson’s history as tactfully as I could, and I examined the scene of his death, as I shall ask you to.” “I am quite prepared to accept your statement, Professor,” said Hanslet. “How did it happen?” The Professor recounted the facts of Morlandson’s life on the Isle of Purbeck, and the circumstances under which he met his death. “All these things can of course be verified,” he said, as he came to the end of his story. “It was while I was engaged in verifying them yesterday evening that I met with an adventure which can only be described as amazing. You will remember the man described as the Black Sailor, first seen by Wal Snyder at the time of the murder of Tovey the greengrocer, and subsequently by Copperdock?” “The man Whyland was persuaded to issue a reward for?” replied Hanslet with a smile. “Yes, I remember. We seem pretty generally agreed that he was a myth.” For a moment the Professor made no reply. They had by this time reached the spot where the track from Morlandson’s cottage crossed the railway line. The Professor stopped, and turned to Hanslet impressively. “I met him last night, about three hundred yards from this spot,” he said simply. Hanslet stared at him in amazement. “You met him!” he exclaimed. “You mean you saw someone who looked like him, I suppose?”