"Don't do that," Raife said, as he walked to yet another white curtain which screened a small door. The key was in the door. He opened it. It led to a narrow winding stairway with a strong oak door at the bottom. He called to Twisegood for the key. The stairs creaked as the burly old man descended and placed the key in the lock and turned it. "That will do. Give me the key. Have the lock oiled, and buy some soft carpet and put it on this stairway. This leads into the loose box, doesn't it? or have you altered the stalls lately?" "No, sir! They be just the same as when you stayed here last, sir." They ascended the crooked stairway, returning to the white room. Raife stood in front of the fireplace gazing at a small miniature on the mantel-shelf. At a glance it appeared to be the only pictorial ornament in the room. Neatly framed in a thin ebony oval was the most beautiful enamel of a woman's face in high, powdered head-dress, and an exquisitely-modelled bust. Raife picked it up and, looking at the back of the frame, read this inscription pasted on: To William Twisegood for a brave service rendered. "How did you get this, Twisegood?" asked Raife. "Why, sir! That be a long time ago, sir, when I wur not more'n a lad. I be older'n wot your father was, and there come along a day when he wor down along the copse by Tyser Wood, and the young master, he was then, and he was a good plucked 'un. He had his gun along o' him and was out after rabbits just afore the first, when the partridges open the season. I be going along atop among the turmits, when I hears him a ordering some fellers off his ground. I listens, and presently there's a scuffling. I slips down through all the bracken and bramble, and there I sees him a scrappin' hard, with all the blood a streaming down his face. There was Nick Blacker and Bill Boneham, each a holdin' a lurcher dog, whilst Nick's three sons was a pasting the young master as hard as they could. But they wasn't a getting all their own way, for he was mighty quick with his fists, was Master Harry. They didn't see me a coming. I ups with a couple of bits o' rock-stone and I aims at Dick. I hits him clean and down he goes. I 'as a stout ash stick in my 'and and I rushes up to Bill. Before he has time to know wot's up, I lands him a good 'un. Then I shouts to make believe that there's others a coming. Nick gets up and off they all start on a full run. "Well, Master Harry! he was young those days, and thought I was brave. So he gave me that miniature and told me as 'ow it was his grandmother. But bless yer, Master Raife, that wasn't all he gave me." The old man stopped for want of breath. He had lived his fight over again. "Is there anything I can get for you, sir?" he asked. "Yes, Twisegood, have you got any of Mrs Twisegood's home-made wines left?"