The idea that people might not believe his story had never seriously occurred to him.

Yet all of a sudden he began to doubt it himself.

He stepped back into the road and looked up at the windows of the house--dark, uncurtained, revealing no sign of life or habitation.

Had he really taken that walk with Pritchard, stood on this spot with him only a minute or two ago?
Then he picked up the police whistle and he had no longer any doubts.

The whole scene was before him again, more vividly than ever.