him twice since the verdict, and implored him to speak if he has
anything to say, but he declared that he had nothing to say."

"Nevertheless, I shall succeed where you have failed. Penreath is an
innocent man."

"Then why does he not speak out, even now--more so now than ever?"

"He has his reasons, and they seem sufficient to him to keep him silent
even under the shadow of the gallows."

"And why do you think he will confide them to you, when he refuses to
divulge them to his professional adviser?"

"He will not willingly reveal them to me. My hope of getting his story
depends entirely upon my success in springing a surprise upon him. That
is one of my reasons for not telling you more just now. The mere fact
that you knew would hamper my handling a difficult situation. The
slightest involuntary gesture or look might put him on his guard, and
the opportunity would be lost. It is not absolutely essential that I
should gain Penreath's statement before going to the police, but if his
statement coincides with my theory of the crime it will strengthen my
case considerably when I reconstruct the crime for the police."

"Your way of doing business strikes me as strange, Mr. Colwyn," said the
solicitor stiffly. "As Mr. Penreath's professional adviser, surely I am
entitled to your fullest confidence. You are asking me to behave in a
very unprofessional way, and take a leap in the dark. There are proper
ways of doing things. I will be frank with you. I have come to Norwich
in order to urge Penreath for the last time to permit me to lodge an
appeal against his conviction. That interview has been arranged to take
place in the morning."

"Has he previously refused to appeal?"

"He has--twice."

"May I ask on what grounds you are seeking permission to appeal?"

"If he consents, my application to the Registrar would be made under
Section Four of the Criminal Appeal Act," was the cautious reply.

"That means you are persisting in your original defence--that Penreath
is guilty, but insane. Therefore your application for leave to appeal
against the sentence on the ground of insanity only enables you to
appeal to the Court to quash the sentence on the ground that Penreath is
irresponsible for his acts. Even if you succeed in your appeal he will
be kept in gaol as a criminal lunatic. In a word, you intend to persist
in a defence which, as I told you before the trial, had very little
chance of success. In my opinion it has no m