'Yes,--I do know. Is that all you have to say?'

'Rilly, Mr Phillips, what a man you are for catching people up,you rilly are. 0' course that ain't all I've got to say,--ain't Ijust a-comin' to it?'

'Then come.'

'If you presses me so you'll muddle of me up, and then if I do'appen to make a herror, you'll say I'm a liar, when goodnessknows there ain't no more truthful woman not in Limehouse.'

Words plainly trembled on the Inspector's lips,--which herefrained from uttering. Mrs Henderson cast her eyes upwards, asif she sought for inspiration from the filthy ceiling.

'So far as I can swear it might 'ave been a hour ago, or it might'ave been a hour and a quarter, or it might 'ave been a hour andtwenty minutes--'

'We're not particular as to the seconds.'

'When I 'ears a knockin' at my front door, and when I comes toopen it, there was a Harab party, with a great bundle on 'is 'ead,bigger nor 'isself, and two other parties along with him. ThisHarab party says, in that queer foreign way them Harab parties 'asof talkin', "A room for the evening, a room." Now I don't much carefor foreigners, and never did, especially them Harabs, which their'abits ain't my own,--so I as much 'ints the same. But this 'ereHarab party, he didn't seem to quite foller of my meaning, for allhe done was to say as he exclaimed afore, "A room for the evening, aroom." And he shoves a couple of 'arf crowns into my 'and. Nowit's always been a motter o' mine, that money is money, and oneman's money is as good as another man's. So, not wishing to bedisagreeable--which other people would have taken 'em if I 'adn't,I shows 'em up 'ere. I'd been downstairs it might 'ave been 'arf ahour, when I 'ears a shindy a-commg from this room--'

'What sort of a shindy?'

'Yelling and shrieking--oh my gracious, it was enough to set yourblood all curdled,--for ear-piercingness I never did 'ear nothinglike it. We do 'ave troublesome parties in 'ere, like they doelsewhere, but I never did 'ear nothing like that before. I stoodit for about a minute, but it kep' on, and kep' on, and everymoment I expected as the other parties as was in the 'ouse wouldbe complainin', so up I comes and I thumps at the door, and itseemed that thump I might for all the notice that was took of me.'

'Did the noise keep on?'

'Keep on! I should think it did keep on! Lord love you! shriekafter shriek, I expected to see the roof took off.'

'Were there any other noises? For instance, were there any soundsof struggling, or of blows?'

'There weren't no sounds except of the party hollering.'

'0ne party only?'

'0ne party only. As I says afore, shriek after shriek,--when youput your ear to the panel there was a noise like some other partyblubbering, but that weren't nothing, as for the hollering youwouldn't have thought that nothing what you might call 'umin could'ave kep' up such a screechin'. I thumps and thumps and at lastwhen I did skinnyk that I should 'ave to 'ave the door broke down,the Harab says to me from inside, "Go away! I pay for the chamber! goaway!" I did skinnyk that beautiful good, I tell you that. So I says,"Pay for the chamber or not pay for the chamber, you didn't pay to makethat shindy!" And what's more I says, "If I 'ear it again," Isays, "out you goes! And if you don't go quiet I'll 'ave somebodyin as'll beautiful quickly make you!"'