was as much at a loss as she was. He had examined all the
people who had gone out to search for the children, but not one of them
had seen a sign of any dwelling where the strange woman could live. He
was, however, struck by Dick's account of the little coat that he had
worn; for it seemed, he said, to be a drummer's coat, and he could not
imagine how such people should possess such a garment. As he spoke,
the bullfinch broke into the first bars of "The British Grenadiers;"
and then the same thought occurred to Colonel George as had seized upon
the minds of the villagers--Was it possible that the idiot was a
deserter, or that he and his mother were harbouring a deserter? But he
kept his thoughts to himself, for he knew the terrible punishment to
which a deserter would be liable, and did not wish Lady Eleanor to
think of such a thing.

But however the gentry might doubt at the Hall, the folks in the
village found no difficulty in accounting for everything. It was the
witch who had enticed the children on to the moor and made them lose
themselves; and, though she had sent them back safe and sound, it was
impossible to say what trouble she might have in store for them. One
soft-hearted woman did indeed suggest that no witch could have power to
hurt such dear innocent angels; but Mrs. Fry promptly rose up in arms
against her, for was not her Tommy also a dear innocent angel, though
to be sure he was but a poor boy, whereas her Ladyship's children were
rich? Then Mrs. Mugford came forward with her explanation, which was,
that the Corporal, as had already been suspected, was undoubtedly in
league with the witch, and had led the children into her clutches. It
might be that the witch could not hurt them; but certain it was that,
when all the country was out searching for them, she had led them
straight back to the Corporal. As to the Corporal being thrown from
his horse, Mrs. Mugford had heard such stories before; and it was
strange that he had found his way home safe enough though he had left
the children to be eaten alive, for aught he knew. It was strange,
too, that he was waiting in the right place for the children next day
when the witch brought them down, and that the witch had vanished, as
Mrs. Mugford averred, in a cloud of brimstone smoke.

So the feeling against the Corporal in the village increased, and not
the less because he looked ill for some days after the children's
adventure, owing partly to the sh