Arthur & George

'Now that would be very noble of you, Sir Arthur. Very noble. And I was wondering if in return I might request a favour of you.' He reached down to a small haversack, and Arthur left the Rising Sun with half a dozen narrative sketches of local life – 'I thought of calling them "Vignettes'" – on whose literary merit he had promised to adjudicate.

'Royden Sharp. Now that's a new name in the case. How would we set about tracing him? Any ideas, Harry?'

'Oh yes,' said Harry. 'I didn't want to mention it in front of Wynn in case he drank the house dry. I can give you a lead on him. He used to be the ward of Mr Greatorex.'

'Greatorex!'

'There were two Sharp brothers, Wallie and Royden. One of them was at school with George and me, though I can't remember which at this distance. But Mr Greatorex can tell you about them.'

They took the train two stops back up the line to Wyrley amp; Churchbridge, then walked to Littleworth Farm. Mr and Mrs Greatorex were a comfortable, easy couple in late middle age, hospitable and direct. For once, Arthur felt, it would not be a matter of beer and bootscrapers, of calculating whether the correct price of information was two shillings and threepence or two shillings and fourpence.

'Wallie and Royden Sharp were the sons of my tenant farmer Peter Sharp,' Mr Greatorex began. 'They were rather wild boys. No, that's perhaps unfair. Royden was a wild boy. I remember his father once had to pay for a rick he set on fire. Wallie was more strange than wild.

'Royden was expelled from school – from Walsall. Both boys went there. Royden was idle and destructive, I gathered, though I never had the full story. Peter sent him next to Wisbech School, but that didn't take any better. So he had him apprenticed to a butcher, by the name of Meldon I think, in Cannock. Then, towards the end of '93, I became involved. The boys' father was dying, and he asked me if I would become Royden's trustee. It was the least I could do, and naturally I made what promises I could to Peter. I did my best, but Royden was simply uncontrollable. Nothing but trouble. Thieving, smashing things, lying constantly…

wouldn't stick at any job. In the end I said he had two choices. Either I would stop his allowance and report him to the police, or he could go to sea.'

'We are aware of which alternative he chose.'

'So I got him a passage as an apprentice on the General Roberts, belonging to Lewis Davies amp; Co.'

'This would be when?'

'At the end of 1895. The very end. I think she sailed on the 30th of December.'

'And from which port, Mr Greatorex?' Arthur knew the answer already, but still leaned forward in anticipation.

'Liverpool.'

'And how long did he stay with the General Roberts?'

'Well, for once he stuck at something. He finished his apprenticeship about four years later, and got a third mate's certificate. Then he came home.'

'Does that take us to 1903?'

'No, no. Earlier. '01, I'm sure. But he was only home briefly, Then he got a billet on a cattle boat between Liverpool and America. He served ten months on it. And after that he came home permanently. That would have been in '03.'

'A cattle ship, indeed. And where is he now?'

'In the same house his father had. But he's much changed. He's married, for a start.'

'Did you ever suspect him or his brother of writing the letters in your son's name?'

'No.'

'Why not?'

'There were no grounds. And I would have judged him too idle, and perhaps not imaginative enough.'

'And – let me guess – did they have a younger brother – perhaps a rather foul-mouthed boy, I would guess?'

'No, no. There were just the two of them.'

'Or a young companion of that kind, who was often with them?'

'No. Not at all.'

'I see. And did Royden Sharp resent your trusteeship?'

'Frequently, yes. He didn't understand why I refused to hand over all the money his father had left him. Not that there was much. A fact which made me all the more determined not to let him squander it.'

'The other boy – Wallie – he was the elder?'

'Yes, he'd be about thirty now.'

'So that's the one you were at school with, Harry?' Charlesworth nodded. 'You said he was strange. In what way?'

'Strange. Not quite of this world. I can't be more precise.'

'Any signs of religious mania?'

'Not that I was aware of. He was clever, Wallie. Brainy.'

'Did he study Milton at Walsall School?'

'Not that I was aware of.'

'And after school?'

'He was apprenticed to an electrical engineer for a while.'

'Which would permit him to travel to the neighbouring towns?'

Mr Greatorex looked puzzled by the question. 'Certainly. Like many another man.'

'And… do the brothers still live together?'

'No, Wallie left the country a year or two back.'

'Where did he go?'

'South Africa.'

Arthur turned to his secretary. 'Why is everyone going to South Africa all of a sudden? Would you have an address for him there, Mr Greatorex?'

'I might have done. Except that we heard he died. Recently. November last.'

'Ah. A pity. And the house where they lived together, where Royden still lives…'

'I can take you there.'

'No, not yet. My question is… is it isolated?'

'Fairly. Like many another house.'

'So that you could enter or leave without neighbours observing you?'

'Oh yes.'

'And it is easy of access to the country?'

'Indeed. It backs on to open fields. But so do many houses.'

'Sir Arthur.' It was the first time Mrs Greatorex had spoken. As he turned to her, he noticed that her colour had risen, and she was more agitated that when they arrived. 'You suspect him, don't you? Or both of them?'

'The evidence is accumulating, to say the least, ma'am.'

Arthur prepared himself for some loyal protestation from Mrs Greatorex, a refusal to countenance his suspicions and slanders.

'Then I had better tell you what I know. About three and a half years ago – it was in July, I remember, the July before they arrested George Edalji – I was passing the Sharps' house one afternoon and called in. Wallie was out but Royden was there. We started talking about the maimings – that's what everyone was talking about at the time. After a while Royden went over to a cupboard in the kitchen and showed me – an instrument. Held it in front of me. He said, "This is what they kill the cattle with." It made me feel sick just to look at it, so I told him to put it away. I said, "You don't want them to think you are the man, do you?" And then he put it back in the cupboard.'

'Why didn't you tell me?' asked her husband.

'I thought there were enough rumours flying around without wanting to add to them. And I just wanted to forget the whole incident.'

Arthur contained his reaction and asked neutrally, 'You didn't think of telling the police?'

'No. After I got over the shock I went for a walk and thought about it. And I decided Royden was just boasting. Pretending to know something. He would hardly show me the thing if he'd done it himself, would he? And then he's a lad I've known all my life. He'd been a bit wild, as my husband explained, but since he came back from sea he settled down. He'd got himself engaged and was planning to be married. Well, he is married now. But he was known to the police and I thought that if I went and told them, they'd just make out a case against him whatever the evidence was.'

Yes, thought Arthur; and because of your silence, they went and made a case out against George instead.

'I still don't understand why you didn't tell me,' said Mr Greatorex.

'Because – because you were always harder on the boy than me. And I knew you'd jump to conclusions.'

'Conclusions which would probably have been quite correct,' he replied with a certain tartness.

Arthur pushed on. They could have their marital disagreement later. 'Mrs Greatorex, what sort of an… instrument was it?'