The Imp trotted beside me, stumbling frequently over his "trusty sword"
and issuing numberless commands in a hoa.r.s.e, fierce voice to an imaginary "band of outlaws." As for me, I strode on unheeding, for my mind was filled with a fast-growing suspicion that I had judged Lisbeth like a hasty fool.
In this manner we scoured the neighbourhood very thoroughly, but with no success. However, we continued our search with unabated ardour--along the river path to the water stairs and from thence by way of the gardens to the orchard; but not a sign of Lisbeth. The shrubbery and paddock yielded a like result, and having interrogated Peter in the harness-room, he informed us that "Miss Helezabeth was hout along with Miss Dorothy." At last, after more than an hour of this sort of thing, even the Imp grew discouraged and suggested "turning pirates."
Our wanderings had led by devious paths, and now, as luck would have it, we found ourselves beneath "the blasted oak."
We sat down very solemnly side by side, and for a long time there was silence.
"It"s fine to make "tyrants tremble," isn"t it Uncle d.i.c.k?" said the Imp at last.
"a.s.suredly." I nodded.
"But I should have liked to kiss Auntie Lisbeth good-bye first, an"
Dorothy, an" Louise--"
"What do you mean, my Imp?"
"Oh, you know, Uncle d.i.c.k! "My roof henceforth shall be the broad expanse." I"m going to fight giants an"--an" all sorts of cads, you know. An" then, if ever I get to Persia an" do find the wonderful lamp, I can wish everything all right again, an" we should all be "happy ever after"--you an" Auntie Lisbeth an" Dorothy an" me; an" we could live in a palace with slaves. Oh, it would be fine!"
"Yes, it"s an excellent idea, Imp, but on the whole slightly risky, because it"s just possible that you might never find the lamp; besides, you"ll have to stop here, after all, because, you see, I"m going away myself."
"Then let"s go away together, Uncle d.i.c.k, do!"
"Impossible, my Imp; who will look after your Auntie Lisbeth and Dorothy and Louise?"
"I forgot that," he answered ruefully.
"And they need a deal of taking care of," I added.
""Fraid they do," he nodded; "but there"s Peter," he suggested, brightening.
"Peter certainly knows how to look after horses, but that is not quite the same. Lend me your trusty sword."
He rose, and drawing it from his belt handed it to me with a flourish.
"You remember in the old times, Imp, when knights rode out to battle, it was customary for them when they made a solemn promise to kiss the cross-hilt of their swords, just to show they meant to keep it. So now I ask you to go back to your Auntie Lisbeth, to take care of her, to shield and guard her from all things evil, and never to forget that you are her loyal and true knight; and now kiss your sword in token, will you?" and I pa.s.sed back the weapon.
"Yes," he answered, with glistening eyes, "I will, on my honour, so help me Sam!" and he kissed the sword.
"Good!" I exclaimed; "thank you, Imp."
"But are you really going away?" he inquired, looking at me with a troubled face.
"Yes!"
"Must you go?"
"Yes."
"Will you promise to come back some day--soon?"
"Yes, I promise."
"On your honour?"
"On my honour!" I repeated, and in my turn I obediently kissed his extended sword-hilt.
"Are you going to-night, Uncle d.i.c.k?"
"I start very early in the morning, so you see we had better say "good-bye" now, my Imp."
"Oh!" he said, and stared away down the river. Now, in the b.u.t.ton-hole of my coat there hung a fading rosebud which Lisbeth had given me two days ago, and acting on impulse, I took it out.
"Imp," I said, "when you get back, I want you to give this to your Auntie Lisbeth and say--er--never mind, just give it to her, will you?"
"Yes, Uncle d.i.c.k," he said, taking it from me, but keeping his face turned away.
"And now good-bye, Imp!"
"Good-bye!" he answered, still without looking at me.
"Won"t you shake hands?"
He thrust out a grimy little palm, and as I clasped it I saw a big tear roll down his cheek.
"You"ll come back soon--very soon--Uncle d.i.c.k?"
"Yes, I"ll come back, my Imp."
"So--help you--Sam?"
"So help me Sam!"
And thus it was we parted, the Imp and I, beneath the "blasted oak,"
and I know my heart was strangely heavy as I turned away and left him.
After I had gone some distance I paused to look back. He still stood where I had left him, but his face was hidden in his arms as he leaned sobbing against the twisted trunk of the great tree.
All the way to the "Three Jolly Anglers" and during the rest of the evening the thought of the little desolate figure haunted me, so much so that, having sent away my dinner untasted, I took pen and ink and wrote him a letter, enclosing with it my penknife, which I had often seen him regard with "the eye of desire," despite the blade he had broken upon a certain memorable occasion. This done, I became possessed of a determination to send some message to Lisbeth also--just a few brief words which should yet reveal to her something of the thoughts I bore her ere I pa.s.sed ut of her life forever.
For over an hour I sat there, chewing the stem of my useless pipe and racking my bran, but the "few brief words" obstinately refused to come.
Nine o"clock chimed mournfully from the Norman tower of the church hard by, yet still my pen was idle and the paper before me blank; also I became conscious of a tapping somewhere close at hand, now stopping, now beginning again, whose wearisome iteration so irritated my fractious nerves that I flung down my pen and rose.
The noise seemed to come from the vicinity of the window. Crossing to it, therefore, I flung the cas.e.m.e.nt suddenly open, and found myself staring into a round face, in which were set two very round eyes and a b.u.t.ton of a nose, the whole surmounted by a shock of red hair.
""Allo, Mr. Uncle d.i.c.k!"
It needed but this and a second glance at the round face to a.s.sure me that it pertained to Ben, the gardener"s boy.