ped a homicidal mania against me--I, who had fought in the most
absolute self-defence. That was what drove me out of the country,
Mangan--not the fear of being arrested for having caused the death of
Roger Unthank. I'd have stood my trial for that at any moment. It was
the other thing that broke me up."

"Quite so," Mangan murmured sympathetically. "As a matter of fact,
you were perfectly safe from arrest, as it happened. The body of Roger
Unthank has never been found from that day to this."

"If it had--"

"You must have been charged with either murder or manslaughter."

Dominey abandoned his post at the window and raised his glass of sherry
to his lips. The tragical side of these reminiscences seemed, so far as
he was concerned, to have passed.

"I suppose," he remarked, "it was the disappearance of the body which
has given rise to all this talk as to his spirit still inhabiting the
Black Wood."

"Without a doubt," the lawyer acquiesced. "The place had a bad name
already, as you know. As it is, I don't suppose there's a villager here
would cross the park in that direction after dark."

Dominey glanced at his watch and led the way from the room.

"After dinner," he promised, "I'll tell you a few West African
superstitions which will make our local one seem anemic."

CHAPTER IX

"I certainly offer you my heartiest congratulations upon your cellars,
Sir Everard," his guest said, as he sipped his third glass of port that
evening. "This is the finest glass of seventy I've drunk for a long
time, and this new fellow I've sent you down--Parkins--tells me there's
any quantity of it."

"It has had a pretty long rest," Dominey observed.

"I was looking through the cellar-book before dinner," the lawyer went
on, "and I see that you still have forty-seven and forty-eight, and a
small quantity of two older vintages. Something ought to be done about
those."

"We will try one of them to-morrow night," Dominey suggested. "We might
spend half an hour or so in the cellars, if we have any time to spare."

"And another half an hour," Mr. Mangan said gravely, "I should like to
spend in interviewing Mrs. Unthank. Apart from any other question, I do
not for one moment believe that she is the proper person to be entrusted
with the care of Lady Dominey. I made up my mind to speak to you on this
subject, Sir Everard, as soon as we had arrived here."

"Mrs. Unthank was old Mr. Felbrigg's housekeeper and my wife's nurse
whe