Longman stood up and stooped over him, saying:
“Can I do anything for you, Capt. Montgomery?”
“Oh, it is you! I thought there couldn’t be two of you in the same century, on the same planet.”
“What can I do for you, sir?”
“Confound you! you can explain things, I suppose. You can tell we where the devil I am now!”
“You are at the rectory of Haymore parish, sir, where you were brought on the night of that unfortunate”—Longman paused a moment for an inoffensive word, and then added—“disturbance at Haymore Hall.”
“Disturbance—at Haymore Hall!” muttered the criminal, growing pale as ashes and sinking back upon his pillow.
No revelation yet had struck him so heavily as this. And it brought back a more exact memory, though not yet a perfect one, of the recent past.
Longman hurried to the other end of the room and returned with a powerful restorative.
He held Gentleman Geff up on his left arm while he put the draught to his lips with his right hand.