“I don’t know nothing about no murder,” he declared, contemptuously. “I was just pulling Lizzie’s leg.” “You’ve done it now,” French said, producing his card. “There’s my authority as a police officer. You’ve wasted my time and kept me back from my work. That’s obstruction and you’ll get six months for it. Come along to the station. And unless you want a couple of years you’ll come quietly.” This was not what the man expected. “Wot’s that?” he stammered. “You ain’t going to arrest me? I ain’t done nothin’ against the law, I ain’t.” “You’ll soon find out about that. Look sharp now. I can’t spend the day here waiting for you.” “Aw!” The man shifted nervously. “See, mister, I ain’t done no harm, I ain’t. I don’t know nothing about no murder. I don’t, honest.” “I don’t want to be hard on you,” French answered. “If you tell your story without any more humbugging I’ll let the rest go. But I warn you, you needn’t start inventing any yarn. What you say will be gone into, and Heaven help you if it’s not true.” “I’ll take my davy it’s true, mister, but it ain’t about no murder.” “Well, get along sharp and let’s hear it.” “It was one night about six months ago,” said Beer, now speaking almost eagerly. “Me and Lizzie were walking out at that time. Well, that night we’d fixed up for to go for a walk, and then at the last minute she couldn’t get away. Mrs. Berlyn was goin’ out or somethin’, and she couldn’t get off. We’d ’ad it fixed up that when that ’appened Lizzie would come down to the shrubbery after the rest ’ad gone to bed. Well, I wanted to see ’er that night for to fix up some little business between ourselves, so I went up to the ’ouse and gave the sign—three taps with a tree branch at ’er window. You understand?” French nodded. “Well, I went back into the shrubbery for to wait for her. It was dark, but a quiet night. An’ then I ’eard voices an’ steps comin’ along the path. So I got behind a bush so as they’d not see me. There was a man and a woman, an’ when they came close I knew them by their voices. It was Pyke and Mrs. Berlyn. I stayed still an’ they passed me close.” “Go ahead. Did you hear what they said, or what are you getting at?” “I ’eard wot they said when they were passing. ‘I tell you ’e knows,’ she said. ‘I’m frightened,’ she said. ‘You don’t know him. If ’e once thinks you’ve played ’im false ’e’ll make a ’ell of a trouble.’ An’ then Pyke says: ‘Nonsense!’ ’e said. ‘’E’s not that sort. Besides,’ ’e said, ‘’e don’t know anything. ’E knows we’re friends, but that’s all.’ ‘No,’ she said, ‘I’m sure ’e knows or ’e guesses, anyway. We’ll ’ave to separate,’ she said. ’E said they ’ad been careful enough, and then they went past an’ I didn’t ’ear no more.” “That all?” “That’s all,” said Beer, disgustedly. “Ain’t it enough?”