“T’ button off Inman’ owercoat,” replied Swithin. “He fun it t’ same night you met him i’ t’ Long Close and suspicioned him for t’ thief and flayed me wi’ your talk about a gallus-button. Not ’at I’m blaming you for being on t’ wrong scent, ’cos we aren’t all born alike, and some’s bound to make fools o’ theirsel’s. It wor me ’at fun out for him ’at after that ’at Inman’s coat wor short o’ that button; but I’ll tak’ to’t, neighbours, ’at it wor Mr. Harker ’at guessed ’at he’d hid t’ money away i’ t’ Scar.” This admission manifestly caused Swithin an effort; but he brightened again as he proceeded. “T’ way he pieced it together caps all, and kep’ his-sen out o’ sight, so ’at Inman and Stalker thowt he’d dropped t’ business. They’d ha’ stared if they’d ha’ known ’at Detective Swith’n Marsdin was on t’ job!” He broke off to hide a chuckle in his mug, but the company was too interested to smile. “Detective Marsdin by day and Detective Harker by night,” he continued. “You should ha’ seen Inman’s face i’ t’ dock when he heard Harker putting two and two together. He had it all as clean as a whistle fro’ t’ time Inman slammed t’ carriage door tul. It seems t’ train he travelled by wor pulled up by signal a few hunderd yards out o’ t’ station, and him having a carriage to his-sen there wor nowt easier nor for him to drop out. That wor t’ first link i’ t’ chain.” Swithin paused and took a refresher. “Number two! At three o’clock t’ next morning a man summat after his build catches t’ Scotchman at t’ Junction, and lands i’ Airlee i’ time to get a’ early train for Hull. That brings us to Number Three! “T’ ticket collector at Hull swears ’at a man wi’ a brown owercoat ’at lacked a button passed t’ barrier at nine i’ t’ morning, and t’ same man passed back at two i’ t’ afternoon. He reckernized him by t’ loose threads where t’ button sud ha’ been.” Again Swithin paused, and allowed his eyes to travel over the company and take toll of their appreciation. Again, too, he refreshed himself with a drink. “We had t’ job weighed up by this time,” he went on; not thinking it necessary to inform his hearers that much of this information had reached his ears for the first time that morning; “but we hadn’t fun where he’d hidden t’ brass, and Harker wasn’t for hurrying his-sen. When there wor no moon he left me i’ charge, as you may say; but there worn’t many nights i’ t’ month when he didn’t turn up his-sen; and how many hours, neighbours, when you’ve been warm i’ your beds that man’s been shivering i’ Gordel he could mebbe tell you better’n me.