“‘Are you known in Alton?’

“Shakes.

“‘Are all these places nearer to you than Alton?’

“Nods.

“Humpo’s finger shoots out about two yards long; dashes back his mane with his other hand; rushes in from under it.  ’Then, sir, will you tell the jury why, to make this purchase of oxalic acid on the day before you leave home, why you go to a place in which you are unknown and to a place farther away from you than three other centres, one at your very door?’

“Sabre sees like a hit in the face this new 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?’