"Then why didn't he go t' nearest way to t' house t' 'liver 'em?" demanded Stringer. "T' shortest way to t' house fro' t' railway station is straight up t' carriage drive--not through them plantations. I ax agen--what wor that feller doin' theer? It's important." "Why, ye don't suspect him of owt, do yer, Mestur Stringer?" asked somebody. "A respectable young feller like that theer--come!" "I'm sayin' nowt about suspectin' nobody!" vociferated the blacksmith. "I'm doin' nowt but puttin' a case, as t' lawyers 'ud term it. I say 'at theer's a lot o' things 'at owt to ha' comed out. I'll tell ye one on 'em--how is it 'at nowt--not a single word--wor said at yon inquest about Mrs. Mallathorpe and t' affair? Not one word!" A sudden silence fell on the company, and the landlord tapped Collingwood's arm and took the liberty of winking at him. "Why," inquired somebody, at last, "what about Mrs. Mallathorpe and t' affair? What had she to do wi' t' affair?" The blacksmith's voice became judicial in its solemnity. "Ye listen to me!" he said with emphasis. "I know what I'm talking about. Ye know what came out at t' inquest. When this here Pratt ran to tell t' news at t' house he returned to what they term t' fatal spot i' company wi' t' butler, and a couple of footmen, and Dan Scholes, one o' t' grooms. Now theer worn't a word said at t' inquest about what that lot--five on em, mind yer--found when they reached t' dead corpse--not one word! But I know--Dan Scholes tell'd me!" "What did they find, then, Mestur Stringer?" asked an eager member of the assemblage. "What wor it?" The blacksmith's voice sank to a mysterious whisper. "I'll tell yer!" he replied. "They found Mrs. Mallathorpe, lyin' i' a dead faint--close by! And they say 'at she's nivver done nowt but go out o' one faint into another, ivver since. So, of course, she's nivver been able to tell if she saw owt or knew owt! And what I say is," he concluded, with a heavy thump of the table, "that theer crowner's quest owt to ha' been what they term adjourned, until Mrs. Mallathorpe could tell if she did see owt, or if she knew owt, or heer'd owt! She mun ha' been close by--or else they wo'dn't ha' found her lyin' theer aside o' t' corpse. What did she see? What did she hear? Does she know owt? I tell ye 'at theer's questions 'at wants answerin'--and theer's trouble ahead for somebody if they aren't answered--now then!" Collingwood went away from his retreat, beckoning the landlord to follow. In the parlour he turned to him. "Have you heard anything of what Stringer said just now?" he asked. "I mean--about Mrs. Mallathorpe?" "Heard just the same--and from the same chap, Scholes, the groom, sir," replied the landlord. "Oh, yes! Of course, people will wonder why they didn't get some evidence from Mrs. Mallathorpe--just as Stringer says."