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Then they lifted the coffin on to the tressels, covering it over with the sheet, and the appearance it then presented was so exactly similar to what they had seen when they first entered the room, that it caused the same thought to occur to all of them: Suppose Snatchum took it into his head to come there and take the body out again?
'When they brought the body 'ome this afternoon, Crass went on, 'Snatchum tried to get the stifficut orf 'er, but she'd been thinkin' things over and she was a bit frightened 'cos she knowed she'd made arrangements with me, and she thought she'd better see me first; so she told 'im she'd give it to 'im on Thursday; that's the day as 'e was goin' to 'ave the funeral.
Hunter kept his eyes fixed straight ahead and affected not to see him, but Crass could not resist the temptation to indulge in a jeering smile, which so enraged Snatchum that he shouted out: 'It don't matter! I shan't lose much! I can use it for someone else!
It appeared that the other member of the Society, accompanied by Snatchum, had called upon the old woman and had bluffed her into giving them the order for the funeral. It was they who had put her up to getting the certificate from the Coroner they had been careful to keep away from the inquest themselves so as not to arouse Hunter's or Crass's suspicions.
Meanwhile, Hunter had taken his position a few yards in front of the hearse and the bearers each his proper position, two on each side. As the procession turned into the main road, they saw Snatchum standing at the corner looking very gloomy.
The empty coffin had been reared against one of the walls and the marble slab was still stained with blood, for the keeper had not had time to clean it since the body had been removed. 'I can see 'ow it's been worked, said Crass at last. 'There's one of the members of the club who works for Snatchum, and 'e's took it on 'isself to give the order for the funeral; but 'e's got no right to do it.
He seems quite sorry about it. 'Oh, he does, does he? said Crass, with a peculiar expression. 'Don't you know who he is? 'No, replied the boy; 'but I thought p'raps he was a reporter of some paper. ''E ain't no reporter: that's old Snatchum the undertaker. 'E's smellin' round after a job; but 'e's out of it this time, smart as 'e thinks 'e is.
'Snatchum came this afternoon with a hand-truck and a corfin, explained the keeper. 'I was out at the time, and the missis thought it was all right so she let him have the key. Hunter and Crass looked blankly at each other. 'Well, this takes the biskit! said the latter as soon as he could speak. 'I thought you said you had settled everything all right with the old woman? said Hunter.
'I've been thinking this business over as I came along, he said, 'and I don't see being beat like this by Snatchum; so you two can just put the tressels and the box on a hand cart and we'll take it over to Philpot's house. Nimrod walked on the pavement while the other two pushed the cart, and it was about half past nine, when they arrived at the street in Windley where Philpot used to live.
'He'll find he's a day too late, said Misery, with a ghastly grin. 'We'll get the job done on Wednesday. 'She didn't want to give it to me, at first, Crass concluded, 'but I told 'er we'd see 'er right if old Snatchum tried to make 'er pay for the other coffin. 'I don't think he's likely to make much fuss about it, said Hunter. 'He won't want everybody to know he was so anxious for the job.
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