"He and the other man were too
much absorbed in whatever it was they were talking about. I have been
wondering since I first saw him at the tavern," he continued, "if I
ought not to tell the police what I know about him--I mean, that he
was certainly in Ashton's company on the evening of the murder. What
do you think?"
"I think not, at present," replied Mr. Pawle. "It seems evident--unless,
indeed, it was all a piece of bluff, and it may have been--that this man
is, or was when you saw him, just as ignorant as the landlord of that
place was that the man who used to drop in there and Ashton were one and
the same person. No, let the police go on their own lines--we're on
others. We shall hear of this man again, whoever he is. Now I must get
back to my office--come there at half-past eleven tomorrow morning,
Viner, and we'll go on to Carless and Driver's."
Viner went thoughtfully homeward, ruminating over the events of the day,
and entered his house to find his two guests, the sisters of the unlucky
Hyde, in floods of tears, and Miss Penkridge looking unusually grave. The
elder Miss Hyde sprang up at sight of him and held a tear-soaked
handkerchief towards him in pantomimic appeal.
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