y brother's son with my own hand, nothing
could prevent the impostor from succeeding in filching Luke's
inheritance.

"And even if I had confessed then, it seemed to me that this man would
still succeed in proving that I had murdered an unknown stranger--a
chance friend, who was an English bricklayer's son--and that he and he
only was Philip de Mountford, the late Arthur's son.

"When did I first dream of killing him, as I killed the other? I could
not tell you that. But it was some time ago, and I watched my
opportunity with patience and perseverance. Then at last the
opportunity came, following on terrible provocation. That dark, foggy
November night that you all remember so well! I was to meet my tyrant
at the Veterans' Club at nine o'clock. I drove up there and as I
stepped out of the cab I came face to face with Luke. Something in the
boy's manner told me what had happened. He didn't tell me, but I
guessed. The two men had quarrelled and Luke had had to endure the
other's arrogance.

"The news upset me. I felt faint and choked with the fog. Luke didn't
like to leave me, and seeing how I tottered he gave me his stick to
lean upon. We walked together for a little while up and down, and I
felt stronger and better. I begged Luke to leave me. Presently, as the
impostor came out at the club door, Luke obeyed at last, and said
'good night' to me.

"Paul Baker--I knew that that was his name--wanted me to drive
straight back to Grosvenor Square, but asked me to drop him first near
the railings of Green Park. He often walked about there in the
evenings. It was a curious fad which he had. We called a cab, and he
told the driver where to pull up. When I was sitting next to him, I
realized that I had a stick in my hand. I really had forgotten that it
was Luke's. Whilst I toyed with it, I noticed that the top came out,
and that a sharp dagger was concealed inside the body of the stick.

"Paul Baker was looking out of the window at the fog, and inside the
cab it was very dark, so he did not know what I was doing. I killed
him, just as I had killed Arthur's son, with a dagger thrust through
the neck. This time I did not feel sick, because I hated this man so.
When the driver pulled up near Green Park I jumped out quite coolly
and told the man to take my friend to some distant address in
Kensington.

"I threw the stick away behind the railings in the park. I had
forgotten that the stick was Luke's: I knew that it was not mi