"
"But the bicycle?" I objected.
"Quite so. We will come to the bicycle presently. To continue
our reasoning: if these people did not go by the road, they
must have traversed the country to the north of the house or
to the south of the house. That is certain. Let us weigh the
one against the other. On the south of the house is, as you
perceive, a large district of arable land, cut up into small
fields, with stone walls between them. There, I admit that a
bicycle is impossible. We can dismiss the idea. We turn to the
country on the north. Here there lies a grove of trees, marked
as the `Ragged Shaw,' and on the farther side stretches a great
rolling moor, Lower Gill Moor, extending for ten miles and
sloping gradually upwards. Here, at one side of this
wilderness, is Holdernesse Hall, ten miles by road, but only six
across the moor. It is a peculiarly desolate plain. A few moor
farmers have small holdings, where they rear sheep and cattle.
Except these, the plover and the curlew are the only inhabitants
until you come to the Chesterfield high road. There is a church
there, you see, a few cottages, and an inn.
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