ckened my pace to close up
somewhat, and it was well that I did so, for suddenly he diverged from
the road into a green lane, where for a while I lost sight of him.
Still hurrying forward, I again caught sight of him just as he turned
off into a narrow path that entered a beech wood with a thickish
undergrowth of holly, along which I followed him for several minutes,
gradually decreasing the distance between us, until suddenly there fell
on my ear a rhythmical sound like the clank of a pump. Soon after I
caught the sound of men's voices, and then the constable struck off the
path into the wood.

I now advanced more cautiously, endeavoring to locate the search party
by the sound of the pump, and when I had done this I made a little
detour so that I might approach from the opposite direction to that
from which the constable had appeared.

Still guided by the noise of the pump, I at length came out into a
small opening among the trees and halted to survey the scene. The
center of the opening was occupied by a small pond, not more than a
dozen yards across, by the side of which stood a builder's handcart.
The little two-wheeled vehicle had evidently been used to convey the
appliances which were deposited on the ground near it, and which
consisted of a large tub--now filled with water--a shovel, a rake, a
sieve, and a portable pump, the latter being fitted with a long
delivery hose. There were three men besides the constable, one of whom
was working the handle of the pump, while another was glancing at a
paper that the constable had just delivered to him. He looked up
sharply as I appeared, and viewed me with unconcealed disfavor.

"Hallo, sir!" said he. "You can't come here."

Now, seeing that I was actually here, this was clearly a mistake, and I
ventured to point out the fallacy.

"Well, I can't allow you to stay here. Our business is of a private
nature."

"I know exactly what your business is, Inspector Badger."

"Oh, do you?" said he, surveying me with a foxy smile. "And I expect I
know what yours is, too. But we can't have any of you newspaper gentry
spying on us just at present, so you just be off."

I thought it best to undeceive him at once, and accordingly, having
explained who I was, I showed him the coroner's permit, which he read
with manifest annoyance.

"This is all very well, sir," said he as he handed me back the paper,
"but it doesn't authorize you to come spying on the proceedings of th