At sight of strangers she threw open a door and smilingly invited them to walk into a snugly furnished bar-parlour where a bright fire burned in an open hearth.

Stafford gave his companion a look--this again was just the sort of old-world place which would appeal to Basset Oliver, supposing he had come across it.
"I wonder if you can give me some information ?" he asked presently, when the good-looking landlady had attended to their requests for refreshment.
"I suppose you are the landlady--Mrs.Wooler?
Well, now, Mrs.Wooler, did you have a tall, handsome, slightly grey-haired gentleman in here to lunch yesterday--say about one o'clock ?" The landlady turned on her questioner with an intelligent smile.
"You mean Mr.Oliver, the actor ?" she said.
"Good!" exclaimed Stafford, with a hearty sigh of relief.

"I do! You know him, then ?" "I've often seen him, both at Northborough and at Norcaster," replied Mrs.Wooler.

"But I never saw him here before yesterday.

Oh, yes! of course I knew him as soon as he walked in, and I had a bit of chat with him before he went out, and he remarked that though he'd been coming into these parts for some years, he'd never been to Scarhaven before--usually, he said, he'd gone inland of a Sunday, amongst the hills.