Explore "A Silent Witness" by R. Austin Freeman on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
IT was getting late when our friends left us, but nevertheless, as soon as they were gone, we all drew our chairs up to the fire with the obvious intention of discussing the situation and began, with one accord, to fill our pipes. Jervis was the first to get his tobacco alight, and, having emitted a voluminous preliminary puff, he proceeded to open the debate. "That man, Jardine, seems to be a pretty desperate character. Just think of his actually wallowing in the mire -- not merely rolling, mind you, but wallowing -- and of his repulsive habit of consorting with females; one after the other, too, in rapid succession. It's a shocking instance of depravity."
"Our reverend friend," said Thorndyke, "reaches his conclusions by a rather short route -- in some cases, at least; in others, his methods seem a little indirect and roundabout."