If these two folk passed away by road it was THIS road."
"Exactly."
"By a singular and happy chance we are able to some extent to
check what passed along this road during the night in question.
At this point, where my pipe is now resting, a country constable
was on duty from twelve to six. It is, as you perceive, the
first cross road on the east side. This man declares that he
was not absent from his post for an instant, and he is positive
that neither boy nor man could have gone that way unseen.
I have spoken with this policeman to-night, and he appears to
me to be a perfectly reliable person. That blocks this end.
We have now to deal with the other. There is an inn here,
the Red Bull, the landlady of which was ill. She had sent
to Mackleton for a doctor, but he did not arrive until morning,
being absent at another case. The people at the inn were alert
all night, awaiting his coming, and one or other of them seems
to have continually had an eye upon the road. They declare that
no one passed. If their evidence is good, then we are fortunate
enough to be able to block the west, and also to be able to say
that the fugitives did NOT use the road at all.
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