All my instincts are one way and all the facts are the
other, and I much fear that British juries have not yet attained
that pitch of intelligence when they will give the preference to
my theories over Lestrade's facts."
"Did you go to Blackheath?"
"Yes, Watson, I went there, and I found very quickly that the
late lamented Oldacre was a pretty considerable black-guard.
The father was away in search of his son. The mother was at
home -- a little, fluffy, blue-eyed person, in a tremor of fear
and indignation. Of course, she would not admit even the
possibility of his guilt. But she would not express either
surprise or regret over the fate of Oldacre. On the contrary,
she spoke of him with such bitterness that she was unconsciously
considerably strengthening the case of the police, for, of course,
if her son had heard her speak of the man in this fashion it would
predispose him towards hatred and violence. `He was more like
a malignant and cunning ape than a human being,' said she,
`and he always was, ever since he was a young man.'
"`You knew him at that time?' said I.
"`Yes, I knew him well; in fact, he was an old suitor of mine.
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