“And they sent him a telegraph to come back, say ye?” pursued Swithin whose duties had kept him out of the village all day so that he had some leeway to make up.
“Before ten i’ t’ morning,” another volunteered. “Our Frank handed it in. ’E were to ’ave ’elped to get Baldwin to bed by Inman’s orders, if so be ’at ’e ’adn’t been able to ’elp ’is-self. ’Owsomever ’e’d getten to bed when Frank got there; an’ seemin’ly ’e ’adn’t locked t’ shop door; but that wor nowt out o’ t’ common, an’ nob’dy noticed nowt amiss till Baldwin went to t’ safe—”
“Aye, aye, we’ve heard that before,” Swithin broke in. “We know ’at t’ safe worn’t locked for all there wor five hunderd pound in it and at t’ drawer wor prized oppen—it’s Inman’s doings I’m wanting to get at.”
“ ’E wired back by eleven,” the other went on, “but he couldn’t get here afore five. They stopped t’ Scotchman for him, same as he’d been t’ squire his-self, and t’ inspector wor waitin’ down at t’ station wi’ a motor-car. Ah seed ’em pass my-self, an’ no notice ta’en o’ speed-limits seemin’ly.”
Swithin’s eyes rested on the speaker with such concentration that the man became uneasy and Ambrose noticed it.
“Tha’s no ’casion to fidget, lad,” he piped; “Swith’n noan suspicions thee o’ steylin’ t’ brass; but he’s a fearful cute hand at puttin’ two an’ two together, when he sets his-sen, and he’s seein’ summat ’at’s hid from ordinary een. It’s a gift wi’ some men. A far-seein’ man was his fayther afore him, as noan on ye’ll recollect; but Swith’n’s as like him as if he’d been spit out of his mouth.”
“What I see and what I say, Ambrus, is two different things,” returned Swithin who was obviously pleased by the old man’s compliment. “There’s a time to speak your thoughts and a time to bottle ’em; but what I’ve seen I’ve seen, let any man deny it ’at will.”
He looked round at the company defiantly; but meeting with nothing that could be regarded as a challenge: indeed with nothing but eager interest, he first lifted his pot to his lips and then continued, with his eyes on Ambrose.
“Two and two together I can put, Ambrus; but when it’s two and a nowt, where are you then? If Inman hadn’t ha’ been i’ Hull mebbe I’d ha’ had summat to say ’at ’ud ha’ made some folks’ hair stand on end; but seeing as he wor in Hull there’s an end on’t.”
With this enigmatical statement he returned to his ale, and Ambrose signalled to the company to keep silence.