"Say, Sir Louis. I believe that you have told the truth. You are innocent of this crime. But the question is, what does Dr. Binjoy say?"
"I say that there is not one word of truth in the whole story," said the doctor, with a scowl.
[CHAPTER XXX].
A LETTER FROM HERSHAM, SENIOR.
Upon hearing this untruthful and obstinate denial of the baronet's story, Fanks wheeled round his chair, until it directly faced that of Binjoy. At the sullen creature he looked sternly, and shook an emphatic forefinger in his face.
"Now look you here, Dr. Binjoy, or Renshaw, or whatever you choose to call yourself," he said, sternly. "I believe that Sir Louis has spoken the truth about this matter. I have not the least doubt that you and your accomplice, Turnor, lured him into the Tooley Alley crime, with which, to my belief, he has nothing to do whatever. You laid a trap, and he fell into it--unluckily for him; but for his wise resolution to confess his doings on that night to me, I have no doubt that you would have blackmailed him."
"I did not want to blackmail him," said Binjoy in a low voice. "I did not lure him into a trap. On the contrary, when I found out that it was his cousin who had been murdered, I did all I could to save him--to draw suspicion on to myself. I feigned the voyage to Plymouth; I made use of my false name; I sent off Caesar to Bombay; and I closed the mouth of Dr. Turnor. What more could you expect me to do?"
"I quite believe that you did all these things; and for why? Because you wished to rivet your chains more securely on your victim. When you found that he was in possession of the property, you resolved to get whatever money you wanted out of him in order to lead a debauched life in town. Oh, yes, Doctor, I quite believe you changed your name and assumed a disguise while in London. You did not wish that the scampish Renshaw of the Red Star should be identified with, the respectable Dr. Binjoy, late of Taxton-on-Thames, and now of Mere Hall in Hampshire. I can understand that, and I can understand that you designed the murder so that Sir Louis could become possessed of money which you intended to spend."
"I did not design the murder," said Binjoy, in a hoarse voice. "I swear I do not know who committed the crime. When I was called in by Mrs. Boazoph, I was as ignorant as anyone that Gregory Fellenger had been murdered. I only acted as I did because I saw how dangerous it was that Louis should be suspected. He was in the neighbourhood--"
"Lured there by yourself?"