She stood for some moments, staring and waiting; yet when she did notice something, it was so obvious that it seemed impossible that it had not struck her immediately. On her side of the pond the wild flowers and weeds which grew in the little clearing were all standing upright save in the place, where Ed and Frank had trod; on the other side, farthest from the edge of the wood, all growth had been trampled flat; the pink heads of the willow herb and ragged robin, the white flowers of the dead nettle, the yarrow’s yellow and the blue of the bugloss were all stamped down into the grey-green mesh of smashed vegetation. And the sharp earthy odour of trodden grass and broken stems and leaves still hung on the air.

It’s as though a herd of elephants . . . But this is England!

Moving reluctantly, as though each step pained her, she went round one end of the dish-shaped pond and stood upon the crushed vegetation. She saw nothing else until she was very near the water upon that side, and then, in the area of soft brown mud, she saw exactly the same sight as had shocked Crusoe on his island — the mark of a bare foot. On either side there were others, some complete, some the marks of the forepart of the foot only, the tracks of people moving lightly on their toes. Or dancing. Dancing. Dancing last night, Midsummer’s Eve.

The faint feeling of guilt which had just scratched her when Wesley Baines took his leave strengthened and set its fangs into her. He was dead now. Because she hadn’t been frank and honest. She’d known; and she’d said nothing. And now she knew, just as certainly as though she had seen it happen, what had taken place here last night. Wesley, with his suspicion or his curiosity newly aroused, had followed Emily here; he’d seen the secret thing and paid the price with his life.

And who will believe that? I have no proof. Nothing to show.

The wood had been alive with bird song. Suddenly through it came the sound – half bark, half howl – of a dog, which was immediately answered by another. All the birds were suddenly silent.

There was a moment of complete stillness, as though even the trees were holding their breath; and then there was a sound, a muffled shuffling noise, as though, just out of sight, something soft but heavy was moving towards her.

Some instinct made her turn, so that her back was towards the pond, her face to the trees. She could see nothing, yet the sound came nearer. The dog lifted its voice again, and again was answered.

Then, in the shadow of the trees, she saw movement; another, deeper shadow, on the move, close to the ground, grey, like thick fog advancing to engulf her.