er, and gave access to the
eastern end of the village by a steep climb of the wooded cliff. The
path, in fact, was a short cut to that part of Steynholme.

He sat on a hump of rock, and waited. It was a boyish trick, but very
successful. Within three minutes, at the utmost, P.C. Robinson hurried
past, using a stalking, stealthy stride which was distinctly ludicrous.

The eyes of the two men met, but Grant alone was prepared.

"Hello, Robinson!" he cried cheerfully. "What's the rush? Surely our
rural peace has not been disturbed again?"

Robinson knew he had been "sold," but rose to the occasion.

"Excuse me, Mr. Grant," he puffed. "Can't wait now. Have an appointment.
I'll see you later."

Honor demanded that he should not relax that swift pace. Unhappily, the
path up the cliff was visible throughout from Grant's rock, so, on
reaching the summit, Robinson was a-boil in more ways than one.
Moreover, peeping through the first screen of trees that offered, he
had the mortification of seeing the man who had befooled him go back
the way he came.

Purple-faced with heat and anger, the policeman forgot his surroundings,
and glowered at Grant with real fury. So he heard no one approaching
along the main road until he was hailed a second time with, "Hello,
Robinson!"

He turned sharply. This was Mr. Elkin.

"Good morning!" he said. "Have you seen the superintendent?"

"What? Mr. Fowler? No. Is _he_ here so early?"

"I must have missed him."

"Well, you'll hardly find him on Bush Walk," which was the name of the
path.

"You never can tell," came the dark answer.

At any rate, the policeman elected to abandon his self-imposed vigil, and
the two walked together into the village.

"My! You look as though you'd run a mile," commented Elkin.

"This murder has kept me busy," growled the other, frankly mopping
his forehead.

"Ay, that's so. And it isn't done with yet, by a long way. Pity you
weren't in the Hare and Hounds last night. You'd have heard something.
There's a chap staying there, name of Ingerman--"

"I've met him. The dead woman's husband."

"Oh, perhaps you've got his yarn already?"

"It all depends what he said to you."

"Well, he hinted things. Unless I'm greatly mistaken, you'll soon be
making an arrest."

"I believe I could put my hand on the murderer this very minute," said
Robinson vindictively.

Elkin laughed, somewhat half-heartedly.

"Lay you fifty to one against the time," he said.