And when the burden became too great for the accused to bear, Hammond also reached the limit of his endurance.
"I can't stand it," he cried. "You shall not torture this innocent man any longer."
"What do you mean?" asked the superintendent.
"This is what I mean. The fear of disgrace has kept me silent too long. Now I will confess everything. Do you think I will sit here and let an innocent man be condemned and his wife put to torture to save me from the just punishment of my fault?
"Never! Listen to me. It was I who took that unhappy woman to the place where she met her death. It was I who wrote that name in the register.
"I! I, and not that innocent man, was her companion. The waiter, Gaspard, is mistaken.
"I am the man who was in room B!"