ll, my
friend," he said, "let it be as you say. I have not cheated you, Heaven
knows. But I also know that this infamy of mine has been the cause of
bringing harm to you, which is the last thing I should have wished to
have caused to my friend." A deed of gift was drawn up, making over to
Brion Peace's share in their inventions; this Peace handed to Brion
as the price of the latter's precious forgiveness and a token of the
sincerity of his colleague's repentance. Thus, as has often happened
in this sad world, was disreputable genius exploited once again by
smug mediocrity. Mr. Brion, having got all he wanted, left the prison,
assuring the Governor that Peace's repentance was "all bunkum," and
advising, with commendable anxiety for the public good, that the warders
in the condemned cell should be doubled.

Peace had one act of atonement to discharge more urgent than displaying
Christian forbearance towards ignoble associates. That was the righting
of William Habron, who was now serving the third year of his life
sentence for the murder of Constable Cock at Whalley Range. Peace
sent for the Governor of the jail a few days before his execution and
obtained from him the materials necessary for drawing up a plan. Peace
was quite an adept at making plans; he had already made an excellent one
of the scene of Dyson's murder. He now drew a plan of the place where
Cock had been shot, gave a detailed account of how he came by his death,
and made a full confession of his own guilt.

In the confession he described how, some days before the burglary, he
had, according to his custom, "spotted" the house at Whalley Range. In
order to do this he always dressed himself respectably, because he had
found that the police never suspected anyone who wore good clothes. On
the night of the crime he passed two policemen on the road to the house.
He had gone into the grounds and was about to begin operations when he
heard a rustle behind him and saw a policeman, whom he recognised as one
of those he had met in the road, enter the garden. With his well-known
agility Peace climbed on to the wall, and dropped on to the other side,
only to find himself almost in the arms of the second policeman. Peace
warned the officer to stand back and fired his revolver wide of him.
But, as Peace said, "these Manchester policemen are a very obstinate
lot." The constable took out his truncheon. Peace fired again and killed
him.

Soon after the murderer saw in th