"Do you think it likely that a man who must have known that a regular hue
and cry would be raised about that murder, would be such a fool as to go
and offer one of the murdered man's rings within a mile of the spot where
the murder took place?" asked Viner.

Drillford turned and looked steadily at his questioner.

"Well, but that's precisely what he did, Mr. Viner!" he exclaimed.
"There's no doubt whatever that the ring in question was Ashton's;
there's also no doubt that this man did offer it to Pelver this morning.
Either the fellow is a fool or singularly ignorant, to do such a mad
thing! But--he did it! And I know why."

"Why, then?" demanded Viner.

"Because he was just starving," answered Drillford. "When he was brought
in here, straight from Pelver's, he hadn't a halfpenny on him, and in the
very thick of my questionings--and just think how important they
were!--he stopped me. 'May I say a word that's just now much more
important to me than all this?' he said. 'I'm starving! I haven't touched
food or drink for nearly three days. Give me something, if it's only a
crust of bread!' That's fact, Mr. Viner."

"What did you do?" inquired Viner.

"Got the poor chap some breakfast, at once," answered Drillford, "and let
him alone till he'd finished. Have you ever seen a starved dog eat?
No--well, I have, and he ate like that--he was ravenous! And when a man's
at that stage, do you think he's going to stop at anything? Not he! This
fellow, you may be sure, after killing and robbing Ashton, had but one