I had a wife and child, sir, and they had a hard struggle while I
was in prison. My wife had a shop, but she sold it to find money for my
defence. Sir Horace told me to call on him, and after thinking it over he
decided to engage me. He was a good master to me."
"And how did you repay him," exclaimed Inspector Chippenfield sternly,
"by murdering him?"
The butler was startled by the suddenness of the accusation, as Inspector
Chippenfield intended he should be.
"Me!" he exclaimed. "As sure as there is a God in Heaven I had nothing to
do with it."
"That won't go down with me, Field," said the police officer, giving the
wretched man another prolonged penetrating look.
"It's true; it's true!" he protested wildly. "I had nothing to do with
it. I couldn't do a thing like that, sir. I couldn't kill a man if I
wanted to--I haven't the nerve. But I knew I would be suspected," he
added, in a tone of self-pity.
"Oh, you did?" replied Inspector Chippenfield. "And why was that?"
"Because of my past."
"Where were you on the date of the murder?"
"In the morning I came over here to look round as usual, and I found
everything all right.
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