“Agent 1 reports that at 10.25 he found a dead man at such and such a spot, and a hatless man with a smoking gun running away. Agent 2 reports at 10.30, five minutes away from Agent 1, he saw a hatless man, panting hard, jump on a tram going to the station. Like Agent 1, who found the body, he was not able to get a description of him.
“Agent 3 reports that as he left the station by the 10.50 train, a hatless man jumped into his compartment. He was able to get a full description of this man, which was, etc., etc. The man got out at such and such a station.
“In a certain room in Dublin Castle a man sits putting together the reports, which come in helter-skelter. He finds these three make up an interesting story. Records are looked up, the description tallies with a certain man, in whom Dublin Castle has been mildly interested for some time. Inquiries are made where the gentleman in question left the train; the gentleman in question is secured, and he finds himself asked a number of questions that—but there’s no need to go on with the story.”
47 shrugged his shoulders. “What’s the time?” he said next, and looked at his watch.
“You’re not going yet,” I said. “I haven’t seen you for a month. The tram fare here and back is sixpence. I want my money’s worth. What’s your wife doing nowadays? Tell her we sent all sorts of good wishes.”
47 frowned. “It’s a lonely life for a woman,” he said, “and a nervy one, too. Of course, one always is meeting new people, always going from door to door; but in his heart a man is as lonely as a desert islander. Never a word spoken in favour of his beliefs. Never, never, never!”
A fish moved in the running water which was the boundary of this side of the gardens. It brought 47 out of the brown study into which he was falling.
“They’re trout,” I said. “I saw them earlier in the year, when the sun was about. We’ll come and give your wife a look up.”
“Not yet,” he answered. “I expect it would be all right; but wait a bit.”
“Don’t be too long, or we’ll come along in spite of you. Do you mean you are shadowed?”