The prisoner made a jerky gesture of assent. “That’s all I know.”

The inspector took the statement from Malone and slowly read it aloud, now and again pressing home a fresh question to elucidate a point. Stebbins listened stolidly, and answered with ready frankness. Labar’s face was inscrutable as he finished.

“This is a voluntary statement you understand,” he said. “You are willing to sign it?”

“Absolutely,” agreed Stebbins. “It’s all true.”

He affixed his signature and was taken below for the formality of the charge. He listened apathetically to the set official words in which he was accused. Then he was hurried away to Marlborough Street Police Court while Labar spent a few minutes on the telephone with Winter at Scotland Yard.