“If I could think that, Smith, I’d say go on, but I cannot. Here, let’s talk about him and his accident.”
“I don’t think there’s been no accident, sir, yer see he aren’t a haccidental sort o’ chap.”
“Well, about his disappearance.”
“Disappearance, sir?” said Smith. “I aren’t no scholard, but I don’t see as how a man can disappear in the dark. That aren’t nat’ral, is it?”
“No: of course not, a blunder of mine, Smith. Do you feel cold?”
“No, sir, on’y just comf’able. Watcher think o’ doing?”
“I did mean to go right to where we stood looking down over the water toward the falls, so as to be near poor Wriggs, but our voices would be quite drowned.”
“Might take a walk there, sir, all the same,” said Smith, “an’ then come back, you know. But I say, sir, you don’t think there’s no underground sort o’ wild beasties here, do you?”
“No, Smith, nothing of the kind.”
“No big sort of worms as might twissen round yer and pull yer into their holes?”