"The children will solve this mystery before I shall, you will
see," he said to Lady Eleanor, laughing, "and I may as well give up the
attempt."
"But do you not think that this proves these two people to be harmless
and innocent?" asked Lady Eleanor.
"You judged them to be so from the first," he answered, "and that is
sufficient for me."
Lady Eleanor hesitated for a moment, and then said that he must come
and see the bullfinch. So Elsie produced the bird with great pride,
and Colonel George recognised one tune as "The British Grenadiers" and
the other as part of "Lillibulero," the famous marching song which was
so popular with King William's soldiers. "Strange," he said, "that
both tunes should be marching tunes. What can it mean?"
But before they had done with the bullfinch, a frightened woman came
hurrying up with the news that old Sally Dart was taken bad. She had
got up as usual and begun to lay the fire, but the neighbours seeing no
more of her had entered the cottage and found her lying on the floor,
speechless, with one side of her face pulled down. Lady Eleanor at
once sent for the doctor, and walked down with Colonel George to see
what she could do; but as they came back they found that there was
fresh excitement in another quarter. The village preacher's cow had
also been taken bad; her calf was dead already, and it was doubtful if
the cow could be saved.
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