More than half an hour went by. I was growing and tired, and beginning to think that we were making of ourselves, when I heard the of a chain, and felt Carriston give my arm a warning touch. No doubt my late host had made sure that his new door-fastenings were equal to a stronger test than that to which I had subjected the former ones; so we were wise in not attempting to carry his castle by force.
The door opened, and closed again. I saw the feeble of a lantern moving toward the out-house in which my horse had been stabled. I heard a slight in the hedge, and, stretching out my arm, found that Carriston had left my side. In the absence of any command from him I did not follow, but resumed the old occupation—waiting.
In a few minutes the light of the lantern reappeared; the bearer stood on the threshold of the house, while I wondered what Carriston was doing. Just as the door was opened for the boor’s readmittance, a dark figure sprung upon him! I heard a fierce oath and cry of surprise; then the lantern flew out of the man’s hand, and he and his assailant tumbled struggling through the narrow door-way.
“Hurrah! the door is won, anyway!” I shouted, as, followed closely by the doctor, I jumped over the hedge and rushed to the scene of the .
Although Carriston’s well-conceived attack was so vigorous and unexpected that the man went down under it; although our leader the advantage he had gained in a proper and laudable manner, by bumping that thick bullet-head as violently as he could against the flags on which it lay; I doubt if, after all, he could have done his work alone. The countryman was a muscular and Carriston but a stripling. However, our arrival speedily settled the question.
“Bind him!” panted Carriston; “there is a cord in my pocket.” He appeared to have come quite prepared for . Whilst Carriston still embraced his , and Brand, to facilitate matters, knelt on his shoulders, sat on his head, or did something else useful, I drew out from the first pocket I tried a nice length of half-inch line, and had the immense satisfaction of trussing up my friend in a most workmanlike manner. He must have felt those turns on his wrists for days . Yet when we were at last at liberty to rise and leave him lying helpless on his kitchen-floor, I considered I exercised great self-denial in not a few kicks upon him, as he swore at us in the broadest in a way which, under the circumstances, was no doubt a great comfort to him.
We scarcely noticed the man’s wife while we rendered her husband helpless. As we entered she attempted to fly out, but Brand, with a promptitude which I am glad to record, her, closed the door, turned and pocketed the key. After that the woman sat on the floor and rocked herself to and fro.
For some moments, while recovering his breath, Carriston stood, and glared at his prostrate foe. At last he found words.
“Where is she? Where is the key, you hound?” he thundered out, stooping over the fellow, and shaking him with a violence which did my heart good. As he received no answers save the unrecordable expressions above mentioned, we unbuttoned the wretch’s pockets, and searched those receptacles. Among the usual litter we did certainly find a key. Carriston snatched at it, and shouting “Madeline! Madeline! I come!” rushed out of the room like a , leaving Brand and me to keep guard over our prisoners.
I filled a pipe, lit it, and then came back to my fallen foe.
“I say, old chap!” I said, stirring him gently with the toe of my boot, “this will be a lesson to you. Remember, I told you that civility costs nothing. If you had given me bed accommodation instead of making me wear out my poor bones on that infernal chair, you could have jogged along in your quite comfortably, so far as I am concerned.”
He was very ungrateful—so much so that my desire to kick him was . I should not like to swear I did not to a slight degree yield to the temptation.
“Push a handkerchief in his mouth,” cried Brand, suddenly. “A lady is coming.”
With right good-will I did as the doctor suggested.
Just then Carriston returned. I don’t want to raise home tempests, yet I must say he was accompanied by the most beautiful creature my eyes have ever lighted upon. True, she was pale as a lily—looked thin and delicate, and her face bore traces of anxiety and suffering, but for all that she was beautiful—too beautiful for this world, I thought, as I looked at her. She was clinging in a half-frightened, half-confiding way to Carriston, and he—happy fellow!—regardless of our presence, was showering down kisses on her sweet pale face. Confound it! I grow quite romantic as I recall the sight of those lovers.
A most curious young man, that Carriston! He came to us, the lovely girl on his arm, without showing a trace of his recent excitement.
“Let us go now,” he said, as calmly as if he had been taking a quiet evening drive. Then he turned to me.
“Do you think, Mr. Fenton, you could without much trouble get the dog-cart up to the house?”
I said I would try to do so.
“But what about these people?” asked Brand.
Carriston gave them a contemptuous glance. “Leave them alone,” he said. “They are but the tools of another—him I cannot touch. Let us go.”
“Yes, yes. But why not verify your suspicions while you can?”
Just like Brand! He’s always wanting to verify everything.
In searching for the key we had found some papers on our prisoner. Brand examined them, and handed to Carriston an envelope which contained what looked like bank-notes.
Carriston glanced at it. “The handwriting is, of course, disguised,” he said, carelessly; “but the postmark shows whence it came. It is as I always told you. You agree with me now?”
“I am afraid I must,” said Brand, . “But we must do something about this man,” he cont............