‘’Appen you may have, ma’am,’ he answered, quite coolly, looking down the buttons of his gaiters.

‘Are you a good whip—­do you drive well?’

‘I’ll drive a plough wi’ most lads hereabout,’ answered Tom.

‘Have you ever been to Knowl, Tom?’

Tom gaped very innocently.

‘Anan,’ he said.

‘Here, Tom, is half-a-crown.’

He took it readily enough.

‘That be very good,’ said Tom, with a nod, having glanced sharply at the coin.

I can’t say whether he applied that term to the coin, or to his luck, or to my generous self.

‘Now, Tom, you’ll tell me, have you ever been to Knowl?’

‘Maught a’ bin, ma’am, but I don’t mind no sich place—­no.’

As Tom spoke this with great deliberation, like a man who loves truth, putting a strain upon his memory for its sake, he spun the silver coin two or three times into the air and caught it, staring at it the while, with all his might.

’Now, Tom, recollect yourself, and tell me the truth, and I’ll be a friend to you.  Did you ride postilion to a carriage having a lady in it, and, I think, several gentlemen, which came to the grounds of Knowl, when the party had their luncheon on the grass, and there was a—­a quarrel with the gamekeepers?  Try, Tom, to recollect; you shall, upon my honour, have no trouble about it, and I’ll try to serve you.’

Tom was silent, while with a vacant gape he watched the spin of his half-crown twice, and then catching it with a smack in his hand, which he thrust into his pocket, he said, still looking in the same direction—­

‘I never rid postilion in my days, ma’am.  I know nout o’ sich a place, though ‘appen I maught a’ bin there; Knowl, ye ca’t.  I was ne’er out o’ Derbyshire but thrice to Warwick fair wi’ horses be rail, an’ twice to York.’

‘You’re certain, Tom?’

‘Sartin sure, ma’am.’

And Tom made another loutish salute, and cut the conference short by turning off the path and beginning to hollo after some trespassing cattle.

I had not felt anything like so nearly sure in this essay at identification as I had in that of Dudley.  Even of Dudley’s identity with the Church Scarsdale man, I had daily grown less confident; and, indeed, had it been proposed to bring it to the test of a wager, I do not think I should, in the language of sporting gentlemen, have cared to ‘back’ my original opinion.  There was, however, a sufficient uncertainty to make me uncomfortable; and there was another uncertainty to enhance the unpleasant sense of ambiguity.

On our way back we passed the bleaching trunks and limbs of several ranks of barkless oaks lying side by side, some squared by the hatchet, perhaps sold, for there were large letters and Roman numerals traced upon them in red chalk.  I sighed as I passed them by, not because it was wrongfully done, for I really rather leaned to the belief that Uncle Silas was well advised in point of law.  But, alas! here lay low the grand old family decorations of Bartram-Haugh, not to be replaced for centuries to come, under whose spreading boughs the Ruthyns of three hundred years ago had hawked and hunted!