e the end, I
venture to prophecy. His egregious vanity demands it. Nothing that
he writes is likely to be sincere and he'll have his eye on the
spotlight all the time; but you may expect a pretty complete account
of his adventures before he's hanged; you may even expect something
a little new in the suicide line if they give him a chance; for be
sure he's thought of that.

"And now I'll indicate how I brought fact after fact to bombard my
theory, and how the theory withstood every assault until I was bound
to accept it and act upon it.

"We start with the assumption that Pendean is living and Robert
Redmayne dead. We next assume that Pendean, having laid out his
wife's uncle at Foggintor, gets into his clothes, puts on a red
mustache and a red wig and starts for Berry Head on Redmayne's motor
bicycle. The sack supposed to contain the body is found, and that is
all. His purpose is to indicate a hiding-place for the corpse and
lead search in a certain direction; but he is not going to trust the
sea; he is not going to stand the risk of Robert Redmayne's corpse
spoiling his game. No, his victim never left Foggintor and probably
Michael will presently tell us where to find the body.

"Meanwhile a false atmosphere is created under which he proceeds to
his engagement at 'Crow's Nest.' And then what happens? The first
clue--the forged letter, purporting to come from Robert Redmayne to
his brother. Who sent it? Jenny Pendean on her way through Plymouth
to her Uncle Bendigo's home. She and her husband are soon together
again--working for the next stroke. As I say, they were a pair who
ought to have been on the stage, where they would have made darned
sight bigger money than the Redmayne capital all told; but crime was
in their blood; they must have met like the blades of a scissors and
found themselves heart and soul in agreement. Evil was their good;
and no doubt, when they understood each other's lawless point of
view, both felt they must join forces. A tolerable bad dame, I'm
afraid, Mark; but she knew how to love all right; and nobody doubts
that bad women can love as well as good ones--often a great deal
better.

"They settle down and the supposed death of Michael Pendean blows
over. Jenny plays widow but spends as much time as she wants in her
husband's arms all the same; and together they plan to put out poor
Ben. He'd never seen Pendean, of course, which made the Doria
swindle possible. And a great point--that only