"How is it that you are so poor?"
"Because Beryl took the money from me. He wanted money also, and he threatened to have me arrested for the murder if I did not give him all. I spent very little of it. He took all, and then left me to starve. I came here, and——"
"Wait a bit; I want to know about your impersonation of Gore?"
"That was Beryl's idea also. He met me in the city, as Sir Simon one day sent him to pay me money. He was struck by my likeness to my half-brother, and even then he resolved to make use of me. But there was no chance until Bernard quarrelled with Sir Simon. Then Beryl found that Gore had enlisted in the Imperial Yeomanry. He told me that Sir Simon was coming to town to live in Crimea Square, and he was afraid lest he should become reconciled to Bernard. Beryl, knowing how proud Sir Simon was, persuaded me to impersonate Bernard by dressing up as an Imperial Yeoman, and arranged that I should make love to a housemaid——"
"So as to get into the house?"
"Yes; and so as to let the fact get to Sir Simon's ears. Beryl thought that if Sir Simon knew that Bernard was making love to a servant, he would cast him off for ever. Well, I did make the acquaintance of the housemaid and visited at the house, keeping well out of sight of my mother."
"She did not know you were there?"
"No. Whenever she was heard coming I got out of the way. She really thought from Jane's description that I was my half-brother."
"When did you forge the check?"
"Just before I met Jane at the beginning of October. Beryl and I both wanted the money. I could imitate Bernard's writing, as Beryl got me some letters of his. I forged the check and got the money. Then Beryl afterwards took it from me."