“I shan’t mind that, whether I’m late or early. But I’ve got things to mend punctures with. And now I’m off.” * * * * * It was just as well that the Squire had made that arrangement about a cold supper, Fanshawe thought, and not for the first time, as he wheeled his bicycle up the drive about nine o’clock. So also the Squire thought and said, several times, as he met him in the hall, rather pleased at the confirmation of his want of faith in bicycles than sympathetic with his hot, weary, thirsty, and indeed haggard, friend. In fact, the kindest thing he found to say was: “You’ll want a long drink to-night? Cider-cup do? All right. Hear that, Patten? Cider-cup, iced, lots of it.” Then to Fanshawe, “Don’t be all night over your bath.” By half-past nine they were at dinner, and Fanshawe was reporting progress, if progress it might be called. “I got to Lambsfield very smoothly, and saw the glass. It is very interesting stuff, but there’s a lot of lettering I couldn’t read.” “Not with glasses?” said the Squire. “Those glasses of yours are no manner of use inside a church--or inside anywhere, I suppose, for that matter. But the only places I took ’em into were churches.” “H’m! Well, go on,” said the Squire. “However, I took some sort of a photograph of the window, and I dare say an enlargement would show what I want. Then Wanstone; I should think that stone was a very out-of-the-way thing, only I don’t know about that class of antiquities. Has anybody opened the mound it stands on?” “Baxter wanted to, but the farmer wouldn’t let him.” “Oh, well, I should think it would be worth doing. Anyhow, the next thing was Fulnaker and Oldbourne. You know, it’s very odd about that tower I saw from the hill. Oldbourne Church is nothing like it, and of course there’s nothing over thirty feet high at Fulnaker, though you can see it had a central tower. I didn’t tell you, did I? that Baxter’s fancy drawing of Fulnaker shows a tower exactly like the one I saw.” “So you thought, I dare say,” put in the Squire. “No, it wasn’t a case of thinking. The picture actually _reminded_ me of what I’d seen, and I made sure it was Oldbourne, well before I looked at the title.” “Well, Baxter had a very fair idea of architecture. I dare say what’s left made it easy for him to draw the right sort of tower.” “That may be it, of course, but I’m doubtful if even a professional could have got it so exactly right. There’s absolutely nothing left at Fulnaker but the bases of the piers which supported it. However, that isn’t the oddest thing.” “What about Gallows Hill?” said the Squire. “Here, Patten, listen to this. I told you what Mr Fanshawe said he saw from the hill.” “Yes, Master Henry, you did; and I can’t say I was so much surprised, considering.” “All right, all right. You keep that till afterwards. We want to hear what Mr Fanshawe saw to-day. Go on, Fanshawe. You turned to come back by Ackford and Thorfield, I suppose?”