e right, and the
Treasury Counsel showed plain annoyance.

"Well, at any rate, you so phrased your answer that nine persons out of
ten would have understood that you parted from Marbury in the open
streets after crossing Waterloo Bridge," he said. "Now--?"

Aylmore smiled.

"I am not responsible for the understanding of nine people out of ten
any more than I am for your understanding," he said, with a sneer. "I
said what I now repeat--Marbury and I walked across Waterloo Bridge,
and shortly afterwards we parted. I told you the truth."

"Indeed! Perhaps you will continue to tell us the truth. Since you have
admitted that the evidence of the last two witnesses is absolutely
correct, perhaps you will tell us exactly where you and Marbury did
part?"

"I will--willingly. We parted at the door of my chambers in Fountain
Court."

"Then--to reiterate--it was you who took Marbury into the Temple that
night?"

"It was certainly I who took Marbury into the Temple that night."

There was another murmur amongst the crowded benches. Here at any rate
was fact--solid, substantial fact. And Spargo began to see a possible
course of events which he had not anticipated.

"That is a candid admission, Mr. Aylmore. I suppose you see a certain
danger to yourself in making it."

"I need not say whether I do or I do not. I have made it."

"Very good. Why did you not make it before?"

"For my own reasons. I told you as much as I considered necessary for
the purpose of this enquiry. I have virtually altered nothing now. I
asked to be allowed to make a statement, to give an explanation, as
soon as Mr. Lyell had left this box: I was not allowed to do so. I am
willing to make it now."

"Make it then."

"It is simply this," said Aylmore, turning to the Coroner. "I have
found it convenient, during the past three years, to rent a simple set
of chambers in the Temple, where I could occasionally--very
occasionally, as a rule--go late at night. I also found it convenient,
for my own reasons--with which, I think, no one has anything to do--to
rent those chambers under the name of Mr. Anderson. It was to my
chambers that Marbury accompanied me for a few moments on the midnight
with which we are dealing. He was not in them more than five minutes at
the very outside: I parted from him at my outer door, and I understood
that he would leave the Temple by the way we had entered and would
drive or walk straight back to his hotel. That is the who