Chapter 24 A
Secret ExecutionI now come to a part of my
chronicle which I plainly foresee must expose me to grave
criticism.
To that criticism it is no part of my purpose to attempt any
reply.
In the long run, I have found, men’s minds are not much affected
by argument and advocacy. Facts tell their own story, and men’s
judgments are usually the result of their personal prejudices.
For that reason I shall confine myself to relating facts. I have
already told the story of my murder—for such it was in the
intent—by Petrovitch. I shall now tell the story of the justice
meted out by me on the assassin.
As soon as I was safely lodged in my house on the Alexander
Quay, I despatched my assistant, a clever young Frenchman named
Breuil, with a message to the promoter of the Manchuri
