This admission manifestly caused Swithin an effort; but he brightened again as he proceeded.
“T’ way he pieced it together caps all, and kep’ his-sen out o’ sight, so ’at Inman and Stalker thowt he’d dropped t’ business. They’d ha’ stared if they’d ha’ known ’at Detective Swith’n Marsdin was on t’ job!”
He broke off to hide a chuckle in his mug, but the company was too interested to smile.
“Detective Marsdin by day and Detective Harker by night,” he continued. “You should ha’ seen Inman’s face i’ t’ dock when he heard Harker putting two and two together. He had it all as clean as a whistle fro’ t’ time Inman slammed t’ carriage door tul. It seems t’ train he travelled by wor pulled up by signal a few hunderd yards out o’ t’ station, and him having a carriage to his-sen there wor nowt easier nor for him to drop out. That wor t’ first link i’ t’ chain.”
Swithin paused and took a refresher.
“Number two! At three o’clock t’ next morning a man summat after his build catches t’ Scotchman at t’ Junction, and lands i’ Airlee i’ time to get a’ early train for Hull. That brings us to Number Three!
“T’ ticket collector at Hull swears ’at a man wi’ a brown owercoat ’at lacked a button passed t’ barrier at nine i’ t’ morning, and t’ same man passed back at two i’ t’ afternoon. He reckernized him by t’ loose threads where t’ button sud ha’ been.”
Again Swithin paused, and allowed his eyes to travel over the company and take toll of their appreciation. Again, too, he refreshed himself with a drink.
“We had t’ job weighed up by this time,” he went on; not thinking it necessary to inform his hearers that much of this information had reached his ears for the first time that morning; “but we hadn’t fun where he’d hidden t’ brass, and Harker wasn’t for hurrying his-sen. When there wor no moon he left me i’ charge, as you may say; but there worn’t many nights i’ t’ month when he didn’t turn up his-sen; and how many hours, neighbours, when you’ve been warm i’ your beds that man’s been shivering i’ Gordel he could mebbe tell you better’n me.
“T’ first time he tracked him there, wor t’ night Maniwel’s roof-tree wor let down. Harker watched him do it, and then followed him across t’ moor to t’ Scar. But Inman wor ower quick for him, and Harker wor flayed o’ making a noise when he were climbing down t’ slippy rocks wi’ so much loose stone about, so all he knew wor ’at Inman wor groaning and pitying his-sen on t’ stones i’ t’ bottom. But by what he made out he’d slipped down t’ cliff-side and hurt his knee-cap, and a bonny job he had to trail his-sen home. It wor me ’at let day-light into Harker when he tell’d me; and it wor me ’at showed him where he could hide his-sen and spy on him.