“And alone, you say?”
“Sartinly, Master: else how could I ha’ gied her the packidge? You told me to let no one see me handin’ it to her.”
“This is strange,” muttered Scarthe to himself. “You are sure there was no one near her?”
“I seed ne’er a creetur.”
“What was she doing?”
“Nothin’, Capten; only standing under a tree—the big beech as grows in the middle o’ the road. I went up to her pretty quick, lest she might gi’ me the slip. After I put the packidge in her hand, and sayed what you told me, I coomed directly away.”
“You left her there?”
“Left her, just as I found her—under the big beech.”
“And you met no one, as you returned along the road?”
“Neither met nor passed a sinner.”