"The broken heel and the tear
in the rubber sole, with the remains of the chequered pattern, make the
identity practically certain."
As the chairman made this statement I involuntarily glanced round to the
place where Jezzard was sitting. But he was not there; neither he, nor
Pitford, nor Leach. Taking advantage of the preoccupation of the Court,
they had quietly slipped out of the door. But I was not the only person
who had noted their absence. The inspector and the sergeant were already
in earnest consultation, and a minute later they, too, hurriedly
departed.
The proceedings now speedily came to an end. After a brief discussion
with his brother-magistrates, the chairman addressed the Court.
"The remarkable and I may say startling evidence, which has been heard
in this court to-day, if it has not fixed the guilt of this crime on any
individual, has, at any rate, made it clear to our satisfaction that the
prisoner is not the guilty person, and he is accordingly discharged. Mr.
Draper, I have great pleasure in informing you that you are at liberty
to leave the court, and that you do so entirely clear of all suspicion;
and I congratulate you very heartily on the skill and ingenuity of your
legal advisers, but for which the decision of the Court would, I am
afraid, have been very different.
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