ore chance of success before
the Court of Appeal. You have not sufficient evidence for a successful
defence on the grounds of insanity. The judge, in his summing up at the
trial, was clearly of the opinion that Sir Henry Durwood was wrong in
thinking Penreath insane, and he directed the jury accordingly.

"In my opinion the judge was right. I do not think Penreath is insane,
or even subject to fits of impulsive insanity. If you ask my opinion, I
think he is still suffering from the effects of shell shock, and, like
many other brave men who have been similarly affected, he endeavoured to
conceal the fact. I have come to the conclusion that Penreath's peculiar
conduct at the Durrington hotel, on which Sir Henry based his theory of
_furor epilepticus_, was nothing more than the combined effect of
mental worry and an air raid shock on a previously shattered nervous
system. Penreath is a sane man--as sane as you or I--and my late
investigations at the scene of the murder have convinced me that he is
an innocent man also. The question is, are you going to allow
professional etiquette to stand in the way of proving his innocence?"

"But you have not shown me anything to convince me that he _is_ an
innocent man. Your statement comes as a great surprise to me, and you
cannot expect that I should credit your bare assumption. It would be
exceedingly difficult to believe without the most convincing proofs,
which you have not brought forward. I prepared the case for the defence
at the trial, and I only permitted that defence to be put forward
because there was no other course--the evidence was so overwhelming, and
Penreath's obstinate silence in the face of it pointed so conclusively
to his guilt."

"Nevertheless, you were wrong. The question is, are you going to help me
undo that wrong?"

"You have not yet proved to me that it is a wrong," quibbled the
solicitor.

"Mr. Oakham, let me make this quite clear to you," said the detective
sternly. "I have sent for you out of courtesy, because, as I said
before, I like to do things in a regular way. As you force me to speak
plainly, there is another reason, which is that I did not wish to make
you look small, or injure your professional reputation, by acting
independently of you. It would be a bad advertisement for Oakham and
Pendules if it got abroad--as it assuredly will if you persist in your
attitude--that an innocent client of yours was almost sent to the
gallows through your w