It puzzled Jagger that so little attention had been paid by the police to the occurrence, and he felt a sense of personal grievance, (though a keener sense of amusement left the grievance without sting), at the thought that their lack of interest and enterprise kept an innocent man under suspicion. No doubt to these townspeople the loss of five hundred pounds was an event of no great moment, but Inman was not to be blamed if he refused to regard it with the same equanimity, and applied himself to the task of which the professional detectives appeared to have tired. Jagger laughed to himself as these thoughts passed through his mind. “And whilst he’s following this false scent with his precious Stalker,” he said, “the real fox is getting away. The daft fools!” Then a grimmer smile spread over his face. “He calls _me_ a fool,” he muttered; “but he can’t have it both ways. If I took t’ money I’ve been too clever for them to find it. Seemingly, he thinks better of me than he’s willing to take to. Maybe, he’ll find ’at I’m cleverer than he thinks, for I’ll lay him by the heels yet. He’ll go a bit too far with his underhanded night jobs, I’ll warrant.” Thus switched back to his own concerns his thoughts naturally returned to Nancy, and the shadow of uneasiness that had never entirely left his face deepened again. “I’d rather she’d kept out of it,” he said, “but she’s bad to shift when she sets herself, same as most moor-folk; and she’s afraid o’ naught. However, she has her wits about her, and maybe she’ll pull it off.” CHAPTER XXVI IN WHICH MANIWEL LETS JAGGER INTO A SECRET “NOT so bad for an old man, Jagger!” said Maniwel, as he passed a rag with a few last caressing touches over the shining surface of a small bookcase:—“I say, not so bad for an old fellow wi’ one arm! Bear in mind, young gaffer, ’at I’ve glass-papered it, stained and polished it, on my lonesome; and you’ve never put finger to’t. Come over here, Baldwin, and tha shalt be t’ boss and pass t’ job!” Jagger smiled and ungrudgingly admitted that he couldn’t have done better work himself, but Baldwin had to be summoned a second time before he approached. “Does tha hear, Baldwin? I’m waiting to hear tha say it’ll do!” The breezy, encouraging note in Maniwel’s voice brought Baldwin from the shadows. “It ails naught ’at I see on,” he said; “but it’s making game o’ me to ask for my opinion, when you know better’n I do.” There was a trace of peevishness in the reply, and he would have turned again to his work if Maniwel had not arrested him.