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Business?" Cotherstone put his lips almost close to Mallalieu's ear. "That man Kitely my new tenant," he whispered. "He's met us you and me before!" Mallalieu's rosy cheeks paled, and he turned sharply on his companion. "Met us!" he exclaimed. "Him! Where? when?" Cotherstone got his lips still closer. "Wilchester!" he answered. "Thirty years ago. He knows!"
From the evidence there appeared to be two conflicting notions current in Wilchester at the time. Some people apparently believed confidently that the two culprits had lost the money in secret speculation and in gambling: other people were just as certain that they had quietly put the money away in some safe quarter.
They might refer to some Corporation financial business Cotherstone being Borough Treasurer. But they might not. And why were they mixed up with Wilchester? For once in a way, Stoner took no walk abroad that night. Usually, even when he stopped in of an evening, he had a brief stroll to the Grey Mare and back last thing before going to bed.
Now that I am talking, I will talk! Bent!" he continued, turning to his future son-in-law. "What I'm going to say now is for your benefit. But these lawyers shall hear. This old Wilchester business has been raked up how, I don't know. Now then, you shall all know the truth about that! I did two years for what? For being Mallalieu's catspaw!"
"Thirty years is a long time, sir," observed Stoner politely. "Aye, but I remember it quite well," said Mr. Pursey, with a confident nod. "I know it was thirty years ago, 'cause it was the Wilchester Assizes at which the Mallows & Chidforth case was tried. Yes thirty years. Eighteen hundred and eighty-one was the year. Mallows & Chidforth aye!" "Famous case that, sir?" asked Stoner.
He turned from these to the pocket-book itself, and on the last written page he found an entry which made him start. For there again were the initials! " M. & C. fraud bldg. soc. Wilchester Assizes 81 £2000 money never recovered 2 yrs. K. pres." Not much but Brereton hastily copied that entry.
He had no knowledge whatever of Stoner's having found out the secret of the Wilchester affair. He knew nothing of Stoner's having gone over to Darlington. On the Sunday he himself had gone up the moors for a quiet stroll. At the spinney overhanging Hobwick Quarry he had seen Mallalieu and Stoner, and had at once noticed that something in the shape of a quarrel was afoot.
And amongst them, and on the margins of the half-sheet, and scrawled here and there, as if purposelessly and carelessly, was one word in Cotherstone's handwriting, repeated over and over again. That word was Wilchester. Stoner knew how that half-sheet of foolscap had come into his possession.
There is just a chance that we may keep them in hand if that fellow Ivor Yardley can be induced to see reason. The rest of the Wilchester crew don't care a damn, but he has more brains. I'm counting on him." "How are you going to get hold of him?" questioned Fielding. "I suppose I must go up to town some week-end. I haven't told Juliet yet.
What a fortunate coincidence! he said to himself; what a lucky stroke! There he was, wanting badly to find out something about Wilchester and here, elbow to elbow with him, was a Wilchester man! And an elderly Wilchester man, too one who doubtless remembered all about Wilchester for many a long year.
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