the
trees; but he'd be talking a long time before I'd believe the like of
that. Any way, the apples were there, and a good many of them. I didn't
see them myself, but they tell me there might have been up to ten stone
altogether. Well, one night the half of them was gone. The gossures
from about the town had them ate."

"Of course they had," said Meldon. "What would you expect?"

"What nobody would expect," said Doyle, "was the temper Simpkins was in
in the morning. He was up and down, in and out of the police barrack,
cursing all sorts. Well, the sergeant came out and looked at the trees,
and he asked Simpkins did he have the apples counted before they were
took, and would he be prepared to swear to them if so be that the police
found them for him. You'd think that would have pacified him, but it
didn't. So the sergeant, who wanted to do the best he could for the
peace of the town, went down to the house again after he had his dinner
ate, and two constables along with him, and asked the girl that does be
with Mr. Simpkins--"

"Sabina's red-haired cousin," said Meldon.

"Asked her," said Doyle, "was there ever a boy about the place at night;
which of course there wasn't, her being a respectable girl that wasn't
keeping company with any boy, unless it might be walking out now and then
of a Sunday with Jamesy Carroll. Believe you me, it took the sergeant
all he knew to quieten down her mother that was over at the barracks
asking for the name of the villain that was taking away her daughter's
character. That night the rest of the apples was took, and Simpkins was
fit to be put in the asylum in the morning. He said the sergeant was an
incompetent jackass.--Wasn't them the words he used, doctor?"

"And others along with them," said Dr. O'Donoghue.

"The sergeant, being a man who'd always kept himself to himself and
didn't mix with bad company, wasn't going near the house while the like
of that language was going on. But he sent down the whole of the four
constables to look at the apple trees; which they did. But Simpkins got
worse instead of better. He wrote off a note to the District Inspector
complaining of the sergeant. But the D.I. had more sense than to take
any notice, knowing well that if there's an apple in the place the
gossures will get it, and small blame to them."

"Sensible man," said Meldon.

"When Simpkins got no satisfaction out of him," said Doyle, "he wrote to
the County Inspector.