Barrant returned to London in the mental disposition of a man who sees an elaborate theory thrown into the melting-pot by an unexpected turn of events.

The humbling thought was that he had allowed a second fish to glide through his hands without even suspecting that it was on his line.
He had never remotely connected Charles Turold with the murder until Mr.
Brimsdown had imparted Mrs.Brierly's disclosure to him.

He had acted promptly enough on that piece of information, but once again he was too late.
Austin Turold might have felt reassured if he had known how little his share in the events of that night occupied Barrant's mind during their last interview.

The complexion Austin's conduct bore to the detective's reflection was that of a father who had intentionally misled the power of authority in order to shield his son.

The law took a serious view of that offense, but it was a matter which could be dealt with at leisure in Austin's case.