"I am all attention," said Lovel.
"Well, sir, to put it briefly, you love this girl; you are with her at the hour of the murder; you set up a false alibi; you do everything to bring suspicion of guilt on yourself."
"But I am innocent."
"We will presume so for the moment," replied the inspector, coolly; "but you must know, Mr. Lovel, that beyond your bare word we have no proof that; you did not kill the girl."
"Drek!" Lovel jumped to his feet with almost a shriek. "You don't say that I killed Milly?"
"Going by the evidence----"
"Hang the evidence! Isn't it stronger against Herne and Chaskin? Did you find my handkerchief, bloodstained? Did you discover a pistol with my name on it?"
"No; but some lawyers might say that you stole the pistol out of Chaskin's room to inculpate him in a projected crime; also, that you took Herne's handkerchief out of his pocket when he was in a trance, and dropped it into the blood to get evidence against him. Oh, I don't say that you are guilty, Mr. Lovel, but you must admit that the evidence is strong. You think that Mr. Chaskin killed the girl; Mexton here inclines to think that Mr. Herne is guilty; but the evidence against the two is no stronger than that against you. A lawyer could build up a powerful----"
"Stop! stop!" cried Lovel, sitting down. "Stop! You will make me believe that I killed the poor girl after all!"