‘I’m telling you, sir. Chap Legge’d won the bout. Mr Watchman says, “By God it’s criminal, Legge. Men have been jailed for less,” he says in his joking way. “Come on,” he says, “Us’ll have t’other half,” he says, “and then, be George, if I don’t let ‘ee have a go at my hand.” He says it joking, sir, but to my mind Mr Watchman knew summat about Legge and to my mind Legge didn’t like it.’

Abel glanced through the glass door at Will, but Will’s back was turned. The three customers gaped shamelessly at Alleyn and Fox.

‘Well now,’ Abel went on, lowering his voice, ‘Legge paid no ‘tention to Mr Watchman ‘cept to say casual-like “I’ll do it all right, but don’t try it if you feel nervous,” which wurr very wittest manner of speech the man could think of to egg on Mr Watchman, to set his fancy hellbent on doing it. “Ess, Legge egged the man on, did Legge. That’s while he was putting away old darts. Then he moved off, tantalizing, to t’other end of room. T’other ladies and gentlemen was round bar, ‘cepting Miss Darragh, who was setting with her writing in ingle-nook. Thurr’s her glass on ‘t old settle, sir. Stone-ginger, she had. Miss Dessy, that’s Miss Moore, sir, she was setting on the bar, in the corner yurr swinging her legs. That’ll be her glass on the ledge thurr. Stone-ginger. The three gentlemen, they wurr alongside bar. Mr Cubitt next Miss Dessy, then Mr Watchman and then Mr Parish. I ‘member that, clear as daylight, along of Miss Darragh making a joke about ‘em. “Three graces,” she called ‘em, being a fanciful kind of middle-aged lady.’

‘That leaves Mr George Nark.’

‘So it does then, the silly old parrot. “Ess. George Nark wurr setting down by table inside of door, laying down the law as is the foolish habit of the man. Well now, I poured out the second tots beginning with Mr Cubitt. Then Mr Watchman and then Mr Parish. Then George Nark brings his glass over with his tongue hanging out and insults t’murdered gentleman by axing for soda in this masterpiece of a tipple, having nigh-on suffercated hisself with first tot, golloping it down ferocious. No sooner does he swallow second tot than he’s proper blind tipsy. ‘Ess, so soused as a herring wurr old George Nark. Lastly, sir, Mr Watchman gets Legge’s glass from mantelshelf and axes me to pour out the second tot.’

‘Leaving his own glass on the bar between Mr Parish and Mr Cubitt?’

‘‘Ess. Legge wurr going to wait till after he’d done his trick. Us knows what wurr in the evil thoughts of the man. He wanted to keep his eye in so’s he could stick Mr Watchman with thicky murderous dart.’