“He never had a word to say to any girl in the village. I took partic’lar notice of that. And to think of them coming in like this at the last moment!”
“It’s clear as possible, Tregellis,” said the Hon. Berkeley Craven, who was one of the company from the bar-parlour. “Whoever it was came outside the window and tapped. You see here, and here, the small feet have their toes to the house, while the others are all leading away. She came to summon him, and he followed her.”
“That is perfectly certain,” said my uncle. “There’s not a moment to be lost. We must divide and search in different directions, unless we can get some clue as to where they have gone.”
“There’s only the one path out of the garden,” cried the landlord, leading the way. “It opens out into this back lane, which leads up to the stables. The other end of the lane goes out into the side road.”
The bright yellow glare from a stable lantern cut a ring suddenly from the darkness, and an ostler came lounging out of the yard.
“Who’s that?” cried the landlord.
“It’s me, master! Bill Shields.”
“How long have you been there, Bill?”
“Well, master, I’ve been in an’ out of the stables this hour back. We can’t pack in another ’orse, and there’s no use tryin’. I daren’t ’ardly give them their feed, for, if they was to thicken out just ever so little—”
“See here, Bill. Be careful how you answer, for a mistake may cost you your place. Have you seen any one pass down the lane?”