"What business, Martha? Do tell me what you mean, if you want me to listen to you any longer. How could Mr. Carruthers want to know anything from Evans about a murder?"
"Lor', ma'am, it weren't about the murder; it were about the coat! Master told Evans as how there had been a murder, and the other gentleman took master up rather shorter, Evans thinks, than master is accustomed to be took, and asked him no end of questions--did he make such and such coats? and who did he sell 'em to? and particular did he sell Witney coats? which Mr. Evans said he didn't in general, and had only sold one in two years, which the strange gentleman wanted to know what sort of gent had had it, and were he young or old, or good-looking or or'nary, and a mort of questions; wherein Evans answered him to the best of his ability, but, being a man of his word, he couldn't make it no clearer than he could."
"What did he make clear?" asked Mrs. Brookes. "Two years is a long time to remember the sale of a coat."
"It wasn't so long since it were sold. Mr. Evans sold it six weeks ago, but it were two years made."
Mrs. Brookes's heart gave a great bound, and her old eyes grew dim; but she was a brave woman, and Martha, housemaid, was a dull one.
"Did Mr. Evans not succeed in describing the person who bought the coat, then?"
"He thinks not; but he says he should know him again immediate, if he saw him. The strange gentleman didn't seem overpleased that his memory was so short; but lor', who's to know all about the eyeses and the noses of everybody as comes to buy a coat, or what not?--partic'lar if you don't know as he's been a committen of a murder. If you did, why, you'd look at him closer like, I should say!"
"Has Mr. Downing got the paper with the murder of the foreigner in it?" asked Mrs. Brookes.
"Yes, he have; he's just been reading it all over again in the hall. And he says as how master's in a brown study, as he calls it; only it's in the dining-room, and he's sure as the finding-out people has put it into his hands."
"When he has done with the paper, ask him to let me see it, Martha. Very likely this stranger's visit has nothing to do with the matter. Downing finds out things that nobody else can see."