His voice trailed away into silence as the meaning of this discovery began to penetrate into his mind. Tom Dale was lost in the _Numidian_ disaster thirty-five years before—so he had been told, and so every one had believed. But every one must have been wrong. If this were Tom, he must have escaped from the wreck. He must have escaped and he must have concealed his escape. Why? Why should he conceal it? Why, to get rid of his wife, of course. It was a case of desertion. He had had all her money; he hated her. Of course that was it. He would take the opportunity to change his name and make a bid for freedom. But his wife—And then Tanner gasped in his turn as he saw the further consequences involved. His wife had married Sir William Ponson, thinking her first husband was dead. But now it was clear that had been no marriage at all. Lady Ponson was Lady Ponson no longer, but Mrs Tom Dale—the wife of the drunken ex-clerk and suspected blackmailer! Sir William was not married. Austin and Enid were illegitimate! No wonder Sir William submitted to blackmail rather than allow such a scandal to become public. As innocent in the matter as the babes unborn, Sir William and the woman he had considered his wife, as well as his son and daughter, would have had to pay as dear as if the whole affair had been deliberate. Tanner glanced at Mr Clayton. His excitement had subsided, and a look of fierce indignation against Dale was showing on his face. Tanner spoke. ‘I suppose there can be no mistake?’ ‘Mistake?’ the other burst out. ‘Man alive, look at him. By heaven I wish there was a mistake!’ ‘We had better bring him up to Gateshead, and see if anyone else will confirm your identification.’ There was an interruption from the prisoner. ‘You needn’t trouble,’ he said sadly. ‘I admit it. I am Tom Dale.’ ‘You escaped from the _Numidian_?’ ‘I escaped. I was picked up by a fishing smack and taken into Gloucester. I was on board four days before we got in, and I had plenty of time to make my plans. I don’t pretend I wasn’t wrong, but I wasn’t so bad as you think. I dare say you won’t believe me, but I did it for Ethel’s sake. She was tied to me, and I knew I was a bad egg and had all but ruined her. And what’s more, I knew I would ruin her outright if I went back to her. So I deserted her. But all I rid her of was trouble. I thought I would give her another chance with her life, and I did. I swore she would never know. And if I did go wrong, she at least has had her life happy since because of it.’ The man spoke simply, and with a certain dignity which impressed his hearers. ‘How did you conceal your identity?’ Tanner asked. ‘Very easily. I had made friends on the voyage with another passenger. He had told me he was alone in the world. I saw him drown. I took his name.’ ‘And then you came here and blackmailed the man you had injured?’ Dale nodded his head slowly.