that I might have been unfortunate enough to cause. Did you
inquire particularly about the gossip which was going on in the room
when she turned faint?"

"Yes. But Mrs. Todd's household affairs seem to have divided her
attention that evening with the talk in the farmhouse parlour. She
could only tell me that it was 'just the news,'--meaning, I suppose,
that they all talked as usual about each other."

"The dairymaid's memory may be better than her mother's," I said. "It
may be as well for you to speak to the girl, Miss Halcombe, as soon as
we get back."

My suggestion was acted on the moment we returned to the house. Miss
Halcombe led me round to the servants' offices, and we found the girl
in the dairy, with her sleeves tucked up to her shoulders, cleaning a
large milk-pan and singing blithely over her work.

"I have brought this gentleman to see your dairy, Hannah," said Miss
Halcombe. "It is one of the sights of the house, and it always does
you credit."

The girl blushed and curtseyed, and said shyly that she hoped she
always did her best to keep things neat and clean.

"We have just come from your father's," Miss Halcombe continued. "You
were there yesterday evening, I hear, and you found visitors at the
house?"

"Yes, miss."

"One of them was taken faint and ill, I am told. I suppose nothing was
said or done to frighten her? You were not talking of anything very
terrible, were you?"

"Oh no, miss!" said the girl, laughing. "We were only talking of the
news."

"Your sisters told you the news at Todd's Corner, I suppose?"

"Yes, miss."

"And you told them the news at Limmeridge House?"

"Yes, miss. And I'm quite sure nothing was said to frighten the poor
thing, for I was talking when she was taken ill. It gave me quite a
turn, miss, to see it, never having been taken faint myself."

Before any more questions could be put to her, she was called away to
receive a basket of eggs at the dairy door. As she left us I whispered
to Miss Halcombe--

"Ask her if she happened to mention, last night, that visitors were
expected at Limmeridge House."

Miss Halcombe showed me, by a look, that she understood, and put the
question as soon as the dairymaid returned to us.

"Oh yes, miss, I mentioned that," said the girl simply. "The company
coming, and the accident to the brindled cow, was all the news I had to
take to the farm."

"Did you mention names? Did you tell them that Sir Percival Glyde was