“’Twas you who first thought as I might have a hand in that business myself, Luke?”
“No, no; Mr Gregory here.”
“Of course, I hope you hadn’t; but you might have had. Anyhow, that will be a mystery for evermore, I reckon,” said the inspector.
“Five thousand pounds’ worth of plate they took,” explained Daniel to his driver; but Mr Corder knew all about it.
“Five thousand and more. ’Twas always a great regret to me that I wasn’t in that job.”
“You couldn’t have done no better than I done,” struck in Gregory. “That I’ll swear to. The London man gave me great credit for what I did do. He said he’d never known such a nose for a clue. That was his own words.”
“It was,” declared Bartley. “That was the very word of the London man, for I heard it.”
“They are not a bit smarter than us to Plymouth really,” said Corder. “I’ve known them make mistakes that I’d have blushed to make. But ’tis just London. If a thing comes from London it must be first chop. They only beat Plymouth in one matter as I knows about; an’ that’s their criminal classes.”
“Not but what we’ve got our flyers at a crime too,” said Mr Gregory, who was highly patriotic. “Take that there burglary job to Westcombe. ’Twasn’t a fool who planned and carried that out.”