"Did you see anything at all of the deceased after leaving him as you have described, Mark Ferrar?" "No, sir. I never saw him again till night, when we found him lying under a part of the hill." "When you quitted him at his bidding, did you see any boys about, either college boys or St. Peter's boys?" "No, sir, I did not see any; not one. The hills about there seemed as lonely as could be." "Which way did you take when you left him?" "I ran straight past St. Ann's, and got on to the part that divides the Worcestershire beacon from the next. Waiting for Dance, I sat down on the slope, and looked at Worcester for a bit, trying how much of the town I could make out, and how many of the churches, and that. As I was going back toward St. Ann's I met Dance." "What did Dance say to you?" "He said he had been hunting for me, and wanted to know where I had hid myself, and I said I had been hunting for him. We went on up the hill then and met some more of our boys; and we stayed all together till it was time to go down." "Did Dance say that he had heard sounds of quarrelling?" "No, sir, never a word." "What communication did Dance make to you on the subject the following morning?" "Nothing certain, sir. Dance went home in the first van, and he didn't hear about King Sanker till the morning. I was saying then how we found him, and that he must have fell straight off from the place above. Dance stopped me, and said was it sure that he fell--was it sure he had not been pushed off? I asked why he said that, but he wouldn't answer." "Did he refuse to answer?" "I kept asking him to tell me, but he just said it was only a fancy that came to him. He had interrupted so eager like, that I thought he must have heard something. Later, I asked Master Johnny Ludlow whether the boy had been pushed off, but he said no. I couldn't get it out of my head, however." "What clothes did you wear, witness, that day at Malvern?" "These here that I've got on now, sir." "Did you wear that same green neckerchief?" "Yes, sir. My sister Sally bought it new for me to go in." "Did you take it off at Malvern?" "No, sir." "Not at all?" "No, sir. Some of them took their handkerchers off at dinner, because it was hot, but I didn't." "Why did you not?" For the first time Ferrar hesitated. His face turned scarlet. "Come, speak up. The truth, mind." "Sally had told me not to mess my new silk handkercher, for I wasn't likely to have another of one while; and I thought if I got untying and re-tying of it, I should mess it." It seemed quite a task to Ferrar to confess this. He feared the boys would laugh at him. But I think no one doubted that it was the true reason. "You did not take it off while you were sitting with the deceased?" "No, sir. I never took it off all day." "Take it off now." Mark Ferrar looked too surprised to understand the order, and did nothing. The coroner repeated it. "Take off this here handkercher, sir? Now?"