ain't seen aught of him since. Nor heard."

Quick pushed his empty glass across the table, with a sign to Claigue
to refill it; at the same time he pointed silently to his informant,
signifying that he was to be served at his expense. He was evidently
deep in thought by that time, and for a moment or two he sat staring
at the window and the blue sea beyond, abstracted and pondering.
Suddenly he turned again on his informant.

"What like was this here man?" he demanded.

"I couldn't tell you, mister," replied the other. "It was well after
dark and I never saw his face. But, for the build of him, a strong-set
man, like myself, and just about your height. And now I come to think
of it, spoke in your way--not as we do in these quarters. A
stranger--like yourself. Seafaring man, I took him for."

"And you ain't heard of his being about?" asked Quick.

"Not a word, mister," affirmed the informant. "He went Denwick way
when he left me. That's going inland."

Quick turned to me.

"I would like to see that map of yours again, master, if you please,"
he said. "I ought to ha' provided myself with one before I came here."
He spread the map out before him, and after taking another gulp of his
rum, proceeded to trace roads and places with the point of his finger.
"Denwick?" he muttered. "Aye I see that. And these places where
there's a little cross?--that'll mean there's a church there?"

I nodded an affirmative, silently watching him, and wondering what
this desire on the part of two men to find the graves of the
Netherfields might mean. And the landlord evidently shared my wonder,
for presently he plumped his customer with a direct question.

"You seem very anxious to find these Netherfield gravestones," he
remarked, with good-humoured inquisitiveness. "And so, apparently,
does another man. Now, I've been in these parts a good many years, and
I've never heard of 'em; never even heard the name."

"Nor me!" said the other man. "There's none o' that name in these
parts--'twixt Alnmouth Bay and Budle Point. I ain't never heard it!"

"And he's a native," declared the landlord. "Born and bred and brought
up here. Wasn't you, Jim?"

"Never been away from it," assented Jim, with a short laugh. "Never
been farther north than Belford, south than Warkworth, west than
Whittingham. And as for east, I reckon you can't get much further that
way than where we are now."

"Not unless you take to the water, you can't," said Claigue. "N