In the course of an idle conversation about this, that, and the other thing--for Macandrew, during his holiday at the Devon Maid, had learned to know Morgan intimately--the name of the negro was mentioned, and the inspector uttered a grunt.
"He's a black scoundrel, that," he remarked.
"Why?" asked Tod, pricking up his ears. "I always understood that Geary was a meritorious inhabitant of Denleigh. He certainly conducted the Devon Maid well, as I stopped there myself. You know that?"
Morgan nodded. "Things have changed since you and Mr. Haskins were there, sir," he said slowly. "It was Mrs. Geary who kept the inn respectable, and a miserable life she had with that sooty blackguard. But she got fed up with his brutality, and went back to her mother in Barnstaple. Since then the inn has gone from bad to worse, and Geary is drinking."
"I heard something of this," observed Tod. "Why don't you pull him up?"
"I am going to," said Morgan grimly. "I have my eye on him. He is nearly always drunk, and frightens children and insults women and threatens men. Sooner or later he will be locked up. And the strength the man has! Why, do you know, Mr. Macandrew, that he knocked down the river wall of the Pixy's House--that portion overhanging the pool. I wanted to run him in for that, but Major Rebb will not prosecute, for some reason."
"He has a sneaking regard for his old servant, I suppose," said Tod, smiling. "But this wall, Morgan? How the dickens could one man knock it down?"
"Oh, the wall has been in a shaky condition for years and years," said the inspector. "It was only held together by the ivy--the bricks and mortar were rotten."
"But even then----"
"A good strong push would have sent it over, and Geary gave it that push. He was climbing over, I believe, as he wanted, mad with drink, to get into the Pixy's House, and because of the ladies Major Rebb had ordered the gates to be closed and locked. However, he found that the wall leaned a trifle towards the cliff, and managed to knock it down. The man has an immense strength naturally, and when drink is added to that----" Morgan shrugged his big shoulders. "I have known drunken men do some wonderful things in the way of superhuman strength," he finished.