led up the back and lay flat upon the top of the
cab. I think people saw me do this and shouted to the driver, but he did
not hear. Thus I lay for a long time and the car drove out into the
country and after a while came back, but before it came back it stopped
and I saw the man talking to the small-small woman in angry tones. I
thought he was going to hurt her and I waited ready to jump upon him, but
the lady went into the realms of sleep and he lifted her back into the
car.

"Then he came back to the town and again he stopped to go into a shop.
I think it was to telephone, for there was one of those blue signs which
you can see outside a shop where the telephone may be used by the common
people. Whilst he had gone in I got down and lifted the small-small woman
out, taking the straps from her hands and placing her in a doorway. Then
I took her place. We drove for a long time till he stopped by a high
wall, and then, master, there was a fight," said Ling Chu simply.

"It took me a long time to overcome him and then I had to carry him. We
came to a policeman who took us in another car to a hospital where my
wounds were dressed. Then they came to me and told me the man was dying
and wished to see somebody because he had that in his heart for which
he desired ease.

"So he talked, master, and the man wrote for an hour, and then he passed
to his fathers, that little white-faced man."

He finished abruptly as was his custom. Tarling took the papers up and
opened them, glanced through page after page, Whiteside sitting patiently
by without interrupting.

When Tarling had finished the documents, he looked across the table.

"Thornton Lyne was killed by Sam Stay," he said, and Whiteside stared at
him.

"But----" he began.

"I have suspected it for some time, but there were one or two links in
the evidence which were missing and which I was unable to supply. Let me
read you the statement of Sam Stay."

CHAPTER THE LAST

THE STATEMENT OF SAM STAY

"My name is Sam Stay. I was born at Maidstone in the County of Kent. My
age is twenty-nine years. I left school at the age of eleven and got
mixed up with a bad set, and at the age of thirteen I was convicted for
stealing from a shop, and was sent to Borstal Institute for four years.

"On my release from Borstal I went to London, and a year later was
convicted of house-breaking, receiving a sentence of twelve months'
imprisonment with hard labour. On my release fr