“Oh! You were in the wood? Did you find anybody there, or any signs of anybody being concealed there?”
“Lord love you! how could a body hide in that little place?”
“There might have been poachers, for instance.”
“Not in June. If there was anyone at all, I should have seen him.”
“Well, then you went up the hill and began your scaring. Did you see anyone pass into the wood before the Squire and Mr. Holme arrived?”
“No; if there had been anyone, I must have seen him—for certain sure I must. There was no one all the morning—no one that way at all. There very seldom was anyone.”
“Where does the path lead?”
“It leads across the fields to the village of Highbeech and the church.”
“It is not a frequented way, then?”
“No. Most days there will be only a single person on that way.”