She nodded. Mrs Sucksby glanced again at me, and then again at Maud, then closed her eyes. She sighed, as if weary.
''To have lost you once, dear girl,'' she said. ''And now, to lose you again—''
''You shall not lose me!'' I cried; and her eyes flew open, and she held my gaze for a second, as if not understanding. Then she looked at John. He had tilted his head.
''Here they come!'' he said.
Mr Ibbs heard him, and ran; but he got no further than that dark little court at the back of the house before a policeman picked him up and brought him back again; and by then, two more policemen had made their way into the kitchen by the shop. They looked at Gentleman, and at the chamber-pot of blood, and—what we had not thought to look for or to hide—at the knife, which had got kicked into the shadows and had blood upon it; and they shook their heads.—As policeman tend to do when they see things like that, in the Borough.
''This is nasty work, ain''t it?'' they said. ''This is very bad. Let''s see how bad.''
They took hold of Gentleman''s hair and drew back his head, and felt for the pulse at his neck; and then they said,
''This is filthy murder. Now, who done it?''
Maud moved, or took a step. But John moved quicker.
''She done it,'' he said, without a hesitation. His cheek was darker than ever, where he had been struck before. He lifted his arm and pointed. ''She done it. I saw her.''