Free Swing, Swing Together by Peter Lovesey

it?”
    â€œWe could try drawing the boat with a towrope,” Harriet suggested. “I could take a turn at that. It would give you a change from rowing.”
    â€œA tow from a steam launch would be more like it,” said Thackeray.
    â€œIt happened in Three Men in a Boat, ” said Harriet. “They met some friends who pulled them all the way from Reading to within a mile of Streatley.”
    â€œA fat lot of good that is to us,” said Thackeray.
    â€œNow, Ted, that ain’t no way to speak to a young lady,” Hardy unexpectedly put in. “We know you’re sufferin’, and we’re grateful for all the work you’ve done with the oars, but you’ve no cause to take it out on Miss Shaw. Matter of fact, she’s given me an idea. Do I understand from what you said, miss, that you’ve read the book now?”
    â€œYes, I read most of it last night and finished it this morning,” Harriet answered, surprised at Hardy’s intervention, and curious where it was leading.
    â€œI can see you wasn’t idlin’ away your time in the Roebuck, miss,” said Hardy with a glance at Thackeray. “I wonder if by any chance you remember where the three men in the story made for after they left Streatley.”
    â€œI do. They passed the next night under canvas, in a backwater at Culham.”
    â€œCulham?” vacantly repeated the constable on duty, looking up from the Occurrence Book.
    â€œIt might as well be Timbuktu,” said Thackeray unhelpfully.
    â€œI believe they stopped on the way at a place nearby called Clifton Hampden,” Harriet added. “The Barley Mow inn came in for special comment, I remember.”
    â€œVery good, miss,” said Hardy, venturing a smile. “I think we can take it from what we heard about our three men that they’ll spend this evening at the Barley Mow too. They sounded most particular about copyin’ what happened in the book.” He turned to Thackeray. “At least we’ll get a drink when we get to Clifton Hampden.”
    â€œYou’ll need one,” said the constable on duty. “It’s fourteen miles from here.”
    â€œJerusalem!” said Thackeray.
    â€œNo, Clifton Hampden.”
    Thackeray muttered something inaudible.
    â€œBut don’t you see?” said Hardy. “Now we know where we’re goin’, we needn’t go by river at all. We can take a train. If we cross the river to Goring, we can catch a local to Oxford. It’ll put us off at Culham Station and we can walk up the road to Clifton Hampden. We might be there before Cribb.”
    A moment’s silence followed this audacious suggestion.
    â€œDo you think that’s wise?” said Harriet, turning to Thackeray.
    â€œIt may not be wise, miss, but it’s good enough for me. ‘Make the best speed you can,’ he said, and that’s what we’ll do. There’s no better way of making speed than on the Great Western Railway.”
    They returned to the boat, crossed the river and found a mooring. Hardy produced a mallet and drove spikes into the bank to secure the boat fore and aft, taking the initiative quite naturally now that his plan was being acted upon. Watching the two men, Harriet understood why Thackeray had never been promoted to sergeant. Subordinate positions undoubtedly suited some people. Hardy, on the other hand, had a personality better fitted for responsibility. There were grounds for supposing that if he were promoted he might lose some of his more objectionable characteristics and even develop into a passable young man.
    â€œWe’ll take the travellin’ case,” he told Thackeray. “Miss Harriet will want her things with her at Clifton.”
    â€œThat’s very considerate,” said Harriet, “but won’t it be awfully heavy to carry? You remarked just now that there is a mile walk at the other end.”
    â€œNo