“Of course, how stupid of me. He has been in custody ever since, and won’t have concerned himself much about his toilet. You saw him, I think you said, on the Fair during the day.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Several times?”
“Aye, off an’ on, right up to mi feyther an’ me starting for whom. We wanted to be ahead of him so’s to hide ussen afore he reached th’ Plantation.”
Quite so, quite so, a very proper proceeding”—I did wish Mr. Blackburn wouldn’t butter the man up so, but I’d yet to learn that victims are sometimes well greased before being bolted.
“When you saw the prisoner in the Fair did you notice anything peculiar about his appearance?”
“No, nowt out o’ th’ common.”
“Quite spick and span, eh?”
“Aye, he were reet enough.”
“Now look at his clothes. What do you say to them now? Get close to him and examine him from head to foot. Oh, don’t be frightened; the constable will see he doesn’t hurt you”