"What do you know?" asked Viner. "Tell us plainly."

"I'm going to," responded Hyde. "I was hanging about the Park and around
Kensington Gardens most of yesterday. Then, at night, I got wandering
about this part--didn't seem to matter much where I went. You don't know,
either of you, what it means to wander round, starving. You get into a
sort of comatose state--you just go on and on. Well, last night I was
walking, in that way, in and out about these Bayswater squares. I got
into Markendale Square. As I was going along the top side of it, I
noticed a passage and turned into it--as I've said, when a man's in the
state I was in, it doesn't matter where he slouches--anywhere! I turned
into that passage, I tell you, just aimlessly, as a man came walking out.
Viner, look for that man! Find him! He's the fellow these police want! If
there's been murder--"

"Keep calm, Hyde!" said Viner. "Go on, quietly."

"This man passed me and went on into the square," continued Hyde. "I went
up the passage. It was very dark, except in the middle, where there's an
old-fashioned lamp. And then I saw another man, who was lying across the
flags. I don't know that I'd any impression about him--I was too sick and
weary. I believe I thought he was drunk, or ill or something. But you
see, at the same instant that I saw him, I saw something else which drove
him clean out of my mind. In fact, as soon as I'd seen it, I never
thought about him any more, nor looked at him again."

"What was it?" demanded Viner, certain of what the answer would be.

"A diamond ring," replied Hyde. "It was lying on the flags close by
the man. The light from the lamp fell full on it. And I snatched it up,