even an affidavit, a death-bed statement. All rested upon his word,
and upon mine as retailing it. He was dead, and there was nothing
but my narrative for what he told me. The story itself was too
improbable to be believed by the police on such dubious evidence. I
didn't even care to try. I wanted to make your step-father confess:
and I waited for that till I could compel confession."






CHAPTER XXII.

MY MEMORY RETURNS





At last my chance came," Jack went on. "I'd found out almost
everything; not, of course, exactly by way of legal proof, but to my
own entire satisfaction: and I determined to lay the matter
definitely at once before Mr. Callingham. So I took a holiday for a
fortnight, to go bicycling in the Midlands I told my patients; and I
fixed my head-quarters at Wrode, which, as you probably remember, is
twenty miles off from Woodbury.

"It was important for my scheme I should catch Mr. Callingham alone.
I had no idea of entrapping him. I wanted to work upon his