"
"Morally, Mr. Holmes. No doubt you are right. But surely not
in the eyes of the law. A man cannot be condemned for a murder
at which he was not present, and which he loathes and abhors
as much as you do. The instant that he heard of it he made
a complete confession to me, so filled was he with horror and
remorse. He lost not an hour in breaking entirely with the
murderer. Oh, Mr. Holmes, you must save him -- you must save
him! I tell you that you must save him!" The Duke had dropped
the last attempt at self-command, and was pacing the room with
a convulsed face and with his clenched hands raving in the air.
At last he mastered himself and sat down once more at his desk.
"I appreciate your conduct in coming here before you spoke to
anyone else," said he. "At least, we may take counsel how far
we can minimize this hideous scandal."
"Exactly," said Holmes. "I think, your Grace, that this can
only be done by absolute and complete frankness between us.
I am disposed to help your Grace to the best of my ability; but
in order to do so I must understand to the last detail how the
matter stands. I realize that your words applied to Mr.
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