I realise now how mad a proposition that was; but I did not see it in that light then. I loved her, and I dreaded what might happen to her; more than all else, I saw no greater happiness than in gaining for myself the dear privilege of watching over her. You may imagine what my feelings were when I heard her glad and eager a.s.sent.
"Yes, yes, I will come willingly," she said. "Where will you take me?"
"I don"t know," I said a little ruefully, "but we can settle that matter afterwards. Far better for us to tramp the roads, side by side, in safety, than for you to remain in this place a day longer. Now listen to me, while I tell you what my plan is."
We were pacing up and down a gra.s.s-grown walk while we talked; we were well out of sight of the house. While I write this I seem to see again her glowing face turned towards mine; to feel the touch of her hands in mine; to hear the quick, eager whisper with which she answered me. I had cause to remember that afterwards, with bitterness, as you shall presently hear.
"The chances are that we shall be watched," I began, "because I was foolish enough last night to tell the doctor of my intention.
Consequently, we must not be seen together during the day; we must escape under cover of darkness. At ten o"clock to-night walk quietly out of the house, as though you were going for a stroll in the grounds; when you come to the gate, go out into the road, where I shall be waiting.
After that we must leave the rest to whatever good or ill fortune awaits us. At some convenient time during the day put whatever you need to take with you in the old summer-house where we first met; no one visits that, and you can easily take the things from there when you finally leave the house."
So it was settled; and for that time I knew that we should both wait eagerly. I laughed a little ruefully to myself at the thought of how little money I had in my pocket; but that matter did not greatly trouble me. The future must take care of itself; I liked to think that Debora and I were two waifs, setting out alone together, to explore a great unknown world in which as yet we had neither of us had any real chance of living. I painted a wholly impossible future for us both; for my own part, I think I felt capable of conquering worlds, and carving out a position for myself and for her.
The doctor chose to shut himself up in his study during the day, and although Debora and I had lunch and dinner together in the big dining-room, the woman Martha Leach never left us for a moment, and our conversation was, perforce, confined to the most trivial things. To any outside observer Martha Leach would have appeared to be merely a highly-trained servant, devoted to us, and anxious to antic.i.p.ate our every want; to my clearer understanding she was a spy, eager to bring about that which the doctor wished, at all costs. I seemed to see her again slipping the phial into the doctor"s hand.
So closely were we watched during the progress of those meals, and so careful did we deem it necessary to be in our behaviour towards each other, that I had no opportunity of learning whether Debora had succeeded in getting her hat and coat and such things as she might need, into the safe shelter of the summer-house. Therefore I determined, about an hour before the time arranged for the girl to meet me, that I would saunter down to the place, to see for myself that all was well. My preparations were soon made; I had merely to put my cap in my pocket, and so saunter out of the house, as though about to stroll in the grounds.
So I came to the summer-house, and, walking quickly into it quite unsuspiciously, came face to face with Mr. Harvey Scoffold, seated on the bench, with his head leaning back against the wall, and his eyes closed. He had a cigar between his lips, at which he was lazily puffing.
And beside him on the seat was a little bag, and Debora"s hat and coat.
Here, I felt, was an end of the game--so far, at least, as that day was concerned. How he had contrived to blunder upon the affair I could not tell; I only knew that the mere presence of those things there at his side must have given away the little plot at once. While I stared at him he opened his eyes, and looked at me with a smile.
"Well, dear boy, so here you are at last!" he exclaimed pleasantly.
"I"ve been waiting for you."
"Much obliged to you," I retorted curtly. "What are you doing here at all?"
He shook his head at me, with an air almost of whimsical sadness.
"My dear boy--my poor, misguided boy!" he said, "why will you always blunder so infernally over your friends and your enemies?"
"I can distinguish pretty well between them, thank you," I a.s.sured him with meaning.
He shook his head again and laughed. "Indeed you can"t," he answered.
"Now, at the present moment, you never needed a friend so much in all your life; and yet you endeavour to insult one who stands waiting to help you. Didn"t I show last night what my real feelings were in regard to this business?"
I hesitated, for I remembered how loyal he had seemed to be to Debora, and how much repugnance he had shown to what the doctor had endeavoured to do. I suppose now he saw his opportunity, for he began to push the matter home.
"My dear boy," he said eagerly, leaning forward towards me, "what earthly chance will you have of helping this girl, if you set out on a wild goose-chase through the world with her, without enough to pay even for a night"s lodging? Think for one moment: she has been used to every comfort, she is a lady in every sense of the word."
"G.o.d knows that"s true!" I exclaimed fervently.
"Very well, then; don"t you see how mad it is?" he pleaded.
"Nevertheless, I mean to do it," I said doggedly. "Besides, how comes it that you know what we"re going to do?"
He shrugged his shoulders, and laughed. "My dear boy, the thing is so transparent! I know enough of you to guess that you wouldn"t allow her to stay in this place; and then, by the merest chance, I saw her creeping through the grounds this evening, and making for this summer-house. Later I discovered these things which she had left.
There"s the whole matter in a nutsh.e.l.l."
"And I suppose you think you"ll prevent our going--or warn the doctor?"
I said, in a threatening tone.
He threw up his hands with a gesture of despair, and seemed to appeal to the very trees and the stars against me. "Look at this fellow!" he exclaimed. "What is one to make of him? As if I had suggested trying to stop you--or suggested warning Bardolph Just! On the contrary, I swear to you that I am here to help you."
He seemed so honest about the matter, and had taken my suspicions so good-temperedly, that I was disarmed. "Tell me," I said, "what do you mean to do? How will you help us?"
He sprang to his feet, and spread out his arms; and then suddenly touched me lightly with his fingers on each shoulder--almost as though he would embrace me. "My dear boy," he said in his eager fashion, "I am all for romance. When I see a boy and a girl taking their way out on to the great highway of life, ready to walk hand in hand together to the very end of the road, my heart leaps out towards them. Consequently, when I guessed your secret, I asked myself what I could do to help you.
And I have found a way."
"What is the way?" I asked.
"Our common foe is Dr. Bardolph Just," he said, lowering his voice, and looking about him as though he feared that even in that secluded spot we might be overheard. "Now, Dr. Bardolph Just does not know that I have changed my abode; he is totally unaware of the fact that I reside within a mile or so of this house. Consequently, what is to prevent your bringing the young lady to that little cottage of which we both know, and where there is a decent woman to look after her? Let the future take care of itself, if you like--but be careful of the present. I will provide you with what money is necessary, so that while the doctor is eating his heart out with rage, and is moving heaven and earth to discover the runaways, you will be lying snug at my place, making your arrangements for the time to come."
I began to think that it was a good enough plan. I would, of course, infinitely have preferred to start off with Debora on some journey of which we did not even know the end; but that was, perhaps, a foolish idea, and not one to be encouraged with a young girl to be considered.
More than that, as Harvey Scoffold had blundered upon the story, it was quite impossible to keep him out of it; and I knew that he was a man of that temper that, if I curtly refused his offer, he might well betake himself to Bardolph Just at once, and let him into the whole secret.
There were many reasons urging me to close with his offer, and, although with reluctance, I did so.
"Very well, then; I accept," I said. "Only, heaven help you if you play any tricks with us!"
He shrugged his shoulders, and laughed again. "I hope some day to be able to convince you that I am not a scoundrel," he replied lightly.
That Debora might not be disconcerted by coming upon the man unexpectedly, I persuaded him to walk on a little towards his house. I would meet the girl, and follow him. To that he consented, and together we walked to the gate leading into the road. Mindful of what I had promised Debora, I stepped out into the road myself, and watched the man as he strode rapidly away. Then I set myself to wait, with what patience I could muster, for the coming of Debora.
It was a fine night, and as I leaned against the wall, waiting, I heard a clock in the distance chime the hour of ten. Then I heard the click of the gate, and my heart gave a little leap as I thought of who was coming. Imagine my surprise when, on turning my head, I saw a man advancing towards me through the shadows. I was turning abruptly away, not desiring to be seen by anyone then, when the man quickened his steps and came after me.
""Ere, "old "ard!--"old "ard a bit!" he called; and I stopped and faced about.
The man was George Rabbit, and he was in altogether different trim from anything I had seen before. The shabby clothes were replaced by a suit of tweeds of a rather smart cut, and a billyc.o.c.k hat of a sporting type was perched on his head. He nodded impudently, and held out his hand. Of that I took no notice.
"Too proud to shake "ands with a pal--eh?" he said. "There"s some people wants to be learnt a lesson, it seems to me. I"ve jist bin up to the "ouse, and "is nibs there says "e don"t know me, an" don"t want anythink to do wiv me. An" I on"y wanted to touch "im fer a quid."
"You"ve had all the money you"ll get out of either of us," I said sternly. "And you"d better go away now; I don"t want to talk to you."
"That"s w"ere we differ, guv"nor," said Mr. Rabbit impudently. "I"m goin" to stick to you fer a bit, an" see if I can"t make summink out of yer."
I wondered what I was to do. I knew that in another moment that gate might open again, and Debora come out; and I was quite certain that George Rabbit would be only too eager to follow us, and to make capital out of our adventure. I thought I would try something more than threats; so I advanced upon the man, and suddenly took him by the throat, and banged his head l.u.s.tily with the flat of my hand.
"When I tell you I want you to go away I mean it," I said between my teeth, as I towered over him in my wrath. "If you don"t get out of this I"ll kick you into the middle of next week."
He wriggled out of my grasp, and picked up his billyc.o.c.k hat, which had fallen into the road. He gave me an ugly scowl as he backed away.
"I"ll knife yer one of these days," he whimpered--"see if I don"t. You know wot I could say if I"d a mind to say it--an" I----"
The door in the wall had clicked again, and I saw Debora coming swiftly towards me. The voice of George Rabbit died away as he gazed on this new apparition; he stood still at the other side of the road. I took the bag from Debora"s hand, and turned, and hurried away with her without a word; but I had an uneasy feeling that Rabbit was following. I stopped once in the darkness, and looked back; and I was certain that he stopped, too, and waited. I did not wish to alarm the girl by calling out to him; I could only hope that we might manage to elude him before coming to Harvey Scoffold"s cottage.
On the way I told Debora exactly what had happened, and explained to her that this seemed the best and the only thing for us to do. She was a little disconcerted, and urged me to remember that Harvey Scoffold was a personal friend of the doctor; but on that point I endeavoured to re-a.s.sure her, by telling her of the scene in the study the night before, and of the att.i.tude Scoffold had taken. Looking back on the matter now, I wish with all my heart that I had adopted her suggestion, and had flung caution to the winds, and had gone off with her in some new direction; how much sorrow and misery might have been spared us if we had done that you shall know hereafter.
We came at last to the cottage where Harvey Scoffold was lodging, and there I found the man awaiting us. He was courtesy itself to Debora; put a finger on his lips mysteriously when she would have thanked him; and introduced us both to the old woman who kept the house. I was beginning to think that all was very right, when I heard a knock at the door of the cottage, and the old woman, who had been preparing supper, came out of some room at the back to answer the summons. And then for the first time I remembered George Rabbit.