"Softly, softly," said Mr. Verner. "Did you see any man about?" "I saw nobody at all, sir, saving Dan Duff and Mrs. Roy; and Rachel's quarrel could not have been with either of them. Whoever the other was, he had made himself scarce." Robin Frost took a step forward respectfully. "Did you mind, sir, that Mother Duffs Dan spoke to seeing some person in the lane?" "I do," replied Mr. Verner. "I should like to ask the boy another question or two upon that point. Call him in, one of you." John Massingbird went out and brought back the boy. "Mind you have your wits sharp about you this time, Mr. Duff," he remarked. Which piece of advice had the effect of scaring Mr. Duff's wits more completely away than they had been scared before. "You tell us that you saw a man pass up the lane when you were in the field after the cat," began Mr. Verner. "Was the man walking fast?" "Please, sir, yes. Afore I could get out o' the gate he was near out o' sight. He went a'most as fast as the cat did." "How long was it, after you saw him, before you met young Broom, and heard that somebody was in the pond?" "Please, sir, 'twas a'most directly. I was running then, I was." As the boy's answer fell upon the room, a conviction stole over most of those collected in it that this man must have been the one who had been heard in dispute with Rachel Frost. "Were there no signs about him by which you could recognise him?" pursued Mr. Verner. "What did he look like? Was he tall or short?" "Please, sir, he were very tall." "Could you see his dress? Was it like a gentleman's or a labourer's?" "Please, sir, I think it looked like a gentleman's--like one o' the gentlemen's at Verner's Pride." "Whose? Like which of the gentlemen's?" rang out Mr. Verner's voice, sharply and sternly, after a moment's pause of surprise, for he evidently had not expected the answer. "Please, sir, I dun know which. The clothes looked dark, and the man were as tall as the gentlemen, or as Calves." "_Calves?_" echoed Mr. Verner, puzzled. John Massingbird broke into an involuntary smile. He knew that their tall footman, Bennet, was universally styled "Calves" in the village. Dan Duff probably believed it to be his registered name. But Frederick Massingbird was looking dark and threatening. The suspicion hinted at--if you can call it a suspicion--angered him. The villagers were wont to say that Mr. Frederick had ten times more pride than Mr. John. They were not far wrong--Mr. John had none at all. "Boy!" Frederick sternly said, "what grounds have you for saying it was like one of the gentlemen?" Dan Duff began to sob. "I dun know who it were," he said; "indeed I don't. But he were tall, and his clothes looked dark. Please, sir, if you basted me, I couldn't tell no more." It was believed that he could not. Mr. Verner dismissed him, and John Massingbird, according to order, went to bring in Mrs. Roy.