damned sight easier to get it out of his son. We've got a good idea of how you set about it. Using Ellshaw again, you must have engineered Kenneth into a gamble with him. You knew Kenneth's weaknesses. You fed him plenty of drink at the same time. Ellshaw is such a damn bad cardsharper that people see through him even when they are tight, as Teal told me. Kenneth saw through him. There was a quarrel, then a fight. Ellshaw got laid out-as you'd planned. And then you sobered Kenneth up and told him Ellshaw was dead. You said you'd find a way to get rid of the body and cover up the evidence, and later you told him you'd done it. And from that moment he was in your power to do what you liked with-while you were making him believe, all the time, that you were his best friend. All you had to do was to hide your partner-Ellshaw-away, while you got rid of Ripwell; and then, after Kenneth had inherited the money, everything was set for you to start putting on the screw.'
'That's right, guv'nor,' Ellshaw broke in savagely. 'That's wot 'e told me. An' I shammed dead, an' everythink. And then the dirty double-crossin' swine------'
'The man's raving,' said Irelock unsteadily.
'Nuts,' said the Saint crisply. 'You're through, and you know it. Kenneth's here to tell the world how you kidded him you were saving him from the gallows. Ellshaw's here to tell us that that's the plot as you put it up to him. And Ellshaw's here as well to tell us how you double-crossed him by killing his wife!'
Ellshaw was coming up out of his chair with a red flame in his eyes. His fingers were curled and rigid like claws.
'Yes, that's wot you did,' he snarled. 'You told me she wouldn't come to no 'arm-you swore you was only goin' to 'ide 'er away somewhere. And you killed 'er! You murdered my wife! You told me a lot of lies. You knew I wouldn't 've let yer do it if I'd known. And you were goin' to keep me workin' in with you, 'elpin' yer to mike money an' playin' all yer dirty games, when all the time you'd got Florrie's blood on yer 'ands. My Gawd, if 'anging isn't too good for yer---------'
His voice went into a sort of shriek. Oldwood, who was nearest, wrapped powerful arms round him and held him back.
'That's the swine as did it!' screamed Ellshaw. ' 'E told me wot 'e was up to, 'ow 'e was goin' to kill Lord Ripwell an' then put the black on 'is son fer 'aving killed me in a fight. I know all about it! An' I can tell yer 'ow 'e meant to kill Mr. Templar in Duchess Plyce '
'Take it easy,' said Oldwood, struggling with him.
Teal thrust himself forward at last, a massive figure of belated officialdom coming into its egregious own. He looked at Nulland.
'Is that true?'
The young man swallowed.
'Yes,' he said in a low voice. 'At least, the part about me is.'
'You ran away tonight because you thought we were after you?'
The other nodded without speaking; and Teal turned back to Irelock.
'Have you got any answer to make?'
Irelock stood silent, looking from face to face. His mouth tightened, making his Kewpie face seem even more grotesquely grown up, but he did not open it to reply. The detective waited; then he shrugged.
'Very well. I shall have to take you into custody, of course. I have to warn you that anything you say may be taken down and used in evidence against you.'
For the first time since he had come into the room, Ire-lock met his eyes. He even smiled slightly.
'That's hardly necessary, Inspector,' he said. 'You seem to have plenty of evidence already. I think I can flatter myself that it took a clever man to catch me.' His gaze wandered significantly over to the Saint. 'When did you first -suspect me?'
'When you saw a face at the window,' Simon told him, 'and the party broke up at a very psychological moment. I hadn't anything definite even then; but I began to wonder.'
Irelock nodded.
'That was bad luck, of course,' he said matter-of-factly. 'But I had to do something to stop Kenneth finding out that Ellshaw had been seen alive. Then, after I'd started a scare, I thought I might as well go on with it. If I'd been lucky, I might have got you and Ripwell in the garden-as it was, you nearly got me.' He touched his forearm, where the bullet had grazed him. 'But it made my story more circumstantial. It was only afterwards that I realised that Kenneth might be suspected, and I had to try and manufacture some evidence in his favour.'
'Why did you drink your own poison?'
'Partly because Teal wouldn't drink, and by that time I knew I'd got to get rid of both of you together. Partly because you'd just been saying things which showed me that you were fairly hot on my trail-I didn't know what you might have said to Teal already. It was the only time I lost my nerve. I tried to turn the idea into a way of throwing you off the scent again.'
'Do you realise the meaning of all you're saying?' asked Teal grimly.
Irelock sighed.
'Oh, yes. Quite well. But there doesn't seem to be much point in giving you any more trouble. After all, you've got other witnesses. You ought not to have Ellshaw; but that's another piece of bad luck. I told him that if he saw a red light in my window he was to keep away, but apparently he didn't keep away far enough.'
'One more question,' said the Saint. 'Why didn't you kill me in Duchess Place?'
'Because I hadn't got a gun,' answered Irelock simply. 'I never set out to go in for that sort of crime-not till it was thrust on me. I notice that murderers in books always have guns, but they aren't really easy for the amateur to get hold of. I should have got rid of you like I got rid of Mrs. Ellshaw -knocked you out and sunk you in the river while you were unconscious. It was only when things began to happen down here that I got hold of Ripwell's old revolver. And of course he did have some ammunition; but he'd forgotten it.'
'Have you still got this gun?' Teal asked quickly.
