And
now it had gone to Bearside whom Nickem remembered as a junior to
himself when they were both young hobbledehoys at Norrington,--a
dirty, blear-eyed, pimply-faced boy who was suspected of purloining
halfpence out of coat-pockets. The thing was very trying to Nat
Nickem. But suddenly, before that Wednesday was over, another idea
had occurred to him, and he was almost content. He knew Goarly, and
he had heard of Scrobby and Scrobby's history in regard to the
tenement at Rufford. As he could not get Goarly's case why should
he not make something of the case against Goarly? That detective
was merely eking out his time and having an idle week among the
public-houses. If he could set himself up as an amateur detective
he thought that he might perhaps get to the bottom of it all. It is
not a bad thing to be concerned on the same side with a lord when
the lord is in earnest. Lord Rufford was very angry about the
poison in the covert and would probably be ready to pay very
handsomely for having the criminal found and punished. The criminal
of course was Goarly. Nickem did not doubt that for a moment, and
would not have doubted it whichever side he might have taken.
Nickem did not suppose that any one for a moment really doubted
Goarly's guilt. But to his eyes such certainty amounted to nothing,
if evidence of the crime were not forthcoming.
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