"The bottom's rotten from end to end and the top's all poisonous.

The birds die there on the trees.

It's chockful of reptiles and unclean things, with green and purple fungi, two feet high, with poison in the very sniff of them.

The man who enters that wood goes to his grave." "Nevertheless," Dominey said firmly, "within a very short time I am going to solve the mystery of this nocturnal visitor." They returned to the house, side by side.

Just before they entered, Dominey turned to his companion.
"Middleton," he said, "you keep up the good old customs, I suppose, and spend half an hour at the 'Dominey Arms' now and then ?" "Most every night of my life, sir," the old man replied, "from eight till nine.