murder; and his own conscience accuses him: he is almost prepared to believe that he has killed her; for has he not done everything except actually commit the crime - imagine it, anticipate it, indulge in fantasies of violent action and release -? (Still, says the voice of common sense, there is quite a difference between all that and actually committing a murder, isn't there? Well, he doesn't know exactly how much of a difference there is. There is much that he is no longer sure of.) He behaves more and more like a guilty man. For lack of solid evidence against him, he is not brought to trial. But everyone thinks he did it. One person in particular, a friend of the dead wife, or possibly a relation, perhaps even her brother (call him Philip) continues to suspect him and to watch him in the belief that he will eventually give himself away.
Now there are various possibilities. The husband (call him Edmund) is so overcome with guilt, confusion, depression, and the sense of being righteously persecuted by an avenging angel, that he is driven to his death. The only real murderer is Philip, who is full of the consciousness of having acted admirably. Or: after some time of being watched and suspected by Philip - they are drawn into a slimy hateful intimacy - Edmund finds he has lost his sense of guilt: Philip's suspicion absorbs it, as it were. Having tried and failed to shake Philip off, Edmund finds that his only logical course is to kill him. He prepares an elaborate plan to electrocute him in such a way that it will look like an accident. Before killing Philip, Edmund tells him the whole story. Philip pleads for his life. Thanks to you, says Edmund, everyone thinks I am a murderer in any case; I am a pariah, my life has been ruined: thanks to you and the vengeful spirit of that malevolent bitch, your sister. So it is morally just that you should be proved right. Since I already have to bear the weight and stigma of a crime, I may as well commit one, and get you off my back once and for all. It is going to be a great relief to be rid of you, Philip, and I shall feel no remorse, I've already had my share of that. He goes on preparing the murder, implacably connecting lethal wires.
Philip insists that he has learned his lesson, he is now convinced that Edmund did not kill Irena, how could he ever have imagined it? Now he will go away and never bother him any more. Oh but you won't, or rather you wouldn't, says Edmund; you would go running to the police and tell them that I am a psychopath, if I were to let you go now.
Philip weeps a little, and writhes about in his bonds. He turns to bluster: Edmund will never get away with it, surely he realises that? Yes of course he does, he's far too intelligent not to: this is all a practical joke, a well deserved punishment...
Edmund is relentless. Philip is in a state of moral disintegration. Really, remarks Edmund, it seems almost superfluous to kill you now. Yes yes, agrees Philip, I'm finished, I'm nothing, you may as well let me crawl away. You've had your revenge now. Except, of course, says Edmund, that you're bound to go twitching to the police... Nonsense, they wouldn't pay any attention to my hysterical frothing. And even if I were to go to the police - which, my dear fellow, I solemnly promise I won't - even if I were to, what would it amount to? Nothing, a minor charge, laughable, hardly worth bothering with, frightening some poor jerk half to death, ha ha, well it's hardly a serious charge, is it? Threatening behaviour or some such; you'd be let off with a caution. Well there you are, let's call it quits now, what do you say, I certainly could do with that drink. What am I saying, quits, you win hands down, Edmund you canny bugger, phew, I won't get over this in a hurry.
You won't get over it at all, Philip, says Edmund. Before I kill you I am going to tell you exactly how I did away with Irena. Philip weeps and sobs, says no no I won't believe a word of it, he refuses to listen, his suspicions were absurd, pure paranoia. He tries to make too much noise so that he can't even hear what