"I scarcely know," he resumed, "what it was I hoped to accomplish
in the end. I do not know - for I never stopped to consider
- whether I should have allowed Captain Tremayne to have been shot
if it had come to that. All that I was concerned to do was to
submit him to the ordeal which I conceived he must undergo when he
saw himself confronted with the choice of keeping silence and
submitting to his fate, or saving himself by an avowal that could
scarcely be less bitter than death itself."

"You fool, O'Moy-you damned, infernal fool!" his lordship swore at
him. "Grant overheard more than you imagined that night outside
the gates. His conclusions ran the truth very close indeed. But
I could not believe him, could not believe this of you."'

"Of course not," said O'Moy gloomily. "I can't believe it of
myself."

"When Miss Armytage intervened to afford Tremayne an alibi, I
believed her, in view of what Grant had told me; I concluded that
hers was the window from which Tremayne had climbed down. Because
of what I knew I was there to see that the case did not go to
extremes against Tremayne. If necessary Grant must have given full
evidence of all he knew, and there and then left you to your fate.
Miss Armytage saved us from that, and left me convinced, but still
not understanding your own attitude. And now comes Richard Butler
to surrender to me and cast himself upon my mercy with another tale
which completely gives the lie to Miss Armytage's, but confirms
your own."