‘Wally, don’t,’ Jenny said. ‘Eat it properly, old boy. You were out in the rain, weren’t you? Your shoes are muddy.’

‘So I wor, then. I don’t mind the rain, do I?’

‘No,’ Jenny said and added rather sadly: ‘You’re a big boy now.’

‘I don’t suppose,’ Alleyn suggested, ‘there was anybody else out in that storm was there? I bet there wasn’t.’

‘Was there, Wally? Out in the rain?’

‘There wur! There wur!’ he shouted and banged the table.

‘All right. All right. Who was it?’

Wally thrust his tongue into the cornet. ‘There wur,’ he said.

‘This is heavy work,’ Alleyn observed mildly.

Jenny asked the same question and Wally at once said: ‘I seen ‘er. I seen the old b…Yah!’

‘Who do you mean? Who did you see?’

He flourished his right arm: the gesture was as uncoordinated and wild as a puppet’s, but it was not to be mistaken. He made as if to throw something. Jenny caught back an exclamation.

‘Who did you see? Was it – ’ Jenny looked at Alleyn who nodded. ‘Was it Miss Pride?’

‘Pridey-Pridey bang on the bell

Smash and bash ‘er and send ‘er to hell.’

‘Wally! who taught you that?’

‘The kids,’ he said promptly, and began again: ‘Pridey-Pridey –’

‘Stop. Don’t do that, Wally. Be quiet.’ She said to Alleyn: ‘It’s true, I heard them, yesterday evening.’

Wally pushed the last of the cornet into his mouth. ‘I want another,’ he said indistinctly.

Coombe had come in from the parlour. Wally’s back was towards him. Alleyn gave a warning signal and Coombe stayed where he was. Trehern loomed up behind him, smirking and curious. Coombe turned and jerked his thumb. Trehern hesitated and Coombe shut the door in his face.

‘More,’ said Wally.

‘You may have another,’ Alleyn said, before Jenny could protest. ‘Tell me what happened when you were out in the rain this morning.’

He lowered his head and glowered. ‘Another one. More,’ he said.

‘Where was Miss Pride?’

‘Up along.’

‘By the gate?’

‘By the gate,’ he repeated like an echo.

‘Did you see her go away?’

‘She come back.’

Jenny’s hand went to her lips.

Alleyn said: ‘Did Miss Pride come back?’

He nodded.

‘Along the path? When?’

‘She came back,’ Wally shouted irritably. ‘Back!’

‘A long time afterwards?’

‘Long time.’

‘And went into the Spring? She went through the gate and into the Spring? Is that right?’

‘It’s my Spring. She be’ant allowed up to my Spring.’

He again made his wild throwing gesture. ‘Get out!’ he bawled.

‘Did you throw a rock at Miss Pride? Like that?’

Wally turned his head from side to side. ‘You dunno what I done,’ he said. ‘I ain’t telling.’

‘Tell Miss Williams.’

‘No, I won’t, then.’

‘Did you throw stones, Wally?’ Jenny asked. ‘One evening? Did you?’

He looked doubtfully at her and then said: ‘Where’s my dad?’