She said, “Oh, Nosey, you murdering villain, you know you ought to be hanged.”  There was a prophetic ring in these words which delighted the chief constable, and he glued his great ear to the weatherboards, eagerly listening for more; but the wrangling pair were very disappointing; they would not keep to the point.  At last he walked round the hut, suddenly opened the door, and entered.  Nosey was struck dumb at once.  His first thought was that his plan had been sprung, and that the murder was out.  The chief addressed Julia in a tone of authority, imitating the counsel for the crown when examining a prevaricating witness.

“Now, missus, remember you will be put on your oath.  You said just now, ’Oh, Nosey, you murdering villain, you know you ought to be hanged.’  Those were your very words.  Now what did you mean?  On your oath, mind; out with it at once.”

But Julia was not to be caught so easily.  She replied: 

“Oh, bad luck to him, he is always angry.  I don’t know what to do with him.  I did not mean anything.”

“You did not mean anything about Baldy, I suppose, did you, now?” queried the constable, shamefully leading the witness, and looking hard at Nosey.

Julia parried the question by heaving a deep sigh, and saying:  “Hi, ho, Harry, if I were a maid, I never would marry;” and then she began singing a silly old song.

The constable was disgusted, and said: 

“My good woman, you’ll find there will be nothing to laugh at in this job, when I see you again.”

As he left the hut, he turned at the door and gave one more look at Nosey, who had stood all the time rivetted to the ground, expecting every moment that the constable would produce the handcuffs.  Soon afterwards Julia went outside, walked round the hut, and stayed awhile, listening and looking in every direction.  When she returned, Nosey said, in a hoarse whisper: 

“Is he gan yet?”

“I think,” replied Julia, “he won’t be coming again to-night.  He has thrown away his trouble this time, anyhow; but ye must hould your tongue, Nosey, if ye want to save your neck; he means to have you if he can.”

Nosey stayed on the run some weeks longer, following his sheep.  It would not be advisable to go away suddenly, and, moreover, he recollected that what the eye could not see might some time be discovered by another of the senses.  So he waited patiently, standing guard as it were over the dead, until his curiosity induced him to pay a farewell visit by daylight to the place where Baldy was buried.