o see right through!--in succession to my
cousin, John Wallingford, late Mayor of this borough, who was murdered
in this very hall," said Brent. "There are men here who know that he was
working day and night to bring about the financial reforms which I
advocate."

The inspector moved uneasily in his seat at the sound of the word which
Brent emphasized in his reference to his cousin.

"I am sure I sympathize with you, Mr. Brent," he said. "I have been much
grieved to hear of the late Mayor's sad fate. But you say you have
voluntarily taken up his work? Did he leave you any facts, figures,
statistics, particulars, to work on?"

"If he had known that I was going to take up his work he would doubtless
have left me plenty," replied Brent. "But he was murdered! He had such
things--a certain note-book, filled with his discoveries."

"Where is that book?" inquired the inspector. "Can it be produced?"

"It cannot," said Brent. "It was stolen when my cousin was killed."

The inspector hesitated, shuffling his papers.

"Then you have no figures, facts, anything, Mr. Brent?" he said
presently. "Nothing to support your newspaper articles?"

"Nothing of that sort," answered Brent. "My articles refer wholly to the
general principle of the thing."

The inspector smiled.

"I'm afraid governments--national or municipal--aren't run on general
principles, Mr. Brent," he remarked.

"No!" said Brent. "They seem to be run on the lack of them."

The official inquiry came to an end on that--amidst good-humoured
laughter at Brent's apparently ingenuous retort. The inspector
announced that he would issue his report in due course, and everybody
knew what it would be. The good old ways, the time-honoured customs
would have another lease of life. Once more, Simon Crood had come out on
top.

But as he was leaving the Moot Hall, Brent felt his arm touched and
turned to see Hawthwaite. The superintendent gave him a knowing look.

"To-morrow!" he whispered. "Be prepared! All's done; all's ready!"

CHAPTER XX

THE FELL HAND

Brent heard what the superintendent said, nodded a silent reply, and
five minutes later had put that particular thing clean out of his mind.
During the progress of the Local Government Board inquiry he had learned
something: that men like Tansley and Epplewhite knew a lot more about
Hathelsborough and Hathelsborough folk than he did, or than Wallingford
had known, despite the murdered man's longer experie