“What is it, Aguilar?” she questioned, inimically.

“It’s down here,” said Aguilar, who recked not of the implications of a tone.  And by the mere force of his glance he drew his mistress away, out of sight of Musa and the dog.

“Is that your motor-car at the gates, madam?” he demanded gloomily and confidentially, his gaze now fixed on the ground or on his patched boots.

“Of course it is,” said Audrey.  “Why, what’s the matter?”

“That’s all right then,” said he.  “But I thought it might belong to another person, and I had to make sure.  Now if ye’ll just step along a bit farther, I’ve a little thing as I want to point out to ye, madam.  It’s my duty to point it out, let others say what they will.”

He walked ahead doggedly, and Audrey crossly came after, until they arrived nearly at the end of the hedge which, separating the upper from the lower garden, hid from those immediately behind it all view of the estuary.  Here, still sheltered by the hedge, he stopped and Audrey stopped, and Aguilar absently plucked up a young plantain from the turf and dropped it into his pocket.

“There’s been a man a-hanging round this place since yesterday mornin’,” said Aguilar intimately.  “I call him a suspicious character—­at least, I did, till last night.  He ain’t slept in the village, that I do know, but he’s about again this morning.”

“Well,” said Audrey with impatience.  “Why don’t you tell Inspector Keeble?  Or have you quarrelled with Inspector Keeble again?”

“It’s not that as would ha’ stopped me from acquainting Inspector Keeble with the circumstances if I thought it my duty so to do,” replied Aguilar.  “But the fact is I saw the chap talking to Inspector Keeble yesterday evening.  He don’t know as I saw him.  It was that as made me think; now is he a suspicious character or ain’t he?  Of course Keeble’s a rare simple-minded ’un, as we all know.”

“And what do you want me to do?”

“I thought you might like to have a look at him yeself, madam.  And if you’ll just peep round the end of this hedge casual-like, ye’ll see him walking across the salting from Lousey Hard.  He’s a-comin’ this way.  Casual-like now—­and he won’t see ye.”

Audrey had to obey.  She peeped casual-like, and she did in fact see a man on the salting, and this man was getting nearer.  She could see him very plainly in the brilliant clearness of the summer morning.  After the shortest instant of hesitation she recognised him beyond any doubt.  It was the detective who had been so plenteously baptised by Susan Foley in the area of the house at Paget Gardens.  Aguilar looked at Audrey, and Audrey annoyed herself somewhat by blushing.  However, an agreeable elation quickly overcame the blush.

CHAPTER XXVIII

ENCOUNTER

“Good morning,” Audrey cried, very gaily, to the still advancing detective, who, after the slightest hesitation in the world, responded gaily: