"Hyde!" said Viner. "Tell! I've been certain for an hour that you didn't
kill this man, and I want to help you. But--tell us the truth! What do
you know about it? How did you get that ring?"

"I shall make use of anything he tells," remarked Drillford warningly.

"He's going to tell--everything," said Viner. "Come now, Hyde, the
truth!"

Hyde suddenly dropped into a chair by which he was standing, and pressed
his hand over his face with a gesture which seemed to indicate a certain
amount of bewilderment.

"Let me sit down," he said. "I'm weak, tired, too. Until this morning I
hadn't had a mouthful of food for a long time, and I'd--well, I'd been
walking about, night as well as day. I was walking about all yesterday,
and a lot of last night. I'm pretty nearly done, if you want to know!"

"Take your time," said Drillford. "Here, wait a bit," he went on after a
sudden glance at his prisoner. "Keep quiet a minute." He turned to a
cupboard in the corner of the room and presently came back with something
in a glass. "Drink that," he said not unkindly. "Drop of weak brandy and
water," he muttered to Viner. "Do him no harm--I see how it is with
him--he's been starving."

Hyde caught the last word and laughed feebly as he handed the glass back.

"Starving!" he said. "Yes--that's it! I hope neither of you'll know what
it means! Three days without--"