men opened and through which they passed and
locked it behind them, leaving Dunn without.

He hesitated for a moment, half-minded to scale the wall and continue on
the other side of it to follow them.

Calculating the direction in which the village of Ramsdon must lie, he
turned that way and had gone only a short distance when he was overtaken
by a pedestrian with whom he began conversation by asking for a light
for his pipe.

The man seemed inclined to be conversational, and after a few casual
remarks, Dunn made an observation on the length of the wall they were
passing and to the end of which they had just come.

"Must be a goodish-sized place in there," he said. "Whose is it?"

"Oh, that there's Ramsdon Place," the other answered. "Mr. John Clive
lives there now his father's dead."

Dunn stood still in the middle of the road.

"Who? What?" he stammered. "Who--who did you say?"

"Mr. John Clive," the other repeated. "Why--what's wrong about that?"

"Nothing, nothing," Dunn answered, but his voice shook a little with
what seemed almost fear, and behind the darkness of the friendly night
his face had become very pale. "Clive--John Clive, you say? Oh, that's
impossible."

"Needn't believe it if you don't want to," grumbled the other. "Only
what do you want asking questions for if you thinks folks tells lies
when they answers them?"

"I didn't mean that, of course not," exclaimed Dunn hurriedly, by no
means anxious to offend the other. "I'm very sorry, I only meant it was
impossible it should be the same Mr. John Clive I knew once, though I
think he came from about here somewhere. A little, middle-aged man, I
mean, quite bald and wears glasses?"

"Oh, that ain't this 'un," answered the other, his good humour quite
restored. "This is a young man and tremendous big. I ain't so small
myself, but he tops me by a head and shoulders and so he does most
hereabouts. Strong, too, with it, there ain't so many would care to
stand up against him, I can tell you. Why, they do say he caught two
poachers in the wood there last month and brought 'em out one under each
arm like a pair of squealing babes."

"Did he, though?" said Dunn. "Take some doing, that, and I daresay the
rest of the gang will try to get even with him for it."

"Well, they do say as there's been threats," the other agreed. "But what
I says is as Mr. John can look after hisself all right. There was a tale
as a man had been dodging after him at night,