“The servants,” I asked; “how many were in the house?”
“To the best of my belief there were only the old butler and his wife. They seemed to live in the simplest fashion.”
“There was no servant, then, in the detached house?”
“None, unless the little man with the beard acted as such. He seemed, however, to be quite a superior person.”
“That seems very suggestive. Had you any indication that food was conveyed from the one house to the other?”
“Now that you mention it, I did see old Ralph carrying a basket down the garden walk and going in the direction of this house. The idea of food did not occur to me at the moment.”
“Did you make any local inquiries?”
“Yes, I did. I spoke to the stationmaster and also to the innkeeper in the village. I simply asked if they knew anything of my old c
