Castra Regis has had no knowledge of its owner for five
generations--covering more than a hundred and twenty years. It has been
well administered, however, and no tenant or other connected with it has
had anything of which to complain. All the same, there has been much
natural anxiety to see the new owner, and we are all excited about the
event of his coming. Even I am, though I own my own estate, which,
though adjacent, is quite apart from Castra Regis.--Here we are now in
new ground for you. That is the spire of Salisbury Cathedral, and when
we leave that we shall be getting close to the old Roman county, and you
will naturally want your eyes. So we shall shortly have to keep our
minds on old Mercia. However, you need not be disappointed. My old
friend, Sir Nathaniel de Salis, who, like myself, is a free-holder near
Castra Regis--his estate, Doom Tower, is over the border of Derbyshire,
on the Peak--is coming to stay with me for the festivities to welcome
Edgar Caswall. He is just the sort of man you will like. He is devoted
to history, and is President of the Mercian Archaeological Society. He
knows more of our own part of the country, with its history and its
people, than anyone else. I expect he will have arrived before us, and
we three can have a long chat after dinner. He is also our local
geologist and natural historian. So you and he will have many interests
in common. Amongst other things he has a special knowledge of the Peak
and its caverns, and knows all the old legends of prehistoric times."

They spent the night at Cheltenham, and on the following morning resumed
their journey to Stafford. Adam's eyes were in constant employment, and
it was not till Salton declared that they had now entered on the last
stage of their journey, that he referred to Sir Nathaniel's coming.

As the dusk was closing down, they drove on to Lesser Hill, Mr. Salton's
house. It was now too dark to see any details of their surroundings.