"Well, has he turned you off?" he asked, with a side glance at the others,
as if to bid them watch what was coming.
"Yes," said I.
"Aha! I knew all about it days ago, but I never said a word. I don't mind
saying I knew about it before any other single soul in the world of us
here, but did I ever breathe a word of it? Inspector he says to me: 'I
want to ask you something, Grindhusen,' says he, 'and that is, if you'll
come down and work in the town instead of the man I've got there now. I
want to get rid of him,' says he. 'Why, as to that,' says I, 'it's just as
Inspector's pleased to command.' That was my very words, and neither more
nor less. But did I ever breathe a syllable?"
"Has he turned you off?" asked one of the other men then.
"Yes," I answered.
"But as for that cousin of his," Grindhusen went on, "he asked me about
her, too. Ay, Inspector, he asks my advice about all sorts of things. And
now, this last time we were up the river together, he slapped his knee
when he talked of her.
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