"Why under an assumed name when, according to your story, you had nothing to fear ?" "Because I had good and sufficient reason for so doing," he replied.
"You must remember that I had a quarter of a million's worth of precious stones in my possession, and, well, to put it bluntly, up to that time I had been living what you might call a make-shift sort of life.

For the future I told myself I was going to be a rich man.

That being so I wanted to start with a clean sheet.

You can scarcely blame me!" I did not answer him on this point, but continued my cross-examination.
"You reached London, and sold some of the stones there, later on you disposed of some more in Amsterdam.

Why did you refuse the dealers your name and address ?" Once more he was quite equal to the occasion.
"Because if I had told them, everybody would have got to know it, and, to be perfectly frank with you, I could not feel quite certain that Kitwater and Codd were really dead." "By that I am to presume that you intended if possible to swindle them out of their share ?" I asked, not a little surprised by his admission.
"Once more, to be quite frank with you, I did.