"How surprised and startled she looked, at finding us all there, apparently reading newspapers and smoking!" he went on. "That was the first time she began to suspect--something. The glance she exchanged with Paulton, brought the fire of jealousy to my brain. I believe at that moment I went mad, for I loved her. I have a furious, a most awful temper. You have never, in all these years we have known each other, my boy, discovered that--and yet I say the truth. Yes--it--it got the better of me that night. Without an instant's forethought, I sprang across the room, crazed, beside myself with jealousy. I slammed the door and locked it. Then rushing at my wife--God forgive my having done it--I seized her by the arms, and flung her to the ground, charging her with infidelity, vilifying her most horribly, hurling blasphemy upon Paulton who, pale as death, glared at me. Then--ah, shall I ever forget that moment!" he cried, in agony of mind. "Then he sprang at me. I dodged him, and he slipped and fell. Instantly recovering himself, he made a second rush. This time his half-brother, Sutton, came at me, too, with a drawn knife. In my frenzy I picked up the nearest thing handy, with which to defend myself. It was a short iron bar, used for opening boxes, the only tool we had, in our haste, overlooked when hiding the implements. With one bound, Paulton was upon me, his half-brother just behind. As I aimed a terrific blow at him with the iron rod, he ducked. The blow meant for him struck Sutton just below the ear. The man collapsed in a heap upon the floor. He never spoke again. He died without a cry!" The dying man moaned again in mental agony, and moved feverishly upon his pillow. "Don't--don't tell me any more," I urged in distress, seeing how it upset him to recall what had happened. "I must. By Heaven, I must!" he exclaimed hoarsely. "You must know everything before I die. I shall never rest unless you do. _Never_!" He breathed with increasing difficulty, then went on-- "And--and seeing what had happened, Paulton, I truly believe, went mad," said the prostrate man. "It took Whichelo, and Henderson and myself, all our strength to hold him down. Gwen was on the sofa, in hysterics. What surprised me was that nobody in the street outside was attracted by the uproar. I suppose they couldn't hear it through the double windows. I won't go into further details of that awful night. I can't bear to think of them, even now. But from that night onward, Paulton had me in his power. It was Whichelo who suggested embalming Sutton's body and hiding it in the house. He would himself perform the embalming. He had embalmed bodies in Mexico, and understood the process." He remained silent for some seconds.