Whose Body (24 page)

[3]
Apollonios Rhodios. Lorenzobodi Alopa. Firenze. 1496. (410.) The excitement attendant on the solution of the Battersea Mystery did not prevent Lord Peter from securing this rare work before his departure for Corsica.

[4]
Lord Peter was not without authority for his opinion: “With respect to the alleged motive, it is of great importance to see whether there was a motive for committing such a crime, or whether there was not, or whether there is an improbability of its having been committed so strong as not to be over-powered by positive evidence. But
if there be any motive which can be assigned, I am bound to tell you that the inadequacy of that motive is of little importance
. We know, from the experience of criminal courts, that atrocious crimes of this sort have been committed from very slight motives;
not merely from malice and revenge
, but to gain a small pecuniary advantage, and to drive off for a time pressing difficulties.”—L. C. J. Campbell, summing up in Reg.
v.
Palmer, Shorthand Report, p. 308, C.C.C., May 1856, Sess. Pa. 5. (Italics mine. D. L. S.)