When we had arranged for a few days’ stay, a serving man led our horses away, and we entered the best room of the place.  It was an oak-panelled, wainscoted room, with a low, smoke-grimed ceiling that was traversed by a massive beam.  The floor was paved with large stones, while an ingle nook and settle imparted a cheerful aspect to the apartment.  But what attracted my attention most was a mattock and a couple of spades, with the rich red clay still sticking to them, lying in a corner of the room.