“Cui bono?” in all the crack novels and elsewhere,—in
      those of Mrs. Gore, for example, (the author of “Cecil,”) a lady who
      quotes all tongues from the Chaldaean to Chickasaw, and is helped to her
      learning, “as needed,” upon a systematic plan, by Mr. Beckford,—in
      all the crack novels, I say, from those of Bulwer and Dickens to those of
      Bulwer and Dickens to those of Turnapenny and Ainsworth, the two little
      Latin words cui bono are rendered “to what purpose?” or, (as if quo bono,)
      “to what good.” Their true meaning, nevertheless, is “for whose
      advantage.” Cui, to whom; bono, is it for a benefit. It is a purely legal
      phrase, and applicable precisely in cases such as we have now under
      consideration, where the probability of the doer of a deed hinges upon the
      probability of the benefit accruing to this individual or to that from the
      deed’s accomplishment. Now in the present instance, the question cui bono? very pointedly implicated Mr. Pennifeather. His uncle had threatened him,
      after making a will in his favour, with disinheritance. But the threat had
      not been actually kept; the original will, it appeared, had not been
      altered. Had it been altered, the only supposable motive for murder on the
      part of the suspected would have been the ordinary one of revenge; and
      even this would have been counteracted by the hope of reinstation into the
      good graces of the uncle. But the will being unaltered, while the threat
      to alter remained suspended over the nephew’s head, there appears at once
      the very strongest possible inducement for the atrocity, and so concluded,
      very sagaciously, the worthy citizens of the borough of Rattle. Mr. Pennifeather was, accordingly, arrested upon the spot, and the crowd,
      after some further search, proceeded homeward, having him in custody. On
      the route, however, another circumstance occurred tending to confirm the
      suspicion entertained. Mr. Goodfellow, whose zeal led him to be always a
      little in advance of the party, was seen suddenly to run forward a few
      paces, stoop, and then apparently to pick up some small object from the
      grass. Having quickly examined it he was observed, too, to make a sort of
      half attempt at concealing it in his coat pocket; but this action was
      noticed, as I say, and consequently prevented, when the object picked up
      was found to be a Spanish knife which a dozen persons at once recognized
      as belonging to Mr. Pennifeather. Moreover, his initials were engraved
      upon the handle. The blade of this knife was open and bloody. No doubt now remained of the guilt of the nephew, and immediately upon
      reaching Rattleborough he was taken before a magistrate for examination. Here matters again took a most unfavourable turn. The prisoner, being
      questioned as to his whereabouts on the morning of Mr. Shuttleworthy’s
      disappearance, had absolutely the audacity to acknowledge that on that
      very morning he had been out with his rifle deer-stalking, in the
      immediate neighbourhood of the pool where the blood-stained waistcoat had
      been discovered through the sagacity of Mr. Goodfellow. This latter now came forward, and, with tears in his eyes, asked
      permission to be examined. He said that a stern sense of the duty he owed
      his Maker, not less than his fellow-men, would permit him no longer to
      remain silent. Hitherto, the sincerest affection for the young man
      (notwithstanding the latter’s ill-treatment of himself, Mr. Goodfellow)
      had induced him to make every hypothesis which imagination could suggest,
      by way of endeavoring to account for what appeared suspicious in the
      circumstances that told so seriously against Mr. Pennifeather, but these
      circumstances were now altogether too convincing—too damning; he
      would hesitate no longer—he would tell all he knew, although his
      heart (Mr. Goodfellow’s) should absolutely burst asunder in the effort. He
      then went on to state that, on the afternoon of the day previous to Mr.
      Shuttleworthy’s departure for the city, that worthy old gentleman had
      mentioned to his nephew, in his hearing (Mr. Goodfellow’s), that his
      object in going to town on the morrow was to make a deposit of an
      unusually large sum of money in the “Farmers’ and Mechanics’ Bank,” and
      that, then and there, the said Mr. Shuttleworthy had distinctly avowed to
      the said nephew his irrevocable determination of rescinding the will
      originally made, and of cutting him off with a shilling. He (the witness)
      now solemnly called upon the accused to state whether what he (the
      witness) had just stated was or was not the truth in every substantial
      particular. Much to the astonishment of every one present, Mr.
      Pennifeather frankly admitted that it was. The magistrate now considered it his duty to send a couple of constables
      to search the chamber of the accused in the house of his uncle. From this
      search they almost immediately returned with the well-known steel-bound,
      russet leather pocket-book which the old gentleman had been in the habit
      of carrying for years. Its valuable contents, however, had been
      abstracted, and the magistrate in vain endeavored to extort from the
      prisoner the use which had been made of them, or the place of their
      concealment. Indeed, he obstinately denied all knowledge of the matter. The constables, also, discovered, between the bed and sacking of the
      unhappy man, a shirt and neck-handkerchief both marked with the initials
      of his name, and both hideously besmeared with the blood of the victim. At this juncture, it was announced that the horse of the murdered man had
      just expired in the stable from the effects of the wound he had received,
      and it was proposed by Mr. Goodfellow that a post mortem examination of
      the beast should be immediately made, with the view, if possible, of
      discovering the ball. This was accordingly done; and, as if to demonstrate
      beyond a question the guilt of the accused, Mr. Goodfellow, after
      considerable searching in the cavity of the chest was enabled to detect
      and to pull forth a bullet of very extraordinary size, which, upon trial,
      was found to be exactly adapted to the bore of Mr. Pennifeather’s rifle,
      while it was far too large for that of any other person in the borough or
      its vicinity. To render the matter even surer yet, however, this bullet
      was discovered to have a flaw or seam at right angles to the usual suture,
      and upon examination, this seam corresponded precisely with an accidental
      ridge or elevation in a pair of moulds acknowledged by the accused himself
      to be his own property.