Page 109 of The Long Road Back to Yesterday

He grinned.

They reached Arbor Low as the sky began to brighten and made their way to the broad stone near the center. Mr. Darcy secured his horse, and they sat with their notes between them.

They began with Jim Fletcher's account, comparing what each had recorded. They agreed on the salient details.

Then Elizabeth opened the earlier pages of her notebook.

Mr. Darcy rested his papers across his knee. “We should separate what we know from what we suppose.”

Elizabeth took up her pencil. “Working theories?”

“Until we have sufficient evidence to call them anything more.”

She turned to a fresh page.

“Arbor Low,” she said. “That much seems certain.”

“Every disappearance you found occurred here. Grange also came here because of the old stories.”

Elizabeth wrote:

ARBOR LOW IS THE PLACE OF CROSSING.

“December twenty-first.”

“The three disappearances occurred upon that date, as did Grange's attempt.”

DECEMBER 21 IS THE APPOINTED DAY.

“Sam intended to remain until midnight because he did not know the appointed time, but he disappeared at sunset.”

“That gives us the hour, Elizabeth, if Fletcher's experience can be repeated.”

SUNSET APPEARS TO BE THE MOMENT OF CROSSING.

They came to the receipt.

“April sixth,” Elizabeth said. “Sam chose it because the farm still belonged to his family on that day.”

“And he arrived on April sixth.”

Elizabeth wrote:

A DATED OBJECT MAY DETERMINE WHEN THE TRAVELER ARRIVES.

“We have more than the date now. Mr. Fletcher told us precisely where Sam appeared.”

“Yes, the shop where the barley seed had been purchased.”

Elizabeth considered the significance. “Not Arbor Low.”

“No. It is evidence, but still we have only the one example.”

Elizabeth added another line.

THE PLACE CONNECTED TO THE DATED OBJECT MAY DETERMINE WHERE THE TRAVELER ARRIVES.

She marked it as uncertain.