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'You never heard any sound of vehicles? Any voices outside? Sounds from other houses?'

'Nothing like that It was very quiet, I noticed that'

'Was it marshland?' Stonor asked 'You h?'

'I was blindfolded,' she explained

'What sort of roads were they? Main roads or cart tracks?'

'Rough hill roads,' she said

Then Stonor pounced 'Hill roads ? How do you know they were hill roads?'

She looked at hi down thele I could just tell ere driving down hills'

'Good,' said the King 'That is one solid point, any­way A village in the hills, an isolated house'

'It wasn't a village,' she said quickly 'I'm sure I would have noticed sounds from other houses'

'A farm,' Stonor said quietly 'The cows indicate that, surely A small hill farm'

The King nodded 'There are only a few hundred of therimly 'If it takes us a year ill search every one'

'Did they talk to you?' Stonor demanded of her 'Surely they spoke?'

'They only spoke when they had to,' she told him 'In fact, I only saw one of theun'

Stonor swore 'Did he threaten you? Hurt you?' His eyes ith rage