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we don't know the clerical temper from the inside. After all, Marryatt has a hard time of it in any case, trying to knock a little piety out of these villagers. What must he think of the man who comes and tries to take away what beliefs they've got?"

"All right, go on. Of course, it's quite impossible."

"Next point: it was Marryatt who gave Brotherhood that Momerie book. Brotherhood, of course, took it up to London with him in the train on Monday, but is it likely that anybody would notice it particularly? The one man who knew for certain that it was in his possession was the man who had given it to him."

"But did Marryatt know anything about Brotherhood's connection with Miss Rendall-Smith⁠—about his promise to her?"

"We'll come to that presently. It doesn't arise yet, if you consider the actual wording of the cipher-message. What it said was, 'You will perish if you go back upon your faith'⁠—I now read that as a purely theological message, and I know of only one man in the neighbourhood who would have been likely to send such a message."

"You seem to be pressing words rather far."

"Next point: Marryatt did travel by the three o'clock train on Tuesday. He made no secret of the fact; he told us about it⁠—why? Precisely because he had arranged the murder so as to look as if it was connected with the 3.47: the three o'clock train was his alibi, and he was determined to get his