from the lady herself, Cargrim mentally determined
to visit the Jenny Wren house after leaving Mrs Pansey, instead of
calling on Miss Tancred, as he had intended. However, he was in no
hurry; and, asking Daisy for a second cup of tea to prolong his stay,
went on drawing out his hostess.

'How very strange!' said he, in allusion to Miss Whichello. 'I wonder
why she went to view so terrible a sight as that man's body.'

'Ah!' replied Mrs Pansey, with a shake of her turban, 'we all want to
know that. But I'll find her out; that I will.'

'But, dear Mrs Pansey, you don't think sweet Miss Whichello has anything
to do with this very dreadful murder?'

'I accuse no one, Daisy. I simply think!'

'What do you think?' questioned Cargrim, rather sharply.

'I think--what I think,' was Mrs Pansey's enigmatic response; and she
shut her mouth hard. Honestly speaking, the artful old lady was as
puzzled by Miss Whichello's visit to the dead-house as her hearers, and
she could bring no very tangible accusation against her, but Mrs Pansey
well knew the art of spreading scandal, and was quite satisfied that her
significant silence--about nothing--would end in creating something
against Miss Whichello. When she saw Cargrim look at Daisy, and Daisy
look back to Cargrim, and remembered that their tongues were only a
degree less venomous than her own, she was quite satisfied that a seed
had been sown likely to produce a very fertile crop of baseless talk.
The prospect cheered her greatly, for Mrs Pansey hated Miss Whichello as
much as a certain personage she quoted on occasions is said to hate holy
water.

'You are quite an Ear of Dionysius,' said the chaplain, with a
complimentary smirk; 'everything seems to come to you.'

'I make it my business to know what is going on, Mr Cargrim,' replied
the lady, much gratified, 'in order to stem the torrent of infidelity,
debauchery, lying and flattery which rolls through this city.'

'Oh, dear me! how strange it is that the dear bishop saw nothing of
this frightful murder,' exclaimed Daisy, who had been reflecting. 'He
rode back from Southberry late on Sunday night, I hear.'

'His lordship saw nothing, I am sure,' said Cargrim, hastily, for it was
not his design to incriminate Dr Pendle; 'if he had, he would have
mentioned it to me. And you know, Miss Norsham, there was quite a
tempest on that night, so even if his lordship had passed near the scene
of the murder, he could not have heard th