"No. 'Cause I like Mr. Craver. He's a good sort, and has promised to give me a ride in his aeroplane."
"Why did you steal the letter at all?" asked Claudia, nervously.
"Well, you see, I arrived just when that old cove was slaughtered. Old Mrs. Vence, she wouldn't let me see the corpse as much as I wanted to, so I nicked the letter lying on the hall table just to punish her. You see, if the letter was missing I guessed she'd get beans. When she did I intended to bring the letter back."
"But she didn't get beans as you call it."
"No. Rum thing, as nothing was about that letter, miss. Well, then, when I saw that nothing was asked at the inquest, I opened the letter and read it. I'm fly enough to know as it meant Mr. Craver was in the house when the old cove died, seeing the letter said as he was coming. But I didn't go for to say a thing, knowing Mr. Craver ain't at all a bad sort, nor his pa and ma either. I stowed away the letter, telling no one, not even mother, and only showed it to Aunt Laura when she was sweet on Mr. Craver."
"You might have thought of me, Neddy."
"Didn't know you then, though it was Hedgerton talk as you were going to marry Mr. Craver. Aunt Laura she got the letter before you came down. When you came and were nice to me and gave me cigarettes. I was sorry. But don't you be afeared, miss. Mr. Craver didn't do it."
"How do you know?" asked Claudia, eagerly.
"Ah, that's tellings." Master Mellin winked.
"I shall ask Sergeant Purse to make you say what you mean!" cried Claudia.