to fully understand that
I'm giving you the exact truth. I firmly believed at that moment, and I
continued to believe until the eventful conference at Mr. Halfpenny's
office, that the gentleman whom I had known as Mr. Tertius was in
reality Arthur John Wynne, forger and ex-convict. I say I firmly
believed it, and I'll tell you why. During my secretaryship to Jacob
Herapath, he one day asked me to clear out a box full of old papers and
documents. In doing so I came across an old North-country newspaper
which contained a full account of the trial at Lancaster Assizes of
Arthur John Wynne on various charges of forgery. Jacob Herapath's name,
of course, cropped up in it, as a relative. The similarity of the names
of Jacob Herapath's ward, Miss Wynne, and that of the forger, roused my
suspicions, and I not only put two and two together, but I made some
inquiries privately, and I formed the definite conclusion that Tertius
and Wynne were identical, and that the semi-mystery of Tertius's
residence in Jacob Herapath's house was then fully accounted for. So
when Barthorpe told me what he did, and explained his anxiety about the
will, I saw my way to upsetting that will, for his benefit and for my
own. If I swore that I'd never signed that will, and could prove that
Tertius was Wynne, the forger, why then, of course, the will would be
upset, for it seemed to me that any jury would believe that Tertius, or
Wynne, had forged the will for his daughter's benefit. And so Barthorpe
and I fixed that up. Reprehensible, no doubt, gentlemen, but we all have
to live, and besides, Barthorpe promised me that he'd treat Miss Wynne
most handsomely. Well, that procedure was settled--with the result that
we're all aware of. And now I'd like to ask Mr. Davidge there a
question--as I'm about to tell him who the real murderer of Jacob
Herapath was, perhaps he'll answer it. I take it, Davidge, that the only
evidence you had against me in regard to the murder was the document
which you found at my flat, by which Barthorpe Herapath promised to pay
me ten per cent. on the value of the Herapath estate? That and the fact
that Barthorpe and I were in league about the will? Come now--as all's
being cleared up, isn't that so?"

Davidge rubbed his chin with affected indifference.

"Oh, well, you can put it down at something like that, if you like, Mr.
Burchill," he answered. "You're a very clever young fellow, and I dare
say you're as well aware of what the