Mr. St. Clive had to admit that so far the boy was correct. Some one wearing a square-toed boot had stepped into a little heap of clay, and the footmark was quite clearly defined. "Now," Ralph went on, pointing to the stile, "here is a mark of clay on the stile, so he must have crossed here, and here the grass has been trodden down as he went on." This latter sign was nothing like so clear, but the boy, used to reading tracks in the far-off West, showed the man how the blades of grass were turned from the weight that had trodden on them; and as they walked forward the traces became even plainer, leading past the pool, and on towards the common; and Ralph gave a cry as he studied the ground. "Here are two people walking now," he said; "and one wears pointed boots!" "The man who brought the hat to us," suggested Mr. St. Clive. "No, sir. He wore big boots, with nails in them. You can see the marks of those quite plainly, and he came here last of all." "How do you know that?" demanded Mr. St. Clive, very interested. "Because the marks that he has made are over all the others," was the explanation. "Let us go on." They followed the traces, faint though they seemed, until they reached the common; and here, though Ralph studied the ground for nearly an hour, he could discover nothing. Several roads crossed the common, and the men must have traversed one of these, but which one there was nothing to show. Back to the pool they went, and here Ralph paused; and Mr. St. Clive, looking at him inquiringly, said-- "Well, what now, my boy? Have you learnt anything?" "Yes--a lot, sir; but I do not understand it. Let me tell you what these signs tell me. My father crossed here alone, and went somewhere across the common, and I do not think that it could have been very far away. Then he came back alone----" "But the second man?" queried Mr. St. Clive. "One moment, sir. He came alone, and he stopped to light another cigar just here. Look, here is the match half-burnt, and the stump of the one he threw away." "Yes; go on," said Mr. St. Clive, nodding his head. "You have reason for what you say." "Now, some one followed my father back, and he wore rather small boots with pointed toes----" "Plenty of gentlemen do that. I wear such boots myself, you see." "I know, sir. This man was dodging my father, and when he stopped to light his cigar the man stopped too, just over there behind that hedge." "My dear lad, what makes you say that?" "The mark of his feet are there, and I think he fired at my father more than once. He fired once and missed, I know, because this tree has got a bullet in the bark, and I am going to have it out! Then he ran forward, and there must have been a fight, and father fell just here. Look, you can surely see where he lay? See the length where the grass is crushed; and see these two marks--a heel and a toe; that means, that some one knelt beside him, and----. Look, look, sir!"