My God! What an exposure! What can I do ?" Sherlock Holmes sat down beside him on the couch and patted him kindly on the shoulder.
"If you leave it to a court of law to clear the matter up," said he, "of course you can hardly avoid publicity.

On the other hand, if you convince the police authorities that there is no possible case against you, I do not know that there is any reason that the details should find their way into the papers.

Inspector Bradstreet would, I am sure, make notes upon anything which you might tell us and submit it to the proper authorities.

The case would then never go into court at all." "God bless you!" cried the prisoner passionately.

"I would have endured imprisonment, ay, even execution, rather than have left my miserable secret as a family blot to my children.
"You are the first who have ever heard my story.