Everything is full. The inns fill the farmers as the farmers fill the inns—the yards are full of carts, the stables full of horses, heads are full of business, hands full of wares, hearts full of hope or joy or discontent.
The streets are filled with ragged idlers indigenous to the town and its vicinity, with market women who erect temporary barricades with donkey carts, and hen coops, and fruit baskets, towering towards the sky.
With clumsy cubs of peasant farmers, with felt hats, fustian frocks, plush waistcoats, brown leather breeches, sky-blue stockings, and great greasy shoes big as wheelbarrows.
In addition to all these there are to be found home-spun specimens of agriculture, who shone years and years ago in Mr. Morton’s comedies, with grey hairs, red faces, and top boots, heavy riding whips, and sentimental hearts—for all but their day labourers.
There are also to be seen a set of mysterious blades who drive dog-carts as high as Haman’s ladder, and steeds strong and fiery as the coursers of Phaeton, who wear smart green frocks, fancy waiscoats, jockey boots, peach-blossom corduroy breeches, and hats lodged jauntily on the left ear—who, once settled in the market-room of their favourite tavern, drink like fishes, smoke like lime-kilns, and sit like hens, and who display three sample bags in the corn market with all the grace of a Rothschild who negotiates a loan upon ‘Change.
The news had spread abroad that the murderer of Phil Jamblin had been captured by a clever London detective, who had been on his track for weeks past.
It also became known that he was to be had up before the bench of magistrates, of which no less a person than Lord Ethalwood himself was chairman; and his lordship was a “sharp’un,” they averred. “He could see his way through a four inch deal board.”
It was a busy day for Mr. Wrench when “his man,” as he termed him, was brought before the “beaks.”
He had seen the earl immediately after his return, for the purpose of arranging all the necessary preliminaries.
Enough evidence would be offered to warrant a remand—there would not be much difficulty about that; but before the committal the case would have to be gone more fully into.