Jacobs scratched his head again. "I dunno, sir. A boy joined us on the edge of the common near Wargrove, and, boy-like, when he saw we'd a corpse he follered. When we dropped the body at the door of Misery Castle"--the name of Mrs. Merry's abode provoked a smile--"the boy said as he'd knock. He knocked five times."
"Why five times?" questioned a juryman, while Eva started.
"I can't say, sir. But knock five times he did, and then ran away."
"What kind of a boy was he?"
"Just an ordinary boy, sir," grunted the witness, save that he seemed sharp. "He'd a white face and a lot of red hair----"
"Lor!" cried Mrs. Merry, interrupting the proceedings, "it's Butsey."
"Do you know the boy?" asked the coroner. "Come and give your evidence, Mrs. Merry."
The old woman, much excited, kissed the book. "Know the boy?" she said in her doleful voice. "Lord bless you, Mr. Shakerley, that being your name, sir, I don't know the boy from a partridge. But on Friday morning he came to me, and told me as Cain--my boy, gentlemen, and a wicked boy at that--would come and see me Saturday. As Cain was in the house, gentlemen, leastways as I'd sent him for a glove for the wooden hand of the corp, the boy--Butsey, he said his name was--told a lie, which don't astonish me, seeing what boys are. I think he was a London boy, being sharp and ragged. But he just told the lie, and before I could clout his head for falsehoods, he skipped away."
"Have you seen him since?"
"No, I ain't," said Mrs. Merry, "and when I do I'll clout him, I will."