Charles listened with breathless attention to this recital, and, after a painful interval, said—
«Then the actual murderer is, after all, unascertained. This is, indeed, horrible; it was very natural that my father should have felt the danger to which such a disclosure would have exposed the reputation of our family, yet I should have preferred encountering it, were it ten times as great, to the equivocal prudence of suppressing the truth with respect to a murder committed under my own roof.»
«He has, however, it would seem, arrived at some new conclusions,» said Dr. Danvers, «and is now prepared to throw some unanticipated light upon the whole transaction.»
Even as they were talking, a knocking was heard at the hall-door, and after a brief and hurried consultation, it was agreed, that,
