Neither he nor his companion attempted to speak to me, and both kept themselves at a respectful distance, but the motive of their presence in the neighbourhood of the church was plainly apparent.  It was exactly as I had supposed—­Sir Percival was already prepared for me.  My visit to Mrs. Catherick had been reported to him the evening before, and those two men had been placed on the look-out near the church in anticipation of my appearance at Old Welmingham.  If I had wanted any further proof that my investigations had taken the right direction at last, the plan now adopted for watching me would have supplied it.

I walked on away from the church till I reached one of the inhabited houses, with a patch of kitchen garden attached to it on which a labourer was at work.  He directed me to the clerk’s abode, a cottage at some little distance off, standing by itself on the outskirts of the forsaken village.  The clerk was indoors, and was just putting on his greatcoat.  He was a cheerful, familiar, loudly-talkative old man, with a very poor opinion (as I soon discovered) of the place in which he lived, and a happy sense of superiority to his neighbours in virtue of the great personal distinction of having once been in London.

“It’s well you came so early, sir,” said the old man, when I had mentioned the object of my visit.  “I should have been away in ten minutes more.  Parish business, sir, and a goodish long trot before it’s all done for a man at my age.  But, bless you, I’m strong on my legs still!  As long as a man don’t give at his legs, there’s a deal of work left in him.  Don’t you think so yourself, sir?”

He took his keys down while he was talking from a hook behind the fireplace, and locked his cottage door behind us.

“Nobody at home to keep house for me,” said the clerk, with a cheerful sense of perfect freedom from all family encumbrances.  “My wife’s in the churchyard there, and my children are all married.  A wretched place this, isn’t it, sir?  But the parish is a large one—­every man couldn’t get through the business as I do.  It’s learning does it, and I’ve had my share, and a little more.  I can talk the Queen’s English (God bless the Queen!), and that’s more than most of the people about here can do.  You’re from London, I suppose, sir?  I’ve been in London a matter of five-and-twenty year ago.  What’s the news there now, if you please?”

Chattering on in this way, he led me back to the vestry.  I looked about to see if the two spies were still in sight.  They were not visible anywhere.  After having discovered my application to the clerk, they had probably concealed themselves where they could watch my next proceedings in perfect freedom.

The vestry door was of stout old oak, studded with strong nails, and the clerk put his large heavy key into the lock with the air of a man who knew that he had a difficulty to encounter, and who was not quite certain of creditably conquering it.