We don’t know. He had just gone out of the room when we heard a fall. Mother ran out into the hall and found him lying by the door quite unconscious. She was dreadfully frightened. So were we all. BROWN Had he been complaining of feeling unwell? HESTER Not specially. He complained of the heat a little. And he had a headache. But father’s not strong, you know. None of the De Mullins are, Aunt Harriet says. BROWN Mrs. Clouston is with you now, isn’t she? HESTER Yes. For a month. She generally stays with us for a month in the summer. BROWN I suppose she’s very fond of Brendon? HESTER All the De Mullins are fond of Brendon, Mr. Brown. BROWN Naturally. You have been here so long. HESTER Since the time of King Stephen. BROWN Not in this house? HESTER (smiling) Not in this house, of course. It’s not old enough for that. BROWN Still, it must be very old. The oldest house in the Village, isn’t it? HESTER Only about four hundred years. The date is 1603. The mill is older, of course. BROWN You still own the mill, don’t you? HESTER Yes. Father would never part with it. He thinks everything of the mill. We get our name from it, you know. De Mullin. Du Moulin. “Of the Mill.” BROWN Were the original De Mullins millers then? HESTER (_rather shocked at such a suggestion_) Oh no! BROWN I thought they couldn’t have been. . HESTER No De Mullin has ever been in trade of _any_ kind! But in the old days to own a mill was a feudal privilege. Only lords of manors and the great abbeys had them. The farmers had to bring all their corn to them to be ground. BROWN I see. HESTER There were constant disputes about it all through the Middle Ages. BROWN Why was that? HESTER The farmers would rather have ground their corn for themselves, I suppose. BROWN Why? If the De Mullins were willing to do it for them? HESTER They had to pay for having it ground, of course. BROWN (_venturing on a small joke_) Then the De Mullins _were_ millers, after all, in a sense. HESTER You mustn’t let father hear you say so! BROWN The mill is never used now, is it? HESTER No. When, people gave up growing corn round here and all the land was turned into pasture it fell into decay, and now it’s almost ruinous. BROWN What a pity! HESTER Yes. Father says England has never been the same since the repeal of the Corn laws. (_Enter Mrs. De Mullin and Mrs. Clouston by the door on the left, followed by Dr. Rolt._) Here is mother--and Aunt Harriet.