misfortune, he had time to discharge himself of his commission, and
establish his innocence by the deposit of the money at the bank. He
has thus for a while become the victim of a web of suspicious
circumstances. But look at these very circumstances more closely,
and they will be found perfectly consistent with the prisoner's
statement, never varying, be it remembered, from the explanation
given to the policeman in first surprise and horror of the tidings of
the crime.

'It might have been perhaps thought that there was another
alternative between entire innocence and a deliberate purpose of
robbery and murder-namely, that reproof from the old man had provoked
a blow, and that the means of flight had been hastily seized upon in
the moment of confusion and alarm. This might have been a plausible
line of defence, and secure of a favourable hearing; but I beg to
state that the prisoner has distinctly refused any such defence, and
my instructions are to contend for his perfect innocence. A nature
such as we have already traced is, as we cannot but perceive,
revolted by the bare idea of violence to the aged and infirm, and
recoils as strongly from the one accusation as from the other.

'The prisoner made his statement at the first moment, and has adhered
to it in every detail, without confusion or self-contradiction. It
does not attempt to explain all the circumstances, but they all tally
exactly with his story; he is unable to show by whom the crime could
have been committed, nor is he bound in law or justice so to do; nay,
his own story shows the absolute impossibility of his being able to
explain what took place in his absence. But mark how completely the
established facts corroborate his narrative. Observe first the
position in which the body was found, the head on the desk, the stain