"Mr. Buchanan prosecuted for the Treasury, and certainly his indictment
was terrific. According to him but one decision could be arrived at,
namely, that the accused in the dock had, in a moment of passion, and
perhaps of fear, killed the blackmailer who threatened him with
disclosures which might for ever have ruined him socially, and, having
committed the deed and fearing its consequences, probably realizing that
the patrolling constables might catch sight of his retreating figure,
he had availed himself of George Higgins's presence on the spot to
loudly accuse him of the murder.

"Having concluded his able speech, Mr. Buchanan called his witnesses,
and the evidence, which on second hearing seemed more damning than ever,
was all gone through again.

"Sir Marmaduke had no question to ask of the witnesses for the
prosecution; he stared at them placidly through his gold-rimmed
spectacles. Then he was ready to call his own for the defence. Colonel
McIntosh, R.A., was the first. He was present at the bachelors' party
given by Lord Arthur the night of the murder. His evidence tended at
first to corroborate that of Chipps the footman with regard to Lord
Arthur's orders to show the visitor into the library, and his
counter-order as soon as his wife came into the room.

"'Did you not think it strange, Colonel?' asked Mr. Buchanan, 'that Lord
Arthur should so suddenly have changed his mind about seeing his
visitor?'

"'Well, not exactly strange,' said the Colonel, a fine, manly, soldierly
figure who looked curiously out of his element in the witness-box. 'I
don't think that it is a very rare occurrence for racing men to have
certain acquaintances whom they would not wish their wives to know
anything about.'

"'Then it did not strike you that Lord Arthur Skelmerton had some
reason for not wishing his wife to know of that particular visitor's
presence in his house?'

"'I don't think that I gave the matter the slightest serious
consideration,' was the Colonel's guarded reply.

"Mr. Buchanan did not press the point, and allowed the witness to
conclude his statements.

"'I had finished my turn at bridge,' he said, 'and went out into the
garden to smoke a cigar. Lord Arthur Skelmerton joined me a few minutes
later, and we were sitting in the pavilion when I heard a loud and, as I
thought, threatening voice from the other side of the hedge.

"'I did not catch the words, but Lord Arthur said to me: "There seems to
be a row