sfied. He had been willing enough to hold his tongue,
because by so doing his unexpected and damning appearance at the trial
would be the more dramatic and impressive. But he was impatient to make
that appearance, and chafed at the delay. Also, his prestige was waning.
The village was losing interest in the mystery, and it no longer looked
to him to drop hints as the holder of the secret. That did not prevent
him from dropping them. He would bring up the subject of the murder in
order to drop them. His acquaintances who wished now to talk about other
things found this practice tiresome. They did not hide this feeling.
Matters came to a climax one evening in the bar of the "Bull and Gate."

William Roper dragged the subject of the murder into a conversation on
the high price of groceries, and then, as usual, hinted at the things he
could say and he would.

John Pittaway, who had been leading the conversation about the high price
of groceries, turned on him and said with asperity: "I don't believe as
there's anything you can tell us as we don't know, or you'd 'ave told it
afore this fast enough, William Roper."

"That's what I've been thinking this long time," said old Bob Carter, who
had for over forty years made a point of agreeing with the most
disagreeable person at the moment in the bar of the "Bull and Gate."

"Isn't there? You wait an' see. You wait till the trial," said
William Roper.

"Trial? There won't be no trial. 'Oo's a goin' to be tried? They ain't
agoin' to try Jim 'Utchings. It's plain that 'er ladyship 'as set 'er
face against that. And, wot's more, they can't 'ave much to try 'im on,
or they'd 'ave to do it, in spite o' wot she said," said John Pittaway in
yet more disagreeable accents.

William Roper was very angry. This was not to be borne. Indeed, if John
Pittaway were right, and there was to be no trial, where was his
dramatic and impressive appearance at it? He had better be dramatic and
impressive now.

"Who said as they were goin' to try Jim 'Utchings? I never did," he
growled. "There was other people went to the Castle that night besides
Jim 'Utchings, and that mysterierse woman the papers talked about."

"An' 'ow do you know?" said John Pittaway in a tone of most disagreeable
incredulity.

"I know because I seed 'em," said William Roper.

"Saw 'oo?" said John Pittaway.

Then the whole story he had told Mr. Flexen burst forth from William
Roper's overcharged bosom, the story with th