"To-morrow will do," I said, airily, and stepping across to Mistress Kate I took her hand and raised it as if for a kiss. Her fingers gave mine an appreciative squeeze.
"But who in the world are you?" she whispered.
"I think," said I, bending over her hand, "I have fairly earned the right to withhold that."
Sir Harry bowed a stiff good night to me, and William, the footman, took a candle and led the way along the gallery and down the great staircase to the front door. While he undid the chain and bolts I was thinking that he would be all the better for a kick; and as he drew aside to let me pa.s.s I took him quickly by the collar, spun him round, and gave him one. A flight of a dozen steps led down from the front door, and he pitched clean to the bottom. Running down after, I skipped over his prostrate body and walked briskly away in the darkness, whistling and feeling better.
I went round the end of the gallery wing, just to satisfy myself that Jimmy had got away with the ladder, and then I struck across the plantation in the direction of the village. The June day was breaking before I turned out of the woods into the high road, and already the mowers were out and tramping to their work. But in the porchway of the village inn--called the "Well-diggers" Arms"-- whatever they may be--I surprised a c.o.c.kneyfied groom in the act of kissing a maiden who, having a milk-pail in either hand, could not be expected to resist.
"H"m," said I to the man, "I am sorry to appear inopportunely, but I have a message for your master."
The maiden fled. "And who the doose may you be?" asked the groom, eyeing me up and down.
"I think," I answered, "it will be enough for you that I come from Nanscarne. You were late there. Oh, yes," I went on sharply, for fellows of this cla.s.s have a knack of irritating me, "and I have a message for your master which I"ll trouble you to deliver when he comes down to breakfast. You will tell him, if you please, that Sir Harry was expecting him last night, and the lights he saw lit in the long gallery were there for his reception. You won"t forget?"
"Who sent you here?" the fellow asked.
"On second thoughts," I continued, "you had better go in and wake Captain Fitzroy Pilkington up at once. He will pardon you when he has my message, for Sir Harry"s temper is notoriously impatient."
And with that I turned and left him, for it was high time to find out how Jimmy had been faring. The past night"s experience must have given him a shock, and I reckoned to give him another.
I wasn"t disappointed either. I walked leisurably down the village street, then crossed the hedge and doubled back on the high moors.
At length, drawing near the old gravel-pit, where we had fixed to meet in case of separation, I dropped on all-fours and so came up to the edge and gave a whistle.
Jimmy was sitting with his back to me, and about to cut a hunch of bread to eat with his cold bacon for breakfast. Instead, he cut his thumb, and jumped up, singing out--
"S"help me, but I never looked to see you again outside o" the dock!"
"No more you did," said I; and climbing down and sitting on a gravel-heap beside him, I told him all the story.
"And now, Jimmy," I wound up, "you must guess what I"m going to do."
"I don"t need to," said he. "I know."
"I wager you don"t."
"I wager I do."
"Well, then, I"m going back. Was that what you guessed?"
"I think you will not."
"Ah, but I will," said I. "I swore by the blood of a Fitzroy Pilkington I"d be back in the morning, and I can"t retreat from so tremendous an oath as that. Back I mean to go. As for the real Captain--if Captain he is--I fancy I"ve scared him out of this neighbourhood for some time to come. And as for the credentials, I fancy, at my time of life, I should be able to write my own commendation. I believe the old boy has a sneaking good-will towards me. I can"t answer for the girl; but I can answer that she"ll hold her tongue for a while, at all events. This life doesn"t become a man of my education and natural ability. And the risk is worth running."
"I wouldn"t, if I were you," says he, very drily.
"And why not?"
"Well, you see, when I heard the noise last night, and all the place grew light as it did, I was just starting to run for dear life, till it struck me that if the folks meant to go searching for me they wouldn"t begin by lighting the picture-gallery from end to end.
So I drew close under shadow of the wall and waited, ready to run at any moment. But after a while, finding that nothing happened, I grew curious and crept up after you and looked in through the window, very cautious. A nice fix you seemed to be in; but old Jenkins was there.
And while Jenkins was there--"
"Well?"
"Well, I should have thought you might have guessed. The bolt of his bedroom window wasn"t hard to force, nor the lock of the small room.
Being single-handed, I had to pick and choose what to carry off.
But if you"ll look under the bracken yonder you"ll own I know my way among silver-ware."
I looked at him for a moment, and then lay gently back on the turf and laughed till I was tired of laughing.