at all that night, or rather close to it a policeman, who showed me the
way.'

"'But how do you account for Kershaw knowing all your movements?' still
persisted his Honour, 'and his knowing the exact date of your arrival
in England? How do you account for these two letters, in fact?'

"'I cannot account for it or them, your Honour,' replied the prisoner
quietly. 'I have proved to you, have I not, that I never wrote those
letters, and that the man--er--Kershaw is his name?--was not murdered by
me?'

"'Can you tell me of anyone here or abroad who might have heard of your
movements, and of the date of your arrival?'

"'My late employés at Vladivostok, of course, knew of my departure, but
none of them could have written these letters, since none of them know a
word of English.'

"'Then you can throw no light upon these mysterious letters? You cannot
help the police in any way towards the clearing up of this strange
affair?'

"'The affair is as mysterious to me as to your Honour, and to the police
of this country.'

"Francis Smethurst was discharged, of course; there was no semblance of
evidence against him sufficient to commit him for trial. The two
overwhelming points of his defence which had completely routed the
prosecution were, firstly, the proof that he had never written the