“It’s as good for you,” said the sergeant, “that you didn’t make him the inspector of sheep dipping that time.”
“It was that preyed on his mind,” said Jimmy. “He never rightly got over it. I don’t say he’d have been elected—there was better men up for the job than him—but he destroyed himself altogether when he went getting a testimonial to his character from Lord Manton. The League wouldn’t stand the like of that, and small blame to them. It couldn’t be expected that they would.”
“We’ll go up to the Castle,” said the sergeant to Constable Cole, “and find out whether Patsy went there before he left, if so be that his lordship has come home.”
“I didn’t hear any talk of his being away,” said Jimmy.
“Well, he was away. Yesterday and to-day.”
“That’s queer now,” said Jimmy, “for it was only this morning I was talking to Byrne the steward, and he told me that his lordship was walking round yesterday afternoon looking into the new drain he’s thinking of making across the top of the deer park, and that he went in for his tea the same as usual. What’s more, he was speaking to Byrne this morning about the disgraceful way the roads is kept by the County Council, and the rates being so high and such-like.”
“It couldn’t be,” said the sergeant, “for I was up there three times yesterday, and I wasn’t able to see him.”
“Take care but he didn’t want to see you.”
“And I had a letter from him this morning telling me that he’d be away from home all the day.”
“Take care,” said Jimmy again, “but he mightn’t have wanted to see you.”