“Then you took the living body and heaved it out of the carriage-window, over the viaduct. That was just as the train started, or when it had already started; it was a moment later that you saw you had left the dead man’s hat in the rack, and threw that over too. One thing you allowed to fall over without meaning to—the stick with which you inflicted the first wound; it slipped, I suppose, from your hand: certainly it was found just on the edge of the viaduct, a few feet down the embankment. When you reached Binver you came straight back to us, and were careful to tell us that you had come back by the three o’clock train. “You have had some bad moments since then—when I sliced my drive into the osiers, and found the body, and you had to look at your victim; when your superstitious fears made you think that a photograph had come to life; when you saw on my shelves, and stole from them, the very copy of Momerie’s _Immortality_ which you had given to Brotherhood: when, finally, you came into my room last night, and saw in front of you the stick with which the crime was committed. But what should have caused you more horror is the fact than an Innocent man, Davenant, is awaiting trial on the charge of murder, and you have taken no steps, so far, to exculpate him. That I cannot understand, but I hope you meant to do so; certainly you will have to do so. “I want you to write out a full confession of these facts, and to bring it to my room to sign it; I will witness it, and Gordon, to whom the facts themselves are already known. After that, you are free to go where you will. Respect for your cloth and for our friendship makes this the only possible course for us. Your confession will not be made public unless that is the only way of saving Davenant from execution or a life sentence. Of course, we are taking a considerable risk ourselves——” The door of the steward’s office swung open, and Carmichael came in, saying as he turned the corner, “Hullo, Reeves, have you heard that Davenant has confessed? Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you were telephoning.” Chapter XXIII Marryatt breaks the Pledge Mordaunt Reeves looked up in a dazed way, still holding the tube. “What was that you said?” “I said, Davenant’s confessed. It’s an extraordinary thing, you know, the way we use ambiguous expressions, and expect the other man to interpret them in the right sense. Davenant, now, is a Catholic, and therefore it’s absurd for me to say ‘Davenant’s confessed’ as if I were to rush into the room and say ‘Davenant’s shaved.’ But when I say ‘Davenant’s confessed,’ I mean, and expect you to understand me as meaning, Davenant has confessed _to the police that he murdered Brotherhood_.” “Marryatt, Marryatt!” Reeves held his ear to the tube, but no answer came. “Excuse me one moment, Carmichael; I must just go up and see Marryatt.” “Ambiguity again; do you mean upstairs, or up to London?” “Upstairs, of course, why——”