“No, sir—that is—” for at that moment Julius growled—“yes, sir. I thought if there was anything wrong it was my duty to the school to know it, sir.”
“Exemplary pedagogue! And now you know it? Eh?”
“Well, sir, I have my suspicions.”
“No! And what might your suspicions be?”
“Oh, sir,” replied the wretched Jonah, feeling like a blue-bottle on a pin, “I believe he’s a murderer in hiding. I really do.”
“Clever little ferret! You’ve found that out, have you?”
“I feel no doubt about it,” said Jonah, plucking up a little confidence.
“Don’t feel any. When and where did the interesting event take place?”
“Oh, you could tell me that better than I can tell you,” stammered Trimble.
“Indeed!” said Mr Halgrove, his eyebrows going up ominously in the dark.