Come to think of it, I don't recall any mention of faithful old Titcombe at any time throughout this dead-Nigel saga. I'm betting that Shulugh would have regarded him as far too lower-class even to stand at the back at the funeral service. He was probably put in charge of the horse's nosebag outside the church in the rain. My disdain for these people knows no bounds. As for what you said about silent witnesses, topsie, that got me thinking. In the series of that name, aren't all the witnesses in question dead? My God, can't you just see what might be going through David's mind? There's more carnage to come, I tell you!