revenge and save
Hazel Rath. Up till then the revolver had not been identified as
Nepcote's. It seemed to me that the mere disclosure of that fact was
sufficient to direct attention to Nepcote and bring to light his
movements on that night. But the detective who came to see me about the
revolver was too foolish and obstinate to grasp the importance of my
information. It was then I decided to go to you. It was daring, perhaps,
but it seemed safe enough to me. I was determined to entangle Nepcote,
and to free Hazel Rath.

"I told you no more than I had told to the other detective. I had
powerful motives for reticence. If I had told you more you would have
seen that I had an ulterior reason for directing attention to Nepcote. I
had not the least fear that you would discover my secret, but the
knowledge, if imparted to you, would have weakened the impression I
wanted to convey by suggesting to your mind that I was actuated by
hatred of Nepcote. Besides, I did not wish any living being to know of
my shame. I believed that I could accomplish my revenge without its ever
being known. I thought Nepcote would prefer to perish as the victim of
circumstances rather than incur public opprobrium by a defence which he
knew would never be believed. The actual facts against him were too
strong. He could neither extenuate nor deny them. He could not explain
his lying telegrams, his secret return, his presence in the moat-house,
his possession of the necklace, the revolver in the bedroom where the
body was. Therefore, it was only necessary to give you a starting point,
because discovery was inevitable where so much was hidden. I saw to it
that the loss of the necklace was discovered after your arrival. That
was all you needed to know.

"I do not know what oversight of mine put you on the track of the truth.
There was one, but I do not see how that could have helped you. It was
not until the following afternoon in the gun-room, when Musard drew your
attention to the pistol-case, that I remembered that the pistol I had
used was still at the back of the fireplace upstairs, where apparently
it had lain undiscovered during my illness. I had taken the precaution
of concealing the key of the case, but I decided to restore the pistol
that night after you left. It was more difficult to recover than I
anticipated, owing to the depth of the space behind the grate. I had to
push back the bedstead and use the tongs before I could reach it. I
believe