"No, sir."
"Well, then, that will do, unless there is anything else that you can think of."
"Nothing further, sir, unless it is that I heard some of them say that Sir Francis Varney has perished in the flames."
"Good heavens!"
"So I heard, sir."
"That must be impossible, and yet why should it be so? Go back, Scott, and bring me some person who can give me some information upon this point."
The sergeant departed toward the people, who looked at him without any distrust, for he came single-handed, though they thought he came with the intention of learning what they knew of each other, and so stroll about with the intention of getting up accusations against them. But this was not the case, the officer didn't like the work well enough; he'd rather have been elsewhere.
At length the sergeant came to one man, whom he accosted, and said to him,—
"Do you know anything of yonder fire?"