"Eh?" he said. "What's that?"
"Smell for yourself," answered Viner. "Let the inspector smell too. I
draw the attention to both of you to the fact, because we'll raise that
point whenever it's necessary. Those papers have at some time been used
to wrap some strong-smelling drug."
"No doubt of it!" said Felpham, who was applying the papers to his nose.
"Smell them, Drillford! As Mr. Viner says, what would Hyde be doing with
this stuff in his pocket?"
"That's a mere detail," remarked Drillford impatiently. "These chaps that
mooch about, as Hyde was doing, pick up all sorts of odds and ends. He
may have pinched them from a chemist's shop. Anyway, there's the
fact--and we'll hang him on it! You'll see!"
"We shall never see anything of the sort!" said Viner. "You're on the
wrong tack, Inspector. Let me put two or three things to your
intelligence. Where's Ashton's purse? I know for a fact that Ashton had a
purse full of money when he went out of his house that night--Mrs.
Killenhall and Miss Wickham saw him take it out just before he left to
give some cash to the parlourmaid, and they saw him replace it in his
trousers pocket; I also know for another fact where he spent money that
evening--in short, I know now a good deal about his movements for some
hours before his death.
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