That was a shot in the dark; but I saw his hand shake on the plane, and knew that it had struck.
“There’s such a thing, isn’t there, sir,” he said feebly, “as a Statute of Limitations?”
“Not in criminal cases.”
He went, rather shakily, to fetch a tool from a rack on the wall. He was quite a long time coming back with it.
“I don’t know, sir,” he said slowly, and with difficulty, “that I wouldn’t rather face the risk of hanging than——” he paused.
“Than the risk of offending Mr Dalston,” I put in.
He started violently, and the tool dropped from his hand.
“You see?” I said quietly. “Now put this to yourself. What if Mr Dalston himself were to be hanged?”
“Not through me,” he cried aghast. “I dursen’t risk the chance. He would get at and do for me somehow, even if it was from the condemned cell.”
I rose to my feet.