care to stand up against him, I can tell you. Why, they do say he
caught two poachers in the wood there last month and brought 'em out
one under each arm like a pair of squealing babes."

"Did he, though?" said Dunn. "Take some doing, that, and I daresay
the rest of the gang will try to get even with him for it."

"Well, they do say as there's been threats," the other agreed. "But
what I says is as Mr. John can look after hisself all right. There
was a tale as a man had been dodging after him at night, but all he
said when they told him, was as if he caught any one after him he
would thrash them within an inch of their lives."

"Serve them right, too," exclaimed Dunn warmly.

Evidently this explained, in part at least, what had recently
happened. Mr. Clive, finding himself being followed, had supposed
it was one of his poaching enemies and had at once attempted to
carry out his threat he had made.

Dunn told himself, at any rate, the error would have the result of
turning all suspicion away from him, and yet he still seemed very
disturbed and ill at ease.

"Has Mr. Clive been here long?" he asked.

"It must be four or five years since his father bought the place,"
answered his new acquaintance. "Then, when the old man was killed
a year ago, Mr. John inherited everything."