Roberts: ‘But he would never insist—’
Willis: ‘Oh, I don’t know about that. He’s pretty queer, Bemis is. You can’t say what an old gentleman like that will or won’t do. If he should choose to carry it into court—’
Roberts: ‘Court!’
Willis: ‘It might be embarrassing. And anyway, it would have a very strange look in the papers.’
Roberts: ‘The papers! Good gracious!’
Willis: ‘Ten years from now a man that heard you mentioned would forget all about the acquittal, and say: “Roberts? Oh yes! Wasn’t he the one they sent to the House of Correction for garotting an old friend of his on the Common!” You see, it wouldn’t do to go and make a clean breast of it to Bemis.’
Roberts: ‘I see.’
Willis: ‘What will you do?’
Roberts: ‘I must never say anything to him about it. Just let it go.’
Willis: ‘And keep his watch? I don’t see how you could manage that. What would you do with the watch? You might sell it, of course—’