? ? ? ? "You must surely remember the great Worthingdon bank business," said Holmes. "Five men were in it -- these four and a fifth called Cartwright. Tobin, the caretaker, was murdered, and the thieves got away with seven thousand pounds. This was in 1875. They were all five arrested, but the evidence against them was by no means conclusive. This Blessington or Sutton, who was the worst of the gang, turned informer. On his evidence Cartwright was hanged and the other three got fifteen years apiece. When they got out the other day, which was some years before their full term, they set themselves, as you perceive, to hunt down the traitor and to avenge the death of their comrade upon him. Twice they tried to get at him and failed; a third time you see, it came off. Is there anything further which I can explain, Dr. Trevelyan?"
? ? ? ? "I think you have made it all remarkably clear," said the doctor. "No doubt the day on which he was so perturbed was the day when he had seen of their release in the newspapers."
? ? ? ? "Quite so. His talk about a burglary was the merest blind."
? ? ? ? "But why could he not tell you this?"
? ? ? ? "Well, my dear sir, knowing the vindictive character of his old associates, he was trying to hide his own identity from everybody as long as he could.
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