ew thing that's coming to him.
Gasps. Puts up his hand to that choked throat of his. Strangles out,
'Look here--'

"'Answer the question, sir.'

"Stammers out like a chap croaking. 'Walk. Walk. Wanted a walk. Wanted
to get out. Wanted to get away from it.'

"Back goes the mane and in again like a flash: 'Ah, you wanted to get
out of it? The house with its inmates was becoming insupportable to
you?'

"'Look here--'

"'I am giving you your own words, sir. Do you tell us that, although you
were leaving--for a holiday--on the very next day still, even on the
afternoon before, you felt you must get out of it? Is that right, sir?'

"'Look here-'

"'Very well. Let us leave that, sir. We seem to be compelled to leave a
great deal, but the jury will acquit me of fault in the matter. Let us
come to the purpose of this oxalic acid purchase. Nothing to do with
your holiday, you say. With what then? For what purpose?'

"Long pause. Frightful pause. Hours. Whole court holding its breath.
Pause like a chunk of eternity. Silent as that. Empty as that. What the
devil was he thinking of? Had he forgotten? Was he awake now to the
frightful places he kept getting into and wondering if this was another
and where exactly it lay? Appalling pause. Dashed woman somewhere in the
court goes off into hysterics and dragged out. He didn't hear a scream
of it, that poor baited chap in the box. Just stood there. Grey as a
raked-out fire. Face twitching. Awful. I tell you, awful. Nearly went
into hysterics myself. Humpo slopping his tongue round his jaws,
watching him like a dog watching its dinner being cut up. After about
two years, slaps in his tongue and demands, 'Come, sir, for what purpose
did you buy this oxalic acid?'

"Sabre gives his first clear, calculated words since he had got up
there. I guess he _had_ been pulling himself together to look for a
trap. He said very slowly, trying each word, like a chap feeling along
on thin ice; he said, 'Effie--asked--me--to--get--it--to--clean--my
--straw--hat--for--me--for--Brighton.'

"That Humpo! Very gently, very quietly, like a rescuer pushing out a
ladder to the man on the ice, 'The deceased asked you to get it to clean
your straw hat for you for Brighton.' And then like a trap being sprung
he snapped and threw Sabre clean off the balance he was getting. 'Then
it _was_ obtained for the purpose of your holiday?'

"'Look _here_--' All at sea again, d'you see? And the end was quicker
th