.. which meant? It
meant that proofs--PROOFS--were come into his possession; and who should
be involved, entangled in the meshes of this fallen conspiracy, but
himself, Luke Soames!
As must be abundantly evident, Soames was not a criminal of the daring
type; he did not believe in reaching out for anything until he was
well assured that he could, if necessary, draw back his hand. This last
venture, this regrettable venture--this ruinous venture--had been
a mistake. He had entered into it under the glamour of Gianapolis'
personality. Of what use, now, to him was his swelling bank balance?
But in justice to the mental capacity of Soames, it must be admitted
that he had not entirely overlooked such a possibility as this; he had
simply refrained, for the good of his health, from contemplating it.
Long before, he had observed, with interest, that, should an emergency
arise (such as a fire), a means of egress had been placed by the kindly
architect adjacent to his bedroom window. Thus, his departure on the
night of the murder was not the fruit of a sudden scheme, but of one
well matured.
Closing and locking his bedroom door, Soames threw out upon the bed the
entire contents of his trunk; selected those things which he considered
indispensable, and those which might constitute clues.
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