oach 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 centre 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 disfavour.

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

Now, seeing that I actually was 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 authorise you to come spying on the proceedings of the
police. Any remains that we discover will be deposited in the mortuary,
where you can inspect them to your heart's content; but you can't stay
here and watch us."

I had no defined object in keeping a watch on the inspector's
proceedings; but the sergeant's indiscreet hint had aroused my
curiosity, which was further excited by Mr. Badger's evident desire to
get rid of me. Moreover, while we had been talking, the pump had stopped
(the muddy floor of the pond being now pretty fully exposed), and the
inspector's assistant was handling the shovel impatiently.

"Now, I put it to you, Inspector," said I, persuasively, "is it politic
of you to allow it to be said that you refused an authorised
representative of the family facilities for verifying any statements
that y