new born
baby! No--I make no suggestions. 'Cepting this here--which has no doubt
occurred to you, or to B.O.'s brother. If I were the missing gentleman's
friends I should want to know a lot! I should want to know precisely what
he meant when he said to Dan'l Ewbank as how he'd known a man called
Marston Greyle in America. 'Taint a common name, that, guv'nor."

Copplestone made no answer to these observations. His own train of
thought was somewhat similar to his host's. And presently he turned to a
different track.

"You saw no one else about there that afternoon?" he asked.

"No one, guv'nor," replied Spurge.

"And where did you go when you left the place?" inquired Copplestone.

"To tell you the truth, guv'nor, I was waiting there for that cousin o'
mine--him as carried you the letter," answered Spurge. "It was a fixture
between us--he was to meet me there about three o'clock that day. If he
wasn't there, or in sight, by a quarter-past three I was to know he
wasn't able to get away. So as he didn't come, I slipped back into the
woods, and made my way back here, round by the moors."

"Are you going to stay in this place?" asked Copplestone.

"For a bit, guv'nor--till I see how things are," replied Spurge. "As I
say, I'm wanted for poaching, and Chatfield's been watching to get his
knife into me this long while. All the same, if more serious things drew
his attention off, he might let it slide. What do you ask for, guv'nor?"

"I wanted to know where you could be found in case you were required to
give evidence about seeing Mr. Oliver," replied Copplestone. "That
evidence may be wanted."

"I've thought of that," observed Spurge. "And you can always find that
much out from my cousin at the 'Admiral.' He keeps in touch with me--if
it got too hot for me here, I should clear out to Norcaster--there's a
spot there where I've laid low many a time. You can trust my cousin--Jim
Spurge, that's his name. One eye, no mistaking of him--he's always about
the yard there at Mrs. Wooler's."

"All right," said Copplestone. "If I want you, I'll tell him. By-the-bye,
have you told this to anybody?"

"Not to a soul, guv'nor," replied Spurge. "Not even to Jim. No--I kept it
dark till I could see you. Considering, of course, that you are left in
charge of things, like."

Copplestone presently went away and returned slowly to Scarhaven,
meditating deeply on what he had heard. He saw no reason to doubt the
truth of Zachary Spurge's