he solicitor listened to him with close attention. When he had
finished Mr. Oakham remarked:

"I am afraid there is not much in these points, Mr. Colwyn. Your
suggestion that there were two persons in the murdered man's room is
interesting, but you have no evidence to support it. The girl's
explanation of her visit to the room is probably the true one. Far be it
from me, as Penreath's legal adviser, to throw away the slightest straw
of hope, but your conjectures--for, to my mind, they are nothing
more--are nothing against the array of facts and suspicious
circumstances which have been collected by the police. And even if the
police case were less strong, there is another grave fact which we
cannot overlook."

"You mean that Penreath refuses to say anything?" said Colwyn.

"He appears to be somewhat indifferent to the outcome," returned the
lawyer guardedly.

"It is his silence which baffles me," said Colwyn. "I saw him alone
after his arrest, and told him I was willing to help him if he could
tell me anything which would assist me to establish his innocence--if
he were innocent. He replied that he had nothing to say."

"What you tell me deepens my conviction that Penreath does not realise
the position in which he is placed, and cannot be held accountable for
his actions."

"Is it your intention to plead mental incapacity at the trial?"

"Sir Henry Durwood has offered to give evidence that, in his opinion,
Penreath is not responsible for his actions. The Penreath family is
under a debt of gratitude to Sir Henry. I consider it little short of
providential that Sir Henry was staying here at the time." Like most
lawyers, Mr. Oakham had a firm belief in the interposition of
Providence--particularly in the affairs of the families of the great.
"And that is the reason for my coming over here to see you this morning,
Mr. Colwyn. You were present at the breakfast table scene--you witnessed
this young man's eccentricity and violence. The Penreath family is
already under a debt of gratitude to you--will you increase the
obligation? In other words, will you give evidence in support of the
defence at the trial?"

"You want me to assist you in convincing the jury that Penreath is a
criminal lunatic," said Colwyn. "That is what your defence amounts to.
It is a grave responsibility. Doctors and specialists are sometimes
mistaken, you know."

"I am afraid there is very little doubt in this case. Here is a young
man of birth