Dr. Fell put the glass at his elbow, sat down opposite, and contemplated him. Mr. Nemo worked his head round and winked.
"Point is, I'm giving this up because I'm a fatalist. Fatalist! Wouldn't you be? Best set-up I ever had — meat— pie — easy; ho-ho, how easy? Wasn't as though I had to be a disguise expert. I told you there was no deception. I'm a dead ringer for Sturton. Look so much like him I could stand him in front of me and shave by him. Joke. But I can't beat marked cards. Sweat? I never had such a bad time in my life as when those God-damned kids—" again he twisted round and looked at Morgan, who was glad he had not a razor in his hands at that moment—"when those God-damned kids tangled it all up… "
"I was about to tell my young friend," said Dr. Fell, "at his own request, some of the points that indicated you were — yourself, Mr. Nemo…"
The doctor was getting great if sleepy enjoyment as he sat back against the dying light from the window and studied the man. Mr. Nemo's lidless eyes were returning the stare.
"Be interested to hear it myself," he said. "Anything to — delay things. Good cigar, good brandy. You listen, m'boy," he said, leering at Jennings. "Give you some pointers. If there's anything you don't know — well, when you've finished I'll tell you. Not before."
Jennings gestured to Sergeant Hamper, who got out his notebook.
Dr. Fell settled himself to begin with relish:
"Sixteen clues, then. Casting my eye over the evidence presented — you needn't take all this down, Hamper; you won't understand all of it — I came, after the obvious giveaway of the impostor being an important man…"
Mr. Nemo bowed very gravely, and the doctor's eye twinkled.
"… to what I called the Clue of Suggestion. It conveyed the idea. It opened the door on what first seemed a mad notion. During a heated argument between you, Morgan, and your friend Warren, while Warren was enthusiastically pleading the guilt of Dr. Kyle on the basis of detective fiction, you yourself said: 'Oh, and get rid of the idea that somebody may be impersonating him… That may be all right for somebody who seldom comes in contact with anyone, but a public figure like an eminent physician won't do."