`You must — you must excuse me, gentlemen, he muttered. His voice grew stronger. `I it was the shock of hearing the name of — somebody — I did know. This — this Driscoll, was he a small young man, with — let me see — with reddish hair?'
`Yes,' said Dr Fell. `You did know him, then?'
'I met him — ah- Sunday before last, at dinner in Bitton's house. It was the day. I arrived. I hadn't caught his last name. They all called him Phil; that's how I remembered. How did he die?'
`He was stabbed with this crossbow bolt,' said Dr Fell, picking it up. `It comes from Bitton's house.'
The other said, `Most interesting — ' in a way that sounded like a horrible burlesque. But he was better now. `I don't want you to think, gentlemen, that I know anything of the poor boy's murder because I seemed — ah — upset when you mentioned it. After all, murderers don't do that, do they? `It would be too easy if they did. A person with courage enough to use one of those vicious-looking things isn't apt to faint when it's produced afterwards.. Bitton… poor devil. Does he know?'
`He knows, Mr Arbor. But about young Driscoll: you can't think of any reason for his murder?'
`My dear sir, no! No, of course not. I only met him once, at that dinner. I haven't seen him since.'
`He was killed, at the Traitors' Gate out there,' pursued Dr Fell, nodding, `and his body thrown on the steps. I don't suppose you noticed anything suspicious while you were there?'
`No. What I — er — wanted to tell you when I first came in was that it was only by chance I was detained here at all. You see, I wanted to examine that copy of Sir Walter Raleigh's History o f the World which is on display at the Bloody Tower, in the room where he wrote it. I arrived here shortly after one o'clock, and went directly to the Bloody Tower. I presented my card to the warder on duty, and asked whether I might make a detailed examination. He said he was sorry, but that it was a part of the Tower exhibits and that I couldn't handle it without a written order from the resident governor or deputy governor. Even then, he said, it was doubtful whether I could get the order. But I asked to be directed to where I might find either one. He sent me across the way… '
`Inside the ballium wall?' Hadley interrupted.