Gradually the great house about him awoke to life and morning bustle; light feet tripped to and fro, maids" voices chattered and sang merrily, dusters flicked, mops twirled and Mrs. Agatha admonished, while, from the kitchens afar came the faint but delectable rattle of crockery while the Major drove parallels, constructed trenches and covered ways and dreamed of the Lady Betty Carlyon, of her eyes, her hair, the dimple in her wilful chin and of all her alluring witchery.
And bethinking him of her warm, soft daintiness, as when she had leaned in his clasp for that much-remembered moment, he almost thought to catch again the faint, sweet fragrance of her.
Moved by a sudden impulse he rose, and crossing to a mirror, stood to examine himself critically as he had never done before in all his life.
And truly, now he came to notice, his wig was shabby despite the Sergeant"s unremitting care; then his shoes were clumsy and thick of sole, his cotton stockings showed a darn here and there and his coat--!
The Major shook his head and sighed:
""Tis a very beast of a coat!"
In his heart he ruefully admitted that it was.
Now, as to his face?
The Major stared keenly at well-opened, grey eyes which stared back at him under level brows; at straightish nose, widish mouth and strong, deep-cleft chin; each feature in turn was the object of his wistful scrutiny and he must even trace out the scar that marked his left temple and seek to hide it with the limp side-curls of his peruke.
Then he turned away and seating himself at his desk leaned there, head on hand, staring blindly at the written sheets before him.
And behind his thoughts was a line from the posy on the sundial:
"Youth is joyous, Age is melancholy:"
The Major sighed. Suddenly he started and turned as a knock sounded on the door, which, opening forthwith, disclosed the Sergeant, his usually trim habit slightly disordered, his usually serene brow creased and clammy, his eye woeful.
"Ah, Sergeant," said the Major placidly, "good morning, Zeb."
"Sir," said the Sergeant, advancing three steps and coming to attention. "I"ve come, sir, to report gross dee-reliction of dooty, sir."
"Indeed--whose?"
"Mine, sir. You put prisoner in my charge, sir--same has took French leave, sir, by aid o" witchcraft, hocus-pocus, or the devil, sir, prisoner having vanished himself into thin air, sir----"
"Remarkable!" said the Major.
"Found the place locked up and all serene, sir, but on opening door found prisoner had went which didn"t seem nowise nat"ral, sir.
Hows"mever, fell in a search party immediate, self and gardeners, sir, but though we beat the park an" the spinney, sir, owing to spells and witchcraft "twas but labour in vain, prisoner having been spirited away, d"ye see?"
"Astonishing!" said the Major.
The Sergeant mopped his brow and sighed.
"Prisoner having bolted and altogether went, sir--same being vanished, though suspecting witches and hocus-pocus, must hold myself responsible for same----"
"No, no, Zeb."
"And feel myself defaulter, sir, owing to which shall stop and deny myself customary ale to-day, sir."
"Very good, Zeb."
"And talking of ale, sir, think it my dooty to report as in the "George and Dragon" last evening Sir Oliver Rington were talking agin" you, sir--very fierce."
"I"m not surprised, Zeb, his kind must talk."
"Same person, sir, made oncommon free wi" your name, laying thereto certain and divers eppythets, sir, among which was "vulgar fellow" and "beggarly upstart" which me overhearing was forced to shout "d.a.m.n liar"
as in dooty bound, sir. Whereupon his two grooms, wi" five or six other rogues, took me front, flank and rear and run me out into the road. Whereupon, chancing to have pint-pot in my hand, contrived with same to alter the faces o" two or three of "em for time being, as in dooty bound, sir. All of which has caused more talk which I do truly lament."
"A pint-pot is an awkward weapon, Zebedee!"
"True, sir, same being apt to bend."
"I trust you did no serious hurt, Sergeant?"
"Not so serious as I could ha" wished, sir."
"And I hope it won"t occur again."
"I hope so too, sir! Regarding the prisoner, sir----"
"He has escaped, I understand, Zeb."
"He has so, your honour."
"Then there is no prisoner."
"Why as to that, sir," began the Sergeant, scratching his big chin--
"As to that, Zeb, "tis just as well for everyone concerned, especially the prisoner, that--er--isn"t, as "twere and so forth, d"ye see, Sergeant?" So saying the Major took up his pen and the Sergeant strode away, though more than once he shook his head in dark perplexity.
CHAPTER VIII
OF PANCRAS, VISCOUNT MERIVALE
The Major"s study, opening out of the library, was a smallish chamber, very like himself in that its appointments were simple and plain to austerity. Its furniture comprised a desk, a couple of chairs and a settee, its adornments consisted of the portrait of a gentleman in armour who scowled, a Sevres vase full of roses set there by Mrs.
Agatha, a pair of silver-mounted small-swords above the carved mantel but within easy reach, flanked by a couple of brace of handsomely mounted pistols.
Just now, table, chairs and settee had been pushed into a corner and the chamber rang with the clash and grind of vicious-darting steel where the Major and Sergeant Zebedee in stockinged-feet and shirt-sleeves, thrust and parried and lunged, bright eyes wide and watchful, lips grim-set, supple of wrist and apparently tireless of arm, the Major all lissom, graceful ease despite his limp, the Sergeant a trifle stiff but grimly business-like and deadly; a sudden fierce rally, a thrust, a lightning riposte and the Major stepped back.
"_Touche!_" he exclaimed, lowering his point. ""Tis a wicked thrust of yours--that in tierce, Zebedee!"
""Twas you as taught it me, sir," answered the Sergeant, whipping his foil to the salute, "same as you taught me my letters, consequently I am bold to fight or read any man as ever drawed breath."
"You do credit to my method, Sergeant Zeb--especially that trick o" the wrist--"tis mine own and I think unique. Come again, we have another ten minutes."
Hereupon they gravely saluted each other, came to the engage and once more the place echoed to rasping steel and quick-thudding feet. It was a particularly fierce and brilliant bout, in the middle of which and quite un.o.bserved by the combatants, the door opened and a young gentleman appeared. He was altogether a remarkable young gentleman being remarkably young, languid and gorgeous. A pale mauve coat, gold of b.u.t.ton and rich of braid, its skirts sufficiently full and ample, seemed moulded upon his slender figure, his legs were encased in long, brown riding-boots of excellent cut and finish, furnished with jingling silver spurs, his face exactly modish of pallor, high-nosed and delicately featured, was set off by a great periwig whose glossy curls had that just and nicely-ordered disorder fashion required; in his right hand he held his hat, a looped and belaced affair, two fingers of his left were posed elegantly upon the silver hilt of his sword the brown leathern scabbard of which c.o.c.ked its silver lip beneath his coat at precisely the right angle; thus, as he stood regarding the fencing bout he seemed indeed the very "gla.s.s of fashion and mould of form" and unutterably serene.
"Ha!" exclaimed the Sergeant suddenly, "clean through the gizzard, sir!" and lowering his point in turn he shook his head, ""twould ha"