He had watched the landlord of the _Green Man_
closely as he told his story, and had set him down for an honest, if
somewhat sly and lumpish soul, who was telling a plain tale to the best
of his ability. Byner believed all the details of that story--he even
believed that when Parrawhite told Pickard that he would find him fifty
pounds that evening, or early next day, he meant to keep his word. In
the circumstances--as far as Byner could reckon them up from what he had
gathered--it would not have paid Parrawhite to do otherwise. Byner put
the situation to himself in this fashion--Pratt had got hold of some
secret which was being, or could be made to be, highly profitable to
him. Parrawhite had discovered this, and was in a position to blackmail
Pratt. Therefore Parrawhite would not wish to leave Pratt's
neighbourhood--so long as there was money to be got out of Pratt,
Parrawhite would stick to him like a leech. But if Parrawhite was to
abide peaceably in Barford, he must pay Pickard that little matter of
between fifty and sixty pounds. Accordingly, in Byner's opinion,
Parrawhite had every honest intention of returning to the _Green Man_ on
the evening of the twenty-third of November after having seen Pratt.
And, in Byner's further--and very seriously considered--opinion, the
whole problem for solution--possibly involving the solution of other and
more important problems--was this: Did Parrawhite meet Pratt that night,
and if he did what took place between them which prevented Parrawhite
from returning to Pickard?
It was in an endeavour to get at some first stage of a solution of this
problem that Byner, having breakfasted at the _Central Hotel_ on his
second day in the town, went out immediately afterwards, asked his way
to Whitcliffe, and was directed to an electric tram which started from
the Town Hall Square, and after running through a district of tall
warehouses and squat weaving-sheds, began a long and steady climb to the
heights along the town.
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