When they drew near to the city, and it was suggested by the Minor Canon that they might do well in calling on the Mayor at once, he assented with a stern nod; but he spake no word until they stood in Mr.Sapsea's parlour.
Mr.Sapsea being informed by Mr.Crisparkle of the circumstances under which they desired to make a voluntary statement before him, Mr.Jasper broke silence by declaring that he placed his whole reliance, humanly speaking, on Mr.Sapsea's penetration.

There was no conceivable reason why his nephew should have suddenly absconded, unless Mr.Sapsea could suggest one, and then he would defer.

There was no intelligible likelihood of his having returned to the river, and been accidentally drowned in the dark, unless it should appear likely to Mr.Sapsea, and then again he would defer.

He washed his hands as clean as he could of all horrible suspicions, unless it should appear to Mr.Sapsea that some such were inseparable from his last companion before his disappearance (not on good terms with previously), and then, once more, he would defer.
His own state of mind, he being distracted with doubts, and labouring under dismal apprehensions, was not to be safely trusted; but Mr.
Sapsea's was.
Mr.Sapsea expressed his opinion that the case had a dark look; in short (and here his eyes rested full on Neville's countenance), an Un-English complexion.

Having made this grand point, he wandered into a denser haze and maze of nonsense than even a mayor might have been expected to disport himself in, and came out of it with the brilliant discovery that to take the life of a fellow-creature was to take something that didn't belong to you.