“How do you do, sir?” said Spargo, pointing a finger to one of the easy-chairs for which the Watchman office is famous.  “I understand that you wish to see me?”

The caller ducked his yellow head again, sat down on the edge of the chair, put his hat on the floor, picked it up again, and endeavoured to hang it on his knee, and looked at Spargo innocently and shyly.

“What I want to see, sir,” he observed in a rustic accent, “is the gentleman as wrote that piece in your newspaper about this here murder in Middle Temple Lane.”

“You see him,” said Spargo.  “I am that man.”

The caller smiled—­generously.

“Indeed, sir?” he said.  “A very nice bit of reading, I’m sure.  And what might your name be, now, sir?  I can always talk free-er to a man when I know what his name is.”

“So can I,” answered Spargo.  “My name is Spargo—­Frank Spargo.  What’s yours?”

“Name of Webster, sir—­William Webster.  I farm at One Ash Farm, at Gosberton, in Oakshire.  Me and my wife,” continued Mr. Webster, again smiling and distributing his smile between both his hearers, “is at present in London on a holiday.  And very pleasant we find it—­weather and all.”

“That’s right,” said Spargo.  “And—­you wanted to see me about this murder, Mr. Webster?”

“I did, sir.  Me, I believe, knowing, as I think, something that’ll do for you to put in your paper.  You see, Mr. Spargo, it come about in this fashion—­happen you’ll be for me to tell it in my own way.”

“That,” answered Spargo, “is precisely what I desire.”

“Well, to be sure, I couldn’t tell it in no other,” declared Mr. Webster.  “You see, sir, I read your paper this morning while I was waiting for my breakfast—­they take their breakfasts so late in them hotels—­and when I’d read it, and looked at the pictures, I says to my wife ‘As soon as I’ve had my breakfast,’ I says, ’I’m going to where they print this newspaper to tell ’em something.’  ‘Aye?’ she says, ‘Why, what have you to tell, I should like to know?’ just like that, Mr. Spargo.”

“Mrs. Webster,” said Spargo, “is a lady of businesslike principles.  And what have you to tell?”

Mr. Webster looked into the crown of his hat, looked out of it, and smiled knowingly.

“Well, sir,” he continued, “Last night, my wife, she went out to a part they call Clapham, to take her tea and supper with an old friend of hers as lives there, and as they wanted to have a bit of woman-talk, like, I didn’t go.  So thinks I to myself, I’ll go and see this here House of Commons.  There was a neighbour of mine as had told me that all you’d got to do was to tell the policeman at the door that you wanted to see your own Member of Parliament.  So when I got there I told ’em that I wanted to see our M.P., Mr. Stonewood—­you’ll have heard tell of him, no doubt; he knows me very well—­and they passed me, and I wrote out a ticket for him,