`Oh, look here!' General Mason protested. `An infernal counter-jumper like Arbor might have done it, of course. But if you're suggesting young Driscoll… Out of the question.'
`I didn't say it was true,' Hadley said, patiently. `But consider, Driscoll was discontented. Driscoll was always short of money. So suppose he takes Arbor aside and says, "Look here, if you happened to find that manuscript under your pillow one morning, what would it be worth to you?",' Hadley raised his eyebrows. `Perhaps Arbor then explained, as he might, that he was really the owner. Perhaps that didn't matter to Driscoll. But, since Arbor would have had to pay some sort of price to the old man if he bought it outright well? It was a good chance for a stroke of business.'
`NO!' boomed a thunderous voice.
Hadley jumped. There had been in that voice not only protest, but a sort of agonized appeal. They all turned to see Dr Fell lumbering to his feet.
`I beg of, you,' he said, almost imploringly — `I beg; and plead with you, whatever else you think of, anything in this case, not to get that absurd idea. If you do, Hadley, I warn you, you'll never, see the truth. Say whatever else you like. Say that the thief was Arbor, if you like. Say that it was General Mason or Father Christmas or Mussolini. But don't, I entreat you ever for a moment believe it was Driscoll.'
The chief inspector was peevish'. `Well, why not?'
`Cast your minds back a couple of hours. Damn it, where's my pipe? Ah. Well, we were speaking of Driscoll. And Sir William said he wasn't a coward. But one thing he most definitely did fear.'
And that?'
`He feared his uncle,' said Dr Fell. After a pause, while he spilled a considerable amount of tobacco in filling his pipe, he went on wheezily: `Look, here. Driscoll was an improvident sort, with expensive tastes. He lived entirely off his uncle's bounty. He got precious little from what freelance newspaper work he did, and Bitton helped him get along even with that.
'But — Bitton wasn't an' indulgent uncle. Quite to the contrary. He was always quarrelling with his nephew on some point or other. And why? Because he was so fond of him.