d smirk. 'Such anxiety shows that the secret is worth learning.
Sooner or later I shall find it out, and then I can insist upon being
the rector of Heathcroft. I have no time to lose, so I shall go to The
Derby Winner to-night and see if I can induce this mysterious Jentham to
speak out. He looks a drunken dog, so a glass of wine may unloosen his
tongue.'

From this speech it can be seen that Mr Cargrim was true to his Jesuitic
instincts, and thought no action dishonourable so long as it aided him
to gain his ends. He was a methodical scoundrel, too, and arranged the
details of his scheme with the utmost circumspection. For instance,
prior to seeing the man with the scar, he thought it advisable to find
out if the bishop had drawn a large sum of money while in London for the
purpose of bribing the creature to silence. Therefore, before leaving
the palace, he made several attempts to examine the cheque-book. But Dr
Pendle remained constantly at his desk in the library, and although the
plotter actually saw the cheque-book at the elbow of his proposed
victim, he was unable, without any good reason, to pick it up and
satisfy his curiosity. He was therefore obliged to defer any attempt to
obtain it until the next day, as the bishop would probably leave it
behind him when he rode over to Southberry. This failure vexed the
chaplain, as he wished to be forearmed in his interview with Jentham,
but, as there was no help for it, he was obliged to put the cart before
the horse--in other words, to learn what he could from the man first and
settle the bribery question by a peep into the cheque-book afterwards.
The ingenious Mr Cargrim was by no means pleased with this slip-slop
method of conducting business. There was method in his villainy.

That evening, after despatching the telegram to Southberry, the chaplain
repaired to The Derby Winner and found it largely patronised by a noisy
and thirsty crowd. The weather was tropical, the workmen of Beorminster
had received their wages, so they were converting the coin of the realm
into beer and whisky as speedily as possibly. The night was calm and
comparatively cool with the spreading darkness, and the majority of the
inhabitants were seated outside their doors gossiping and taking the
air. Children were playing in the street, their shrill voices at times
interrupting the continuous chatter of the women; and The Derby Winner,
flaring with gas, was stuffed as full as it could hold with a