The shepherd who had lost his sheep was middle-aged and dressed in clothes that were old and tattered.
But he held himself erect and was obviously extremely incensed by what had occurred.
Vara shook hands with him before she said,
“As I expect you will have heard his Lordship is not well enough to receive visitors at the moment, but, if you will tell me your trouble, I will consult him and hope that he can find a solution for you.”
“That sounds fair enough to me,” the shepherd responded.
He talked with a very broad accent and, as he related his tale of woe, Vara was hoping that the Earl was listening behind the screen and managing to understand the man’s problem.
What had happened was quite simple.
He had a large flock of sheep high up on the moors and during the last month one or t
