"Mr. Pettigrew said, Miss Covington, that I had better come to you and tell you exactly what I have done. I went down to Tilbury yesterday. I took with me one or two cases made up like a traveler's samples, and I presently found that the man at the public house by the water had a pony-trap which he let. I went over to him and said that I wanted it for the day.
"'How far are you going?' he asked.
"'I am going to Stanford,' I said; 'then by a crossroad by Laindon to Hornchurch and back.'
"'It is rather a long round for one day,' he said.
"''Tis a long round,' I said. 'Well, maybe I might sleep at Hornchurch, and go on to Upminster.'
"'You will have to pay a deposit of a couple of pounds,' he said, 'unless you like to take a boy.'
"I said I preferred driving myself, and that it was less weight for the pony. 'I suppose you often let it out?' I remarked.
"'Pretty often,' he said; 'you see, there is no way of getting about beyond this. It would pay me to keep a better trap if it wasn't that commercials generally work this country in their own vehicles, and take the road from Barking through Dagenham, or else from Brentwood or Chelmsford or one of the other Great Eastern stations. There is one in your line comes occasionally; he goes by the same route you are taking, and always has the trap to himself. He travels for some spirit firm, I think; he always brings down a couple of cases of bottles.'
"'That is my line too,' I said. 'He hasn't been here lately, I hope?'
"'Well, yes, he was here three or four days ago; he is a pretty liberal chap with his samples, I should say, for he always comes back with his cases empty.' Of course I hired the pony and trap. I drove through New Tilbury, Low Street, and Stanford. I put up there for three or four hours. At each place I went to all the public houses, and as I marked the liquors cheap I got several orders. I asked at every place had anyone in my line been round lately, and they all said no, and nobody had noticed the pony cart; but of course that did not prove that he might not have driven through there."