"And on that side of the mountain which faces Borrowdale?"
"Yes."
And with each assent his uneasiness increased.
"But there's a ravine runs back by the flank of the mountain, and on the mountain-side there I saw a small lateral shaft."
"It is closed now, and has been for long," he interrupted eagerly.
"But it was open once," I persisted. "The place is secret. Who opened it?"
"It was opened during Sir John Rookley's life," he answered, evading the question.
"No doubt; but by whom?"
He shuffled his feet beneath the table.
I repeated the question.