— fairly easy, it has many types of mechanism — and wheeled him back in it to its usual place in the window embrasure behind the curtains.

Curtiss then "put me to bed." When everything was quiet, I wheeled Norton to his room. It remained, then, to avail myself of the eyes and ears of my excellent friend Hastings.

You may not have realized it, but I wear a wig, Hastings. You will realize even less that I wear a false moustache. (Even Georges does not know that!) I pretended to burn it by accident soon after Curtiss came, and at once had my hairdresser make me a replica.

I put on Norton's dressing gown, ruffled up my grey hair on end, and came down the passage and rapped on your door. Presently you came and looked with sleepy eyes into the passage. You saw Norton leave the bathroom and limp across the passage into his own room. You heard him turn the key in the lock on the inside. I then replaced the dressing gown on Norton, laid him on his bed, and shot him with a small pistol that I acquired abroad and which I have kept carefully locked up except for two occasions when (nobody being about) I have put it ostentatiously on Norton's dressing table, he himself being well away somewhere those mornings. Then I left the room after putting the key in Norton's pocket. I myself locked the door from the outside with the duplicate key which I have possessed for some time. I wheeled the chair back to my room.

Since then I have been writing this explanation.

I am very tired — and the exertions I have been through have strained me a good deal. It will not, I think, be long before ...

There are one or two things I would like to stress.

Norton's were the perfect crimes.

Mine was not. It was not intended to be.

The easiest way and the best way for me to have killed him was to have done so quite openly — to have had, shall we say, an accident with my little pistol. I should have professed dismay, regret — a most unfortunate accident. They would have said: "Old ga-ga didn't realize it was loaded — ce pauvre vieux. " I did not choose to do that.

I will tell you why.

It is because, Hastings, I chose to be "sporting." Mais oui, sporting! I am doing all the things that so often you have reproached me with not doing. I am playing fair with you. I am giving you a run for your money. I am playing the game. You have every chance to discover the truth. In case you disbelieve me, let me enumerate all the clues. The keys.

You know, for I have told you so, that Norton arrived here after I did. You know, for you have been told, that I changed my room after I got here. You know, for again it has been told to you, that since I have been at Styles, the key of my room disappeared and I had another made.