Without more ado, he tore open the note. Here is what he read:
Madam:
I consider it my duty to inform you that your husband has just confessed that he, and he alone, was the murderer of my sister, the first Mrs. Drelincourt.
James Ormsby.
"The caitiff!--the coward! To aim a final blow at me through Madeline." He groaned out the words between his teeth. His strong, lean fingers gripped the note, as they would have gripped Ormsby's throat had he been there.
A tap at the door recalled him to himself. Next moment Wicks entered, carrying a letter on a salver.
"Just brought by a mounted messenger, sir. The man is waiting in case there should be any answer."
Not without surprise, Drelincourt saw that the address was in his wife's writing. He opened the envelope, extracted the contents, and read as follows:
Dear Felix:
Do not be more surprised than you can help when I tell you that I am writing this at the Dun Cow Inn, Overthwaite. The explanation is very simple.