law about accessories is as I am.
'Tisn't necessary for a party to a murder to be actually present at the
execution of the crime, sir--no! And there's such a thing as being
accessory after the crime--of course. Leave it at that, Mr. Burchill,
leave it at that!"

Cox-Raythwaite, who had been eyeing Burchill with ill-concealed disgust,
spoke sharply.

"And--the rest?" he asked.

"I'm going along in order," answered Burchill coolly. "Well, I come to
the time when Davidge there arrested Barthorpe and myself at Halfpenny
and Farthing's, and when I escaped. There's no need to tell you what I
did with myself," he went on, with an obvious sneer in the detective's
direction. "But I can tell you that I didn't particularly restrict my
movements. And eventually--a few days ago--I come into touch with
Dimambro, who had returned to England. As I said before, we had met
during the time I was secretary to Jacob Herapath. Dimambro, when I met
him--accidentally--was on his way to the police, to tell them what he
knew. I stopped him--he told his story to me instead. I told him mine.
And the result of our deliberations was that we got an interview--at
least I did--with Mrs. Engledew here, with respect to the diamonds which
she had entrusted to Jacob Herapath. And----"

"I should like to ask you a question, Mrs. Engledew," said Cox-Raythwaite,
interrupting Burchill without ceremony. "Why did you not inform the police
about your diamonds as soon as you heard of the murder?"

Mrs. Engledew betrayed slight signs of confusion, and Davidge gave the
questioner a look.

"I think if I were you, I shouldn't go into that matter just now,
Professor," he said apologetically. "Ladies, you know, have their reasons
for these little--what shall we call 'em?--peculiarities. No, I wouldn't
press that point, sir. We're having a nice, straight story--quite like
a printed one!--from Mr. Burchill there, and I think we'd better let
him come to what we may term the last chapter in his own way--what?"

"I'm at the last chapter," said Burchill. "And it's a short one. I saw Mrs.
Engledew and made certain arrangements with her. And just after they were
made--yesterday in fact--Dimambro and I got a new piece of evidence. When
Dimambro was collecting those pearls for Jacob Herapath he bought some
from a well-known dealer in Amsterdam, a specialist in pearls. Yesterday,
Dimambro got a letter from this man telling him that a small parcel of
those very pearls had b