A moment ago their way had seemed
fairly clear to its members, and they had been inwardly
congratulating themselves that they were relieved from the grim
necessity of passing sentence upon a brother officer esteemed by all
who knew him. But now a subtle change had crept in. The statement
drawn by Sir Terence from the sentry appeared flatly to contradict
Captain Tremayne's own account of his movements on the night in
question.
"You told the court," O'Moy addressed the witness Mullins, consulting
his notes as he did so, "that on the night on which Count Samoval met
his death, I sent you at ten minutes past twelve to take a letter to
the sergeant of the guard, an urgent letter which was to be forwarded
to its destination first thing on the following morning. And it was
in fact in the course of going upon this errand that you discovered
the prisoner kneeling beside the body of Count Samoval. This is
correct, is it not?"
"It is, sir."
" Will you now inform the court to whom that letter was addressed?"
"It was addressed to the Commissary-General."
"You read the superscription?"
"I am not sure whether I did that, but I clearly remember, sir, that
you told me at the time that it was for the Commissary-General.
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