Jasper. As Jasper is now known to be Edwin's rival in love, and as
Edwin has vanished, the murderer, Mr. Grewgious reckons, is Jasper;
and his experiment, with Jasper's consequent shriek and fit,
confirms the hypothesis. Thus Grewgious had information enough,
from Miss Landless, to suggest his experiment--Dickens
intentionally made that clear (though not clear enough for Mr.
Proctor and Mr. Cuming Walters)--while his experiment gives him a
moral certainty of Jasper's crime, but yields no legal evidence.

But does Grewgious know no more than what Helena, and the fit and
shriek of Jasper, have told him? Is his knowledge limited to the
evidence that Jasper has murdered Edwin? Or does Grewgious know
more, know that Edwin, in some way, has escaped from death?

That is Dickens's secret. But whereas Grewgious, if he believes
Jasper to be an actual murderer, should take him seriously; in
point of fact, he speaks of Jasper in so light a tone, as "our
local friend," that we feel no certainty that he is not really
aware of Edwin's escape from a murderous attack by Jasper, and of
his continued existence.

Presently Crisparkle, under some mysterious impression, apparently
telepathic (the book is rich in such psychical phenomena), visits
the weir on the river, at night, and next day finds Edwin's watch
and chain in the timbers; his scarf-pin in the pool below. The
watch and chain must have been placed purposely where they were
found, they could not float thither, and, if Neville had slain
Edwin, he would not have stolen his property, of course, except as
a blind, neutralised by the placing of the watch in a conspicuous
spot. However, the increased suspicions drive Neville away to read