"Wait!" cried Sophy, rising excitedly, "I know--I know! It was Lestrange who murdered Dr. Warrender!" "Yes," admitted Barkham, "he did." There was a deep silence, which was broken at length by Beauchamp. "The scoundrel!" he said hoarsely, "and I let him escape!" "What!" cried Blair, jumping up. "You let him escape, Mr. Beauchamp--and when you knew that he killed Achille Lestrange?" "It was my wish," struck in Sophy; "I thought he might repent." "Such scoundrels never repent, Miss Marlow," said Blair; "he has committed two murders, he may commit two more. But I'll hunt him down. He can't have gone far yet." "No, I don't suppose he has," said Alan. "He was here last night. By the way, how did he kill Dr. Warrender, and why?" "Barkham!" The little man obeyed the voice of the inspector, and meekly repeated his story. "Lestrange," he said, "did not believe that Mr. Beauchamp was dead. He heard Mr. Thorold say something to the Rector about the key of the vault----" "God bless me!" cried Phelps, "so you did, Alan." "Yes," said the little man, nodding, "then he stole the key. He sent for the doctor to ask him about the burial. The doctor came, but Lestrange was out." "Did Warrender recognize him?" asked Beauchamp abruptly. "No, sir, he did not--at least, not then. Well, Lestrange waited and waited to enter the vault. When he went at last he found Warrender and another man taking the body out. He followed them to the hut on the heath; he tried to look in, and he made a slight noise. Warrender came out, and in the moonlight he recognized Lestrange, who turned to run away, but the doctor caught him and they struggled. Then Lestrange, knowing that he would be arrested for the murder of Achille in Jamaica, stabbed the doctor to the heart. Terrified at what he had done, he lost his head, and hurried up to me in London. At first he refused to tell me anything, but I made him drink," said Barkham, with a leer, "and so I got the whole truth out of him." "You scoundrel!" cried Thorold. "Call me what you like," was the sullen rejoinder. "I wanted to get money out of Beauchamp myself, and wrote to warn him that I might have a claim on his gratitude. I was afraid to come here. I sent a letter to Lestrange asking him for money, and it got into this policeman's hands. He traced me, and brought me down here. That is all I know; but as Mr. Beauchamp is alive, I ought to have something. After all, it was I who warned him." "You shall have fifty pounds," said Beauchamp sternly. "But you must leave England." "I don't know that I will let him," said Blair. "He should have communicated with the police." "I'll turn Queen's evidence if you like," said Barkham. "I don't care if I am arrested or not. I have had nothing but this fifty pounds--and you call that gratitude, Mr. Beauchamp!" "Let him go, Blair, if you can consistently with your duty," said Beauchamp.