We watched him staring round with frightened eyes.Then he laid the candle-end upon the table and disappeared from our view into one of the corners.He returned with a large book, one of the log-books which formed a line upon the shelves.Leaning on the table he rapidly turned over the leaves of this volume until he came to the entry which he sought.Then, with an angry gesture of his clenched hand, he closed the book, replaced it in the corner, and put out the light.He had hardly turned to leave the hut when Hopkins's hand was on the fellow's collar, and Iheard his loud gasp of terror as he understood that he was taken.The candle was re-lit, and there was our wretched captive shivering and cowering in the grasp of the detective.
He sank down upon the sea-chest, and looked helplessly from one of us to the other.
"Now, my fine fellow," said Stanley Hopkins, "who are you, and what do you want here?"The man pulled himself together and faced us with an effort at self-composure.
"You are detectives, I suppose?" said he."You imagine I am connected with the death of Captain Peter Carey.I assure you that I am innocent.""We'll see about that," said Hopkins.
"First of all, what is your name?"
"It is John Hopley Neligan."
I saw Holmes and Hopkins exchange a quick glance.
"What are you doing here?"
"Can I speak confidentially?"
"No, certainly not."
"Why should I tell you?"
"If you have no answer it may go badly with you at the trial."The young man winced.
"Well, I will tell you," he said."Why should I not? And yet I hate to think of this old scandal gaining a new lease of life.
Did you ever hear of Dawson and Neligan?"I could see from Hopkins's face that he never had; but Holmes was keenly interested.
"You mean the West-country bankers," said he."They failed for a million, ruined half the county families of Cornwall, and Neligan disappeared.""Exactly.Neligan was my father."
At last we were getting something positive, and yet it seemed a long gap between an absconding banker and Captain Peter Carey pinned against the wall with one of his own harpoons.We all listened intently to the young man's words.