"Who told you?"
"Mr. Herbert, sir. Truly. I was crossing the hall, and he comes out of the library a-looking at his watch. And he says to me, `Martha, that clock's ten minutes slow; set it right,' he says. Sharp-like. `You know. I was that astonished you could have knocked me over with a feather. Him speaking sharp-like, and all. Which he never does. And he says, 'See to the rest of the clocks, Martha; set 'em right if they're wrong. Mind!'"
Sir Benjamin looked over at Dr. Fell.
"It's your enquiry," said the chief constable. "Carry on." "Hmf," said Dr. Fell. His rumbling from the corner startled Martha, whose pink face turned a trifle pinker.
"When was this, did you say?"
"I didn't, sir, truly 1 didn't say, but I will, because I looked at the clock. Naturally. Changing it like he told me, and all. It was just before dinner, sir, and the rector had just went after bringing Mr. Martin home, and Mr. Martin was in the library, he was; and so I changed the clock, and it said five-and-twenty minutes past eight. Only it wasn't. Being ten minutes fast after I changed it. 1 mean―"
"Yes, of course. And why didn't you change the others?
"I was a-going to sir. But then I went into the library, and Mr. Martin was there. And he says, `What are you doing?' and when I told him he says, 'You let them clocks alone,' he says. And of course I did. Him being the master, and all. And that's all I know, sir."
"Thank you, Martha.. Mrs. Bundle, did you or any of the housemaids see Mr. Herbert leaving the house last night?"
Mrs. Bundle thrust out her jaw. "When we went to the fair at Holdern," she replied, malignantly, "Annie Murphy's purse was stole by thiefpockets. And they put me on a thing what goes round and round, it did; round and round; and then I walks upon boards which shakes, and stairs which collapses, and in the dark, and me 'airpins comes loose, which is that the way to treat a lady? Eeee! Drat 'em!" squawked the housekeeper, shaking her keys ferociously. "It was a in-vention, that's what it was, a dratted in-ven-tion! All them inventions is like that, which I told Mr. Herbert about it many's the time, and when I see him going out to the stable last night―"