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"I suppose you didn't see him get on to the train?"

"There's such a lot of 'em, sir, you don't notice 'em, not the ones that travel every day. And Mr. Brotherhood, 'e was a man as 'adn't many words for anybody. Though of course there's some as is different; d'you know Mr. Davenant, sir, up at the Hatcheries? He's a nice gentleman, that is, has a word for everybody. I seed 'im getting off of the London train, and 'e asked me after my bit of garden—nothing stuck-up about 'im. Excuse me, sir." And, as the London train swung into view, he proceeded up and down the platform making a noise something like Paston Oatvile, for the information of anybody who could not read notice-boards.

The London train was undeniably full to overflowing, and even when the Paston Oatvile residents had diminished the number, there were enough waiting for the Paston Whitchurch and Binver train to leave no compartment unoccupied. Even in their first-class carriage, it was only by luck that Reeves and Gordon managed to travel by themselves.

"I say," began Gordon, "why Binver? We don't want to go beyond Whitchurch, do we?"

"Oh, it's just an idea of mine. We can get a train back in time for dinner. Don't you come unless you'd like to. Steady, here we are." And they swept slowly past the scene they had just been viewing from the solid ground. Reeves opened the door a little as they passed, and threw out a fresh stone; he had the satisfaction of seeing it disappear