“There’s never been anybody going in or out—eh?”
“Well, I’ve never seen them, sir,” was the man’s reply.
“But there have been people coming and going, have there not?”
The man hesitated for a moment, apparently slightly puzzled at my question.
“Well, sir, to tell the truth, there’s been a very funny story about lately. It is said that some of the old woman’s relatives have returned, and they’ve been seen going in and out—but always in the middle of the night.”
“What sort of people?” I asked quickly.
“Oh! two men and a woman—so they say. But of course I’ve never seen anybody. I’ve asked the constables on night duty, and they’ve never seen any one, or they would, no doubt, have reported it.”
“Then who has seen them?”
“I really don’t know. I heard the gossip over in the Royal Oak. How it originated, or whether it had any foundation in fact, I can’t find out.”
“I see the board has fallen down.”