No sooner had he accomplished his purpose than a young farmer drove along in his cart, and seeing the dead body in the road, and the murderer a little way off, jumped out of his cart and arrested him.
A little farther on the road there was a labouring man, who had not been visible up to this moment, breaking stones.
"Look after this man," said the farmer; "he has committed murder. Keep him safe while I go to the village and get a constable."
"All right," said the labourer; "I'll keep un."
As soon as the farmer was gone the labourer and the murderer got into conversation, for they had to while away the time until the farmer had procured the constable.
"Why," asked the stone-breaker, "what have you been a-doin' of?"
"Killin' a woman," answered the murderer.
"Killin' a woman!" said the mason. "Why, what did you want to kill a woman for? She warn't your wife, was she?"
"Nay," answered the murderer, "or I should ha' killed her afore."
The want of motive is always a strong argument with humanitarians, who pity the murderer and not the victim. I heard no particle of sympathy expressed for the poor woman, but there was abundance of commiseration for the fiend who had perpetrated the terrible deed.