The greatest man in Raveloe was Squire Cass, who lived in the Red House with his sons. The second son, Dunstan, was a spiteful, drinking young man who laughed at everyone. On a foggy November evening Dunstan killed his brother's horse at a hunt and walked home through the mud in the dark. He passed the weaver's cottage and saw a light, and he remembered the stories about the old man's money. The door was not locked, for Silas had gone out for a moment. Dunstan found the bricks, took the two heavy bags, and stepped out into the rain. Nobody ever saw him again. When Silas came back and lifted the bricks, the hole was empty. He put his trembling hands to his head and gave a wild, ringing scream, the cry of desolation.