"Perhaps you've seen these articles before?"
"No, I haven't," said Rolfe, still avoiding his visitor's eye.
"Well, the torn handkerchief is not exactly new to you," said Crewe.
"You've got the missing part; you found it in Sir Horace's hand after he
was murdered."
"You're too clever for me, and that's the simple truth, Mr. Crewe,"
said Rolfe, in a mortified tone. "I did find a small piece of a
lady's handkerchief in his hand, and here it is." He produced his
pocket-book and took out the piece. "How you found out I had it, is
more than I know."
"Mere guess-work," said Crewe.
Rolfe shook his head slowly.
"I know better than that," he said. "You're deep. You don't miss much. I
wish now that I had told you about that bit of handkerchief at the first.
But Chippenfield and I wanted to have all the credit of elucidating the
Riversbrook mystery. I hunted high and low to get trace of this
handkerchief, but I couldn't. And now you've beaten me, although you
couldn't have known at first that there was such a thing as a missing
handkerchief in the case. I hope you bear me no malice, Mr. Crewe."
"What for, Rolfe?"
"For not telling you about the handkerchief, after I found this piece in
Sir Horace's hand.
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