Forman, he was in to-day looking after my place, for I'd given a
month's notice, and he says to me, "You see that big chap?' - meaning
him as had been asking me the questions - and I says "Yes!' and he
says, 'That's a 'tee. I've seed him in a police court, giving
evidence.' I went all of a shiver so that you could have knocked me
down."

"Come, come!" said Laverick. "There's no need for you to be feeling
like this about it. All that you've done is not to have remembered
those two customers who were in your restaurant late one night.
There's nothing criminal in that."

"There's something criminal in having two hundred and fifty pounds'
worth of shares in one's pocket - something suspicious, anyway,"
Shepherd declared, plumping them down on the table. "I ain't giving
you these back, mind, but you must keep 'em for me. I wish I'd never
given notice. I think I'll ask the boss to keep me on."

"Why do you suppose that this man is particularly interested in you?"
Laverick inquired.

"Ain't I told you?" Shepherd exclaimed, sitting up. "Why, he's
been to my place down in 'Ammersmith, asking questions about me.
My landlady swears he didn't go into my room, but who can tell
whether he did or not? Those sort of chaps can get in anywhere.
Then I went out for a bit of an airing after the one o'clock rush
was over to-day, and I'm danged if he wasn't at my 'eels. I seed
him coming round by Liverpool Street just as I went in a bar to get
a drop of something."