" I wasn't thinking of going towards the village , " said the Inspector .sx " It isn't much of a walk , and I prefer the high road .sx " He rose as he spoke , opened the front door , and walked out .sx At that moment the full moon was shining brightly through a gap in the clouds , and the road was brightly illuminated .sx He set off at a smart pace in the direction of Gippingford , and , having walked fifty yards or so , looked suddenly over his shoulder , just in time to see Dunsford's head withdrawn rapidly from the doorway .sx There could no longer be any doubt about it .sx Dunsford intended to keep a watch upon his movements , for some mysterious purpose of his own .sx He had tried to dissuade him from going out at all , and had then wished to accompany him towards the village .sx Now that he had set out in the opposite direction , Dunsford's anxiety appeared to be allayed .sx The Inspector kept on his way steadily , until he judged that his footsteps would be inaudible from the inn .sx Then , as an advancing cloud covered the moon , he stepped on to the grass by the side of the road , and began to make his way slowly back , under cover of the hedge .sx He would turn the tables on Dunsford and try to discover the secrets of that baffling publican .sx Young reflected that he had at least an hour to spare before it was time for him to carry out the arrangement he had made with Merrion .sx He crept silently back , until he had reached a spot from which he could see both entrances to the inn .sx He had scarcely taken up his position , when he saw Dunsford emerge and , after a furtive look round , set off rapidly in the direction of the village .sx Merrion , meanwhile , had not been idle .sx About ten o'clock he left his hotel at Gippingford , carrying a suitcase , and took out his car .sx He drove to a point , already reconnoitred , some two miles from the Rose and Crown , where the car could be run under the shelter of some trees , and would not be likely to be noticed by casualpassers by .sx Here he stopped , and having extinguished his lamps , undressed and changed into the clothes he had brought with him in the suit-case .sx When he stepped out of the car , he was clad in breeches and an old shooting coat , with heavy boots and leggings .sx It was quite plain that he had studied the country .sx Although the moon was momentarily hidden , and it was barely possible to see twenty yards ahead , he left the road and made straight for the gate of a field , which he vaulted easily .sx From there he set a course across country , with the object of approaching the village from the back .sx He was within a few hundred yards of an outlying farm , when the moon appeared from behind the clouds , flooding the open fields in front of him with its pale light .sx He glanced up at the sky as he crouched beneath the nearest hedge .sx Another bank of clouds was driving slowly up , but it would be several minutes before it obscured the moon once more .sx There was nothing for it but to stay where he was ; he would run too great a risk of being seen if he ventured into the open , and the hedge in which he lay hidden was the only cover for some distance round .sx He listened intently as he waited .sx The only sound that came to his ears was the barking of a dog , somewhere in the distance .sx Then at last when the clouds had almost reached the moon , a figure came into sight from under the shadow of the farm .sx It was that of a woman , muffled in a cloak , with apparently a shawl covering her head .sx With infinite caution Merrion crept towards her , keeping the hedge between them .sx To his astonishment , she set off at a queer gait , half-running , half-walking , not towards the village , as he had expected , but in a direction which he knew would lead her to the river , a mile or so above the quay .sx Then , while he was still wondering whether to follow her or to keep on his original course , the moon disappeared , and he was left in darkness once more .sx It was too late to follow the woman , even had he wished to .sx Her form was swallowed up in the gloom , .sx and he was not sure enough of his bearings to strike off in the direction in which she had vanished .sx He decided to keep on towards the village and , giving the farm a wide berth , he took to the fields once more .sx At length he reached the point for which he had aimed , where a path led through a tangled thicket , close to the confines of the village .sx He judged that it must by now be past eleven o'clock .sx Everything was very still about him , and he was wondering whether it would be possible to venture along the path into the village itself , when his keen ear caught the sound of hurrying footsteps advancing towards him .sx He shrank back into the undergrowth and waited .sx The footsteps drew nearer until they were abreast of him .sx Then , very faintly , he could discern a figure , clad as the first had been , in a skirt and cloak , with its head hidden in the depths of a hood .sx But this was no woman .sx By the shape of the figure and the length of its stride he knew it to be that of a man .sx A thrill of excitement ran through Merrion as the figure passed .sx His conjectures had been right , down to the last detail .sx An assembly , following the old tradition in every respect , was to be held .sx But , in the midst of his exultation , he cursed himself for his own lack of precaution .sx Too late he remembered that those who attended the Witches' Sabbath did so " clad in female garb , cloaked and hooded , men and women alike .sx " Dressed as he was , he could never hope to make his way into the Assembly .sx The utmost he could do would be to lie in wait and learn what he could from a distance .sx The footsteps drew away from him and died out .sx But , after an interval , others followed them .sx Securely hidden in the thick bracken , Merrion witnessed the passing of a strange shadowy procession of hooded figures , hurrying silently , singly and in pairs , along the path before him .sx Not one of these figures spoke or turned their faces aside .sx They pressed onward through the darkness , apparently oblivious of everything save the necessity of reaching their destination .sx They movedas figures in a dream , hurrying onward , seeming to glide rather than walk .sx They gave the impression of floating through the air , of touching the ground scarcely with their toes ; their cloaks , caught now and then by the breath of the south-west breeze , floated round them like dark and ominous wings .sx Merrion , in spite of his robust nerves , felt a sudden thrill of supernatural terror , as though the cold hand of evil had reached out and clutched him .sx It was only with a powerful effort that he restrained himself from turning aside and fleeing from a spot which he felt to be accursed .sx But he held his ground , and the passing of the figures grew less frequent until it ceased altogether .sx When the last of the footsteps had died away in the distance , Merrion emerged cautiously from his hiding place and prepared to follow them .sx But , even as he did so , he heard a sound behind him , and shrunk back again into cover .sx The sound advanced swiftly ; it was evidently that of some last straggler , hurrying to overtake those who had gone before .sx At that moment , to Merrion's horror , the moon burst through the clouds once more , and the path was flooded with the ghostly radiance that penetrated through the leafless branches above it .sx He dared not move , although he was within a yard of the path and could scarcely fail to be seen by any one who looked in his direction .sx The cloaked and hooded figure advanced , the moon shining full upon it as it crossed the patches of light .sx Merrion stood rigid , holding his breath , ready to run for it if he should be discovered .sx This time the figure was unmistakably that of a woman , and Merrion calculated that he could make his escape before he could be recognised .sx But the figure looked neither to the right nor to the left .sx It came towards him with that queer floating gait , which was neither walking nor running , swaying slightly from side to side .sx Its cloak spread out on either side , brushing the twigs as it passed .sx But the deep hood hid the face , of which at last Merrion could see the eyes .sx glowing in the shadow like points of flame .sx And then Merrion knew that he was safe .sx Those eyes , fixed rigidly on some unseen point , never wavered for an instant in their set intensity .sx And then , with a shock of horror , the truth dawned upon him .sx The woman was in a trance , a trance which made her oblivious of everything save some fixed and mysterious purpose .sx She passed him so close that by stretching out his hand he could have touched her .sx For an instant the moon shone into the depths of her hood , and Merrion's heart leapt .sx It was Mrs. Portch and she was carrying the doll , still with that sinister needle driven through its heart .sx This time he waited until fully five minutes had elapsed since her passing .sx No further sound came to him , no further figures came hurrying from the direction of the village .sx Merrion stepped on to the path , and strode along it rapidly in the direction in which the procession had disappeared .sx It emerged from a thicket and wound through the fields , ever tending slightly down hill , towards the banks of the river .sx A high hedge ran along one side of it , and Merrion was careful to keep in the shadow of this .sx Beyond the shadow the country was brightly illuminated .sx He could see the line of the river , and , some distance ahead , a tall dark patch , which he made out to be a group of trees .sx At length the hedge came to an end , and Merrion paused irresolute .sx He looked up at the sky , and shook his head despondently .sx The moon was sailing in a clear vault , surrounded by stars , and there was not a cloud upon the horizon .sx He could not reckon upon the friendly cover of darkness , at least for some time to come .sx A wide band of silver stretched before him ; it was high tide , and the river filled its channel from bank to bank .sx A couple of hundred yards from where he stood , it forked into several branches , probably muddy ditches at low water , but now deep and unfordable .sx Two of these branches enclosed what he took at first to be an island , and in the centre of this stood the clump of treeswhich he had already seen in the distance .sx Looking more closely , he saw that they stood on what was not strictly an island .sx A narrow causeway connected it to the mainland , and at the end of this causeway stood two cloaked figures , rigid and motionless as sentries .sx Everything was clear to him now .sx The meeting-place of the coven was in the heart of the grove of trees , secure from observation .sx It was obviously impossible to cross the causeway under the eyes of the sentries .sx Merrion had for a moment the idea of trying to swim across one of the branches of the river , but in order to do that it would be necessary for him to leave the shadow of the hedge and come out into the open , courting certain discovery by those motionless figures .sx As he stood there , baffled and hesitating , a pin-point of light appeared between the trunks of the trees .sx It was followed by others , until he could count a dozen or more feeble and flickering glimmers .sx The mysterious meeting had opened .sx