Bellona Club, finis

 Peter has a talk with his friend Colonel Marchbanks, and they confront Pemberthy.  

He admits that he killed the General by giving him some pills and advising him to take them, to keep him going long enough to outlive his sister.  He feels that he's entitled to the money which would come to him via Ann Dorland, he could make better use of it than George or Robert Fentiman.  Unfortunately, Robert's moving the body and concealing the death for a day, caused the murder to be suspected and discovered.  He admits that he used Ann, since he knew that she needed a lover but that he would have been a good husband to her if he had married her for his money. 

Pemberthy knows that he's caught, and Peter suggests to him that if he would make a full confession, and clear Ann of any involvement in the murder, like a gentleman, he would let him commit suicide rather than facing trial.  Penberthy agrees and writes a confession.  The Colonel leaves his gun for him to commit suicide and the sad affair of the Bellona club is finished.  Ann Dorland agrees to share the fortune with the Fentiman brothers, which leaves them all comfortably off, and she and Robert become friendly.  Peter's original feeling that digging into the Dormer will would only dig up a lot of trouble, and that it might be something that was best left alone, has turned out to be true.  However, at least the Fentimans will get some money and Ann may find a man who genuinely likes her.