All the same, Caranby is
tender on the point. I advised him to pull the house down and
let the land out for building leases. He thought he would,
but asked me to go at night and stir up the ghost. I went on
the night of the murder, and got into the grounds by climbing
the wall. There's no gate, you know."
"At what time?"
"Some time between ten and eleven. I'm not quite sure."
"Good heavens! man, that is the very hour the woman was
killed!"
"Yes. And for that reason I held my tongue; particularly as I
got over the wall near the cottage."
"Where do you mean?"
"Well, there's a field of corn nearly ready to be cut near the
cottage. It's divided from the garden by a fence. I came
along the foot-path that leads from the station and jumped the
fence."
"Did you enter Miss Loach's grounds?"
"No. I had no right to. I saw a light in the basement, but I
did not take much notice. I was too anxious to find the
ghost. Well, I ran along the fence--on the field-of-corn
side, remember, and got over the wall. Then I dodged through
the park, scratching myself a lot. I could find nothing. The
house seemed quiet enough, so after a quarter of an hour I had
enough of it. I got out over the wall on the other side and
came home. I caught a cold which necessitated my wearing a
great-coat the next day. So there you have my ghost-hunting,
and a fine fool I was to go."
"I wish you had told me this before, Mallow.
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