Choose and eat. There is death in one and life in the other. I shalltake what you leave. Let us see if there is justice upon the earth， orif we are ruled by chance.’
“He cowered away with wild cries and prayers for mercy， but Idrew my knife and held it to his throat until he had obeyed me.
Then I swallowed the other， and we stood facing one another insilence for a minute or more， waiting to see which was to live andwhich was to die. Shall I ever forget the look which came over hisface when the first warning pangs told him that the poison was inhis system？ I laughed as I saw it， and held Lucy’s marriage ring infront of his eyes. It was but for a moment， for the action of thealkaloid is rapid. A spasm of pain contorted his features； he threwhis hands out in front of him， staggered， and then， with a hoarsecry， fell heavily upon the floor. I turned him over with my foot，and placed my hand upon his heart. There was no movement. Hewas dead！
“The blood had been streaming from my nose， but I had takenno notice of it. I don’t know what it was that put it into my headto write upon the wall with it. Perhaps it was some mischievousidea of setting the police upon a wrong track， for I felt lightheartedand cheerful. I remembered a German being found inNew York with RACHE written up above him， and it was arguedat the time in the newspapers that the secret societies must havedone it. I guessed that what puzzled the New Yorkers wouldpuzzle the Londoners， so I dipped my finger in my own blood andprinted it on a convenient place on the wall. Then I walked downto my cab and found that there was nobody about， and that thenight was still very wild. I had driven some distance， when I putmy hand into the pocket in which I usually kept Lucy’s ring， andfound that it was not there. I was thunderstruck at this， for it wasthe only memento that I had of her. Thinking that I might havedropped it when I stooped over Drebber’s body， I drove back， andleaving my cab in a side street， I went boldly up to the house—forI was ready to dare anything rather than lose the ring. When Iarrived there， I walked right into the arms of a police-officer whowas coming out， and only managed to disarm his suspicions bypretending to be hopelessly drunk.
“That was how Enoch Drebber came to his end. All I had todo then was to do as much for Stangerson， and so pay off JohnFerrier’s debt. I knew that he was staying at Halliday’s PrivateHotel， and I hung about all day， but he never came out. I fancythat he suspected something when Drebber failed to put in anappearance. He was cunning， was Stangerson， and always on hisguard. If he thought he could keep me off by staying indoors hewas very much mistaken. I soon found out which was the windowof his bedroom， and early next morning I took advantage of someladders which were lying in the lane behind the hotel， and so mademy way into his room in the grey of the dawn. I woke him upand told him that the hour had come when he was to answer forthe life he had taken so long before. I described Drebber’s deathto him， and I gave him the same choice of the poisoned pills.
Instead of grasping at the chance of safety which that offered him，he sprang from his bed and flew at my throat. In self-defence Istabbed him to the heart. It would have been the same in any case，for Providence would never have allowed his guilty hand to pickout anything but the poison.
“I have little more to say， and it’s as well， for I am about done up.
I went on cabbing it for a day or so， intending to keep at it untilI could save enough to take me back to America. I was standingin the yard when a ragged youngster asked if there was a cabbythere called Jefferson Hope， and said that his cab was wanted by agentleman at 221B， Baker Street. I went round suspecting no harm，and the next thing I knew， this young man here had the braceletson my wrists， and as neatly snackled as ever I saw in my life. That’sthe whole of my story， gentlemen. You may consider me to be amurderer； but I hold that I am just as much an officer of justice asyou are.”
So thrilling had the man’s narrative been and his manner wasso impressive that we had sat silent and absorbed. Even theprofessional detectives， blasé as they were in every detail of crime，appeared to be keenly interested in the man’s story. When hefinished we sat for some minutes in a stillness which was onlybroken by the scratching of Lestrade’s pencil as he gave thefinishing touches to his shorthand account.
“There is only one point on which I should like a little moreinformation，” Sherlock Holmes said at last. “Who was youraccomplice who came for the ring which I advertised？”
The prisoner winked at my friend jocosely. “I can tell my ownsecrets，” he said， “but I don’t get other people into trouble. I sawyour advertisement， and I thought it might be a plant， or it mightbe the ring which I wanted. My friend volunteered to go and see. Ithink you’ll own he did it smartly.”
“Not a doubt of that，” said Holmes heartily.
“Now， gentlemen，” the Inspector remarked gravely， “the formsof the law must be complied with. On Thursday the prisoner willbe brought before the magistrates， and your attendance will berequired. Until then I will be responsible for him.” He rang thebell as he spoke， and Jefferson Hope was led off by a couple ofwarders， while my friend and I made our way out of the Stationand took a cab back to Baker Street.
The Conclusion
WE had all been warned to appear before the magistrates uponthe Thursday； but when the Thursday came there was no occasionfor our testimony. A higher Judge had taken the matter in hand，and Jefferson Hope had been summoned before a tribunal wherestrict justice would be meted out to him. On the very night afterhis capture the aneurism burst， and he was found in the morningstretched upon the floor of the cell， with a placid smile upon hisface， as though he had been able in his dying moments to lookback upon a useful life， and on work well done.
“Gregson and Lestrade will be wild about his death，” Holmesremarked， as we chatted it over next evening. “Where will theirgrand advertisement be now？”