ll, as he wos then, some
twenty-five year back by chance, as you may say"--he cast a strange look
at the detective, which the latter noted--"yes, by chance, Mr. Hurd. I
found he kep' the pub here, and this bein' no distance from Southampton
I took to runnin' down here when the barkey was at anchor. Me an' Krill
became great mates, and I'd what you might call free quarters here--yes,
sir--it's a frozen fact."

"Very generous of Mr. Krill," remarked Hurd, dryly, and wondering what
the man was keeping back.

"Oh, he was right enough as a mate when not drunk; but the liquor made a
howling dorg of him. I've seen many drunk in many places," said Jessop,
"but anyone who held his liquor wuss nor Krill I never did see. He'd
knife you as soon as look at you when drunk."

"But he evidently preferred strangling."

"Hold on, mate," said Jessop, with another deep pull at the rum. "I'm
comin' to that night. We wos both on the bust, as y'may say, and Mrs.
Krill she didn't like it, so got to bed with the child."

"How old was the child?"

"Maud? Oh, you might say she was thirteen or fifteen. I can't be sure of
her age. What's up?"

For Hurd, seeing in this admission a confirmation that Maud was either
not Krill's child or was illegitimate, and could not inherit the money,
had showed his feelings. However, he made some trivial excuse, not
wishing to be too confidential, and begged Jessop to proceed.

"Well, mate," said the captain, filling another glass of rum, "y'see
the lady had come earlier and had been put to bed by the missus. I never
saw her myself, being drinking in this very room along o' Krill. But
_he_ saw her," added Jessop, emphatically, "and said as she'd a fine
opal brooch, which he wish he'd had, as he wanted money and the missus
kept him tight."

"Krill was a judge of jewels?"

"Travelled in jewels once," said the captain. "Bless you, he could size
up a precious stone in no time. But he sat drinking with me, and every
now and then got out of the room, when he'd stop away for perhaps a
quarter of an hour at the time."

"Did he mention the opal brooch again?"

"No," said Jessop, after reflection, "he didn't. But he got so drunk
that he began to show fight, as he always did when boozy, though a timid
chap when sober. I concluded, wishing no row, to git to my hammock, and
cut up stairs. Then I went by mistake into the room of that pore lady,
carrying a candle, and saw her tied to the bedpost stone dead, with a