diff options
Diffstat (limited to '49282-h/49282-h.html')
| -rw-r--r-- | 49282-h/49282-h.html | 6835 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 6835 deletions
diff --git a/49282-h/49282-h.html b/49282-h/49282-h.html deleted file mode 100644 index cd0ad8c..0000000 --- a/49282-h/49282-h.html +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6835 +0,0 @@ -<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?> -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC '-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN' 'http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd'> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<head> -<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /> -<meta name="generator" content="Docutils 0.12: http://docutils.sourceforge.net/" /> -<style type="text/css"> -/* -Project Gutenberg common docutils stylesheet. - -This stylesheet contains styles common to HTML and EPUB. Put styles -that are specific to HTML and EPUB into their relative stylesheets. - -:Author: Marcello Perathoner (webmaster@gutenberg.org) -:Copyright: This stylesheet has been placed in the public domain. - -This stylesheet is based on: - - :Author: David Goodger (goodger@python.org) - :Copyright: This stylesheet has been placed in the public domain. - - Default cascading style sheet for the HTML output of Docutils. - -*/ - -/* ADE 1.7.2 chokes on !important and throws all css out. */ - -/* FONTS */ - -.italics { font-style: italic } -.no-italics { font-style: normal } - -.bold { font-weight: bold } -.no-bold { font-weight: normal } - -.small-caps { } /* Epub needs italics */ -.gesperrt { } /* Epub needs italics */ -.antiqua { font-style: italic } /* what else can we do ? */ -.monospaced { font-family: monospace } - -.smaller { font-size: smaller } -.larger { font-size: larger } - -.xx-small { font-size: xx-small } -.x-small { font-size: x-small } -.small { font-size: small } -.medium { font-size: medium } -.large { font-size: large } -.x-large { font-size: x-large } -.xx-large { font-size: xx-large } - -.text-transform-uppercase { text-transform: uppercase } -.text-transform-lowercase { text-transform: lowercase } -.text-transform-none { text-transform: none } - -.red { color: red } -.green { color: green } -.blue { color: blue } -.yellow { color: yellow } -.white { color: white } -.gray { color: gray } -.black { color: black } - -/* ALIGN */ - -.left { text-align: left } -.justify { text-align: justify } -.center { text-align: center; text-indent: 0 } -.centerleft { text-align: center; text-indent: 0 } -.right { text-align: right; text-indent: 0 } - -/* LINE HEIGHT */ - -body { line-height: 1.5 } -p { margin: 0; - text-indent: 2em } - -/* PAGINATION */ - -.title, .subtitle { page-break-after: avoid } - -.container, .title, .subtitle, #pg-header - { page-break-inside: avoid } - -/* SECTIONS */ - -body { text-align: justify } - -p.pfirst, p.noindent { - text-indent: 0 -} - -.boxed { border: 1px solid black; padding: 1em } -.topic, .note { margin: 5% 0; border: 1px solid black; padding: 1em } -div.section { clear: both } - -div.line-block { margin: 1.5em 0 } /* same leading as p */ -div.line-block.inner { margin: 0 0 0 10% } -div.line { margin-left: 20%; text-indent: -20%; } -.line-block.noindent div.line { margin-left: 0; text-indent: 0; } - -hr.docutils { margin: 1.5em 40%; border: none; border-bottom: 1px solid black; } -div.transition { margin: 1.5em 0 } - -.vfill, .vspace { border: 0px solid white } - -.title { margin: 1.5em 0 } -.title.with-subtitle { margin-bottom: 0 } -.subtitle { margin: 1.5em 0 } - -/* header font style */ -/* http://dev.w3.org/csswg/css3-fonts/#propdef-font-size */ - -h1.title { font-size: 200%; } /* for book title only */ -h2.title, p.subtitle.level-1 { font-size: 150%; margin-top: 4.5em; margin-bottom: 2em } -h3.title, p.subtitle.level-2 { font-size: 120%; margin-top: 2.25em; margin-bottom: 1.25em } -h4.title, p.subtitle.level-3 { font-size: 100%; margin-top: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; font-weight: bold; } -h5.title, p.subtitle.level-4 { font-size: 89%; margin-top: 1.87em; margin-bottom: 1.69em; font-style: italic; } -h6.title, p.subtitle.level-5 { font-size: 60%; margin-top: 3.5em; margin-bottom: 2.5em } - -/* title page */ - -h1.title, p.subtitle.level-1, -h2.title, p.subtitle.level-2 { text-align: center } - -#pg-header, -h1.document-title { margin: 10% 0 5% 0 } -p.document-subtitle { margin: 0 0 5% 0 } - -/* PG header and footer */ -#pg-machine-header { } -#pg-produced-by { } - -li.toc-entry { list-style-type: none } -ul.open li, ol.open li { margin-bottom: 1.5em } - -.attribution { margin-top: 1.5em } - -.example-rendered { - margin: 1em 5%; border: 1px dotted red; padding: 1em; background-color: #ffd } -.literal-block.example-source { - margin: 1em 5%; border: 1px dotted blue; padding: 1em; background-color: #eef } - -/* DROPCAPS */ - -/* BLOCKQUOTES */ - -blockquote { margin: 1.5em 10% } - -blockquote.epigraph { } - -blockquote.highlights { } - -div.local-contents { margin: 1.5em 10% } - -div.abstract { margin: 3em 10% } -div.image { margin: 1.5em 0 } -div.caption { margin: 1.5em 0 } -div.legend { margin: 1.5em 0 } - -.hidden { display: none } - -.invisible { visibility: hidden; color: white } /* white: mozilla print bug */ - -a.toc-backref { - text-decoration: none ; - color: black } - -dl.docutils dd { - margin-bottom: 0.5em } - -div.figure { margin-top: 3em; margin-bottom: 3em } - -img { max-width: 100% } - -div.footer, div.header { - clear: both; - font-size: smaller } - -div.sidebar { - margin: 0 0 0.5em 1em ; - border: medium outset ; - padding: 1em ; - background-color: #ffffee ; - width: 40% ; - float: right ; - clear: right } - -div.sidebar p.rubric { - font-family: sans-serif ; - font-size: medium } - -ol.simple, ul.simple { margin: 1.5em 0 } - -ol.toc-list, ul.toc-list { padding-left: 0 } -ol ol.toc-list, ul ul.toc-list { padding-left: 5% } - -ol.arabic { - list-style: decimal } - -ol.loweralpha { - list-style: lower-alpha } - -ol.upperalpha { - list-style: upper-alpha } - -ol.lowerroman { - list-style: lower-roman } - -ol.upperroman { - list-style: upper-roman } - -p.credits { - font-style: italic ; - font-size: smaller } - -p.label { - white-space: nowrap } - -p.rubric { - font-weight: bold ; - font-size: larger ; - color: maroon ; - text-align: center } - -p.sidebar-title { - font-family: sans-serif ; - font-weight: bold ; - font-size: larger } - -p.sidebar-subtitle { - font-family: sans-serif ; - font-weight: bold } - -p.topic-title, p.admonition-title { - font-weight: bold } - -pre.address { - margin-bottom: 0 ; - margin-top: 0 ; - font: inherit } - -.literal-block, .doctest-block { - margin-left: 2em ; - margin-right: 2em; } - -span.classifier { - font-family: sans-serif ; - font-style: oblique } - -span.classifier-delimiter { - font-family: sans-serif ; - font-weight: bold } - -span.interpreted { - font-family: sans-serif } - -span.option { - white-space: nowrap } - -span.pre { - white-space: pre } - -span.problematic { - color: red } - -span.section-subtitle { - /* font-size relative to parent (h1..h6 element) */ - font-size: 100% } - -table { margin-top: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; border-spacing: 0 } -table.align-left, table.align-right { margin-top: 0 } - -table.table { border-collapse: collapse; } - -table.table.hrules-table thead { border: 1px solid black; border-width: 2px 0 0 } -table.table.hrules-table tbody { border: 1px solid black; border-width: 2px 0 } -table.table.hrules-rows tr { border: 1px solid black; border-width: 0 0 1px } -table.table.hrules-rows tr.last { border-width: 0 } -table.table.hrules-rows td, -table.table.hrules-rows th { padding: 1ex 1em; vertical-align: middle } - -table.table tr { border-width: 0 } -table.table td, -table.table th { padding: 0.5ex 1em } -table.table tr.first td { padding-top: 1ex } -table.table tr.last td { padding-bottom: 1ex } -table.table tr.first th { padding-top: 1ex } -table.table tr.last th { padding-bottom: 1ex } - - -table.citation { - border-left: solid 1px gray; - margin-left: 1px } - -table.docinfo { - margin: 3em 4em } - -table.docutils { } - -div.footnote-group { margin: 1em 0 } -table.footnote td.label { width: 2em; text-align: right; padding-left: 0 } - -table.docutils td, table.docutils th, -table.docinfo td, table.docinfo th { - padding: 0 0.5em; - vertical-align: top } - -table.docutils th.field-name, table.docinfo th.docinfo-name { - font-weight: bold ; - text-align: left ; - white-space: nowrap ; - padding-left: 0 } - -/* used to remove borders from tables and images */ -.borderless, table.borderless td, table.borderless th { - border: 0 } - -table.borderless td, table.borderless th { - /* Override padding for "table.docutils td" with "!important". - The right padding separates the table cells. */ - padding: 0 0.5em 0 0 } /* FIXME: was !important */ - -h1 tt.docutils, h2 tt.docutils, h3 tt.docutils, -h4 tt.docutils, h5 tt.docutils, h6 tt.docutils { - font-size: 100% } - -ul.auto-toc { - list-style-type: none } -</style> -<style type="text/css"> -/* -Project Gutenberg HTML docutils stylesheet. - -This stylesheet contains styles specific to HTML. -*/ - -/* FONTS */ - -/* em { font-style: normal } -strong { font-weight: normal } */ - -.small-caps { font-variant: small-caps } -.gesperrt { letter-spacing: 0.1em } - -/* ALIGN */ - -.align-left { clear: left; - float: left; - margin-right: 1em } - -.align-right { clear: right; - float: right; - margin-left: 1em } - -.align-center { margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto } - -div.shrinkwrap { display: table; } - -/* SECTIONS */ - -body { margin: 5% 10% 5% 10% } - -/* compact list items containing just one p */ -li p.pfirst { margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0 } - -.first { margin-top: 0 !important; - text-indent: 0 !important } -.last { margin-bottom: 0 !important } - -span.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.1em 0 0; line-height: 1 } -img.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.5em 0 0; max-width: 25% } -span.dropspan { font-variant: small-caps } - -.no-page-break { page-break-before: avoid !important } - -/* PAGINATION */ - -.pageno { position: absolute; right: 95%; font: medium sans-serif; text-indent: 0 } -.pageno:after { color: gray; content: '[' attr(title) ']' } -.lineno { position: absolute; left: 95%; font: medium sans-serif; text-indent: 0 } -.lineno:after { color: gray; content: '[' attr(title) ']' } -.toc-pageref { float: right } - -@media screen { - .coverpage, .frontispiece, .titlepage, .verso, .dedication, .plainpage - { margin: 10% 0; } - - div.clearpage, div.cleardoublepage - { margin: 10% 0; border: none; border-top: 1px solid gray; } - - .vfill { margin: 5% 10% } -} - -@media print { - div.clearpage { page-break-before: always; padding-top: 10% } - div.cleardoublepage { page-break-before: right; padding-top: 10% } - - .vfill { margin-top: 20% } - h2.title { margin-top: 20% } -} - -/* DIV */ -pre { font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.9em; white-space: pre-wrap } -</style> -<title>THE CHRONICLES OF THE IMP</title> -<meta name="DC.Creator" content="Jeffery Farnol" /> -<meta name="DC.Title" content="The Chronicles of the Imp" /> -<meta name="PG.Title" content="The Chronicles of the Imp" /> -<meta name="PG.Producer" content="Al Haines" /> -<meta name="PG.Rights" content="Public Domain" /> -<meta name="DC.Created" content="1915" /> -<meta name="PG.Id" content="49282" /> -<meta name="DC.Language" content="en" /> -<meta name="PG.Released" content="2015-06-25" /> -<link rel="coverpage" href="images/img-cover.jpg" /> - -<link rel="schema.DCTERMS" href="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" /> -<link rel="schema.MARCREL" href="http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/" /> -<meta content="The Chronicles of the Imp" name="DCTERMS.title" /> -<meta content="/home/ajhaines/chronicles/chronicles.rst" name="DCTERMS.source" /> -<meta content="en" scheme="DCTERMS.RFC4646" name="DCTERMS.language" /> -<meta content="2015-06-25T18:27:06.821791+00:00" scheme="DCTERMS.W3CDTF" name="DCTERMS.modified" /> -<meta content="Project Gutenberg" name="DCTERMS.publisher" /> -<meta content="Public Domain in the USA." name="DCTERMS.rights" /> -<link rel="DCTERMS.isFormatOf" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/49282" /> -<meta content="Jeffery Farnol" name="DCTERMS.creator" /> -<meta content="2015-06-25" scheme="DCTERMS.W3CDTF" name="DCTERMS.created" /> -<meta content="width=device-width" name="viewport" /> -<meta content="Ebookmaker 0.4.0a5 by Marcello Perathoner <webmaster@gutenberg.org>" name="generator" /> -</head> -<body> -<div class="document" id="the-chronicles-of-the-imp"> -<h1 class="center document-title level-1 pfirst title"><span class="x-large">THE CHRONICLES OF THE IMP</span></h1> - -<!-- this is the default PG-RST stylesheet --> -<!-- figure and image styles for non-image formats --> -<!-- default transition --> -<!-- default attribution --> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="clearpage"> -</div> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="container language-en pgheader" id="pg-header" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span>This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States -and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no -restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the </span><a class="reference internal" href="#project-gutenberg-license">Project Gutenberg License</a><span> included with -this ebook or online at </span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/license">http://www.gutenberg.org/license</a><span>. If you -are not located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws -of the country where you are located before using this ebook.</span></p> -<p class="noindent pnext"></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<div class="container" id="pg-machine-header"> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span>Title: The Chronicles of the Imp -<br /> -<br />Author: Jeffery Farnol -<br /> -<br />Release Date: June 25, 2015 [EBook #49282] -<br /> -<br />Language: English -<br /> -<br />Character set encoding: UTF-8</span></p> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst" id="pg-start-line"><span>*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK </span><span>THE CHRONICLES OF THE IMP</span><span> ***</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst" id="pg-produced-by"><span>Produced by Al Haines.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span></span></p> -</div> -<div class="container frontispiece"> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<div class="align-center auto-scaled figure margin" style="width: 57%" id="figure-11"> -<span id="edging-my-way-therefore-still-further-along-the-branch-i-kicked-out-in-a-desperate-endeavour-to-reach-the-boat"></span><img class="align-center block" style="display: block; width: 100%" alt=""*Edging my way, therefore, still further along the branch, I kicked out in a desperate endeavour to reach the boat.*"" src="images/img-front.jpg" /> -<div class="caption centerleft figure-caption margin"> -<span class="italics">"</span><em class="italics">Edging my way, therefore, still further along the branch, I kicked out in a desperate endeavour to reach the boat.</em><span class="italics">"</span></div> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<div class="container titlepage"> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold xx-large">THE CHRONICLES -<br />OF THE IMP</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="x-large">A ROMANCE</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">BY</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="large">JEFFERY FARNOL</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="small">AUTHOR OF "THE BROAD HIGHWAY," "THE MONEY MOON," -<br />"THE AMATEUR GENTLEMAN," "THE HON. MR. TAWNISH," -<br />"BELTANE THE SMITH"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">ALSO -<br />AN APPRECIATION -<br />THE AUTHOR AND HIS WORK -<br />BY CLEMENT K. SHORTER</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">NEW AND CHEAPER EDITION</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">LONDON -<br />SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & CO., LTD. -<br />1915</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold large">JEFFERY FARNOL AND HIS WORK</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><em class="italics">An Appreciation</em></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span>BY</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span>CLEMENT K. SHORTER</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Mr. Jeffery Farnol is an Englishman, and -his best-known book, </span><em class="italics">The Broad Highway</em><span>, -is redolent of the atmosphere of his native -country. Nevertheless it was written in the -United States of America, and perhaps it has -enjoyed its greatest popularity there. Yet -three American publishers refused the book, -and so Mr. Farnol is one of a long list of -authors who have worked their way through -much tribulation to success. I confess that -such episodes in the romance of publishing -attract me mightily. I rather like to hear -of the short-sighted publisher who rejects -an author's book and finds out, when too -late, that he has lost money and reputation -by his lack of prescience. And I like -also to hear the story of the loyal friend -who, reading a manuscript, stands by his -judgment and introduces that friend to a -publisher, with the happiest results for both. -That is Mr. Farnol's personal romance. The -friend in question was Mr. Shirley Byron -Jevons, to whom the manuscript was sent -from America. Mr. Jevons, after an enthusiastic -perusal, carried it to Mr. Fred J. Rymer, -a director of Sampson Low, Marston & Co., -the publishers. The book was published, and -a sale throughout the English-speaking world -of 600,000 was the result. I hope I may be -forgiven for recalling that Mr. Rymer brought -the manuscript to me. Well do I remember -his enthusiasm and my lack of it. I have -read too many manuscripts in my life as -an editor ever to wish to usurp the duties -of a publisher or of a publisher's literary -adviser. I should hate the life. Think of -that publisher and what he would feel about -you if perchance you had persuaded him to -refuse this or that "best-seller," as our -American friends call the very popular book. -Imagine the feelings of the publishers whose -readers advised them to refuse Charlotte -Brontë's </span><em class="italics">Professor</em><span> without at the same time -persuading the author to write a </span><em class="italics">Jane Eyre</em><span>. -But Mr. Rymer was an old acquaintance -and I promised to read his new-found -story. I added the remark, I remember, -that I was rather used to publishers counting -their geese as swans. Mr. Rymer told me -long afterwards that he brought the book -to me because he knew of my devotion to -George Borrow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In any case I read </span><em class="italics">The Broad Highway</em><span> with -avidity, and recognised at once--as who would -not have done?--that here was a striking -addition to picaresque romances, that the -author had not read </span><em class="italics">Don Quixote, Gil Blas</em><span>, -and the best stories by Defoe and Fielding -for nothing, nor had he walked along the broad -highways of England without observation -and profit any more than had the creator of -</span><em class="italics">Lavengro</em><span> and </span><em class="italics">Romany Rye</em><span>. For the vast -multitude of readers of each epoch the dictum of -Emerson stands: "Every age must write its -own books." It is of no use for the pedantic -critic to affirm, with pontifical fervour, that -Cervantes and Le Sage and Defoe are masters -of literature and that our contemporaries -are but pigmies in comparison. The great -reading public of any age will not be bullied -into reading the authors who have reached -the dignity of classics. The writer who can -catch some element of the spirit of the -"masters" and modernise it, is destined to -win the favour of the crowd. And thus -Mr. Jeffery Farnol has entered into his -kingdom.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Farnol was born in Birmingham some -thirty-six years ago. His early years were -spent at Lee, in Kent, where he and a younger -brother Ewart, who fell in the Boer War, -went to school. Our author recalls with -gratitude that his mother never failed to -believe in his possession of a literary gift, and -had, in his boyhood, hopes of seeing him an -author, and faith that he would be a successful -one. But circumstances seemed to throw -him into a quite different kind of activity, -and everything pointed to the probability -that his livelihood would be obtained in a -world remote from literature. Schooldays -were followed by an apprenticeship to -engineering in London and in Birmingham. His -experience included the work of the smithy, -which must have been of service to him when -he came to write </span><em class="italics">The Broad Highway</em><span>. Very -badly equipped for the struggle of life in a -strange land he rashly betook himself to New -York, where his wife--he married when quite -young--had friends. I imagine that a great -gulf is fixed between the world to which -Mr. Farnol introduces us in his romances and the -early struggles that he met with in New York. -For a long period he was a scene painter at the -Astor Theatre, "and must," a friend assures -us, "have daubed miles of scenery in his -time." His income from this work was supplemented -by the sale of occasional short stories. And -then, in this most practical of cities, amid an -atmosphere of up-to-dateness and progress -of which those who only know the quieter -ways of London can form no idea, he wrote -his romance of an unprogressive world with -stage coaches, boxers, and idyllic love--the -world that Mr. Austin Dobson has so happily -presented in his poem, "A Gentleman of the -Old School":</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>He lived in that past Georgian day,</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>When men were less inclined to say</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>That "Time is Gold," and overlay</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>With toil their pleasure;</span></div> -</div> -<div class="line"><span>He held some land, and dwelt thereon,--</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>Where, I forget,--the house is gone;</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>His Christian name, I think, was John,--</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>His surname, Leisure.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Then followed some unhappy days which -lengthened into months during which the -author of </span><em class="italics">The Broad Highway</em><span> was endeavouring -to find a publisher. Three separate -publishing houses in New York refused the book; -two turned it down without ceremony; a third -gave as a reason that it was "too long and -too English." One of the actors of the Astor -Theatre was about to fulfil an engagement -in Boston, and offered to show the manuscript -to a publisher in that city. Long months -afterwards that friend returned to New York, -and Mr. Farnol found to his chagrin that he -had forgotten all about his promise. The -unlucky story was still at the bottom of his -trunk. The author, now almost in despair, -sent the manuscript to his wife, who was -residing at Engelwood, New Jersey, and asked -her to burn it. But his wife had the happy -thought of sending it to England--to -Mr. Shirley Jevons, who was then occupying the -editorial chair of </span><em class="italics">The Sportsman</em><span>, and was a -friend of the family. Mr. Jevons read it -with enthusiasm, and with such results as we -have already noted. The book sold like -wildfire. The author returned to England to -win further laurels. Here I find a pleasant -coincidence in the fact that the London -firm of Sampson Low, having accepted -the story, offered it to Little, Brown & Co. of -Boston, where their accomplished representative, -Mr. Herbert Jenkins, at once perceived -the merits of the story and acquired the -American rights. This, it seems, was the -very firm to which Mr. Farnol's actor-friend -intended to show the manuscript and forgot -to keep his promise. </span><em class="italics">The Broad Highway</em><span>, -as I have said, sold in hundreds of thousands. -It has appeared in an édition de luxe with -beautiful illustrations by C. E. Brock. It is a -breezy, healthy book, as unpretentious as it -is sincere. Neither its author nor his friends -need to worry themselves as to whether it is -a masterpiece of literature. For our day, at -least, it has added to the stock of harmless -pleasures. To the critic who complains that -"it is but an exercise in archæology," and -that the author "has never felt what he has -written but has gathered it up from books," one -can but reply in the language of Goldsmith's -Mr. Burchell, "Fudge." It is still possible in -England, in spite of its railway trains and its -mechanical development, to feel the impulse -which inspired Charles Dickens, George Borrow, -and all the masters of the picaresque romance, -who have in days gone by travelled with -delight through the countryside, seeking -adventures and finding them. "I felt some -desire," says Lavengro, "to meet with one -of those adventures which, upon the roads -of England, are as plentiful as blackberries in -autumn." Mr. Farnol has a talent for -recreating such adventures, and he is perfectly -frank with his readers, anticipating a certain -type of criticism. "Whereas the writing of -books was once a painful art," he makes Peter -Vibart say in </span><em class="italics">The Broad Highway</em><span>, "it has of -late become a trick very easy of accomplishment, -requiring no regard for probability and -little thought, so long as it is packed sufficiently -full of impossible incidents through which a -ridiculous heroine and a more absurd hero -duly sigh their appointed way to the last -chapter. Whereas books were once a power, -they are of late degenerated into things of -amusement, with which to kill an idle hour, -and be promptly forgotten the next."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One might almost have believed that it was -impossible to accomplish the "trick" twice and -to provide yet a second adventure story as -good as the first, but this our author has -achieved in </span><em class="italics">The Amateur Gentleman</em><span>, where the -adventures of Barnabas, the son of the prize-fighter, -are as varied and exciting as those of -Peter Vibart in the earlier romance. -Mr. Farnol has been responsible for yet two -other stories, </span><em class="italics">The Money Moon</em><span> and </span><em class="italics">The -Honourable Mr. Tawnish</em><span>, but nothing has he -written quite in the lines of </span><em class="italics">The Chronicles -of the Imp</em><span>. Here indeed is a simple -story with which we may pass a pleasant -hour. I hope you will like the Imp and his -Aunt as much as I have done. Alone among -the successful authors of our generation--among -those, that is, whose work runs into -circulations of hundreds of thousands--Mr. Farnol -wins me by his unpretentiousness. -He has no gospel to preach, no crude law -of life to enunciate. He is content to -entertain and amuse, to give us sunny hours of -recreation, and never more than now are -writers of this order needed for our solace.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold large">CONTENTS</span></p> -<p class="noindent pnext"><span class="small">CHAP.</span></p> -<ol class="upperroman simple"> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#treasure-trove">Treasure Trove</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-sheriff-of-nottingham">The Sheriff of Nottingham</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-desperadoes">The Desperadoes</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#at-the-three-jolly-anglers">At the Three Jolly Anglers</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-episode-of-the-indian-s-aunt">The Episode of the Indian's Aunt</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-outlaw">The Outlaw</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-blasted-oak">The Blasted Oak</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-land-of-heart-s-delight">The Land of Heart's Delight</a></p> -</li> -</ol> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="treasure-trove"><span class="bold x-large">THE CHRONICLES OF THE IMP</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER I</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">TREASURE TROVE</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>I sat fishing. I had not caught anything, -of course--I rarely do, nor am I fond of fishing -in the very smallest degree, but I fished -assiduously all the same, because circumstances -demanded it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It had all come about through Lady Warburton, -Lisbeth's maternal aunt. Who Lisbeth -is you will learn if you trouble to read these -veracious narratives--suffice it for the present -that she has been an orphan from her youth up, -with no living relative save her married sister -Julia and her Aunt (with a capital A)--the -Lady Warburton aforesaid.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lady Warburton is small and somewhat -bony, with a sharp chin and a sharper nose, -and invariably uses a lorgnette; also, she is -possessed of much worldly goods.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Precisely a week ago Lady Warburton had -requested me to call upon her--had regarded -me with a curious exactitude through her -lorgnette, and gently though firmly (Lady -Warburton is always firm) had suggested that -Elizabeth, though a dear child, was young and -inclined to be a little self-willed. That she -(Lady Warburton) was of opinion that -Elizabeth had mistaken the friendship which had -existed between us so long for something -stronger. That although she (Lady Warburton) -quite appreciated the fact that one who -wrote books was not necessarily immoral--still -I was, of course, a terrible Bohemian, and -the air of Bohemia was not calculated to -conduce to that degree of matrimonial harmony -which she (Lady Warburton) as Elizabeth's -Aunt, standing to her in place of a mother, -could wish for. That, therefore, under these -circumstances, my attentions were--etc. etc.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Here I would say in justice to myself that -despite the torrent of her eloquence I had at -first made some attempt at resistance; but who -could hope to contend successfully against a -woman possessed of such an indomitable nose -and chin, and one, moreover, who could level -a jewelled lorgnette with such deadly precision? -Still, had Lisbeth been beside me, things -might have been different even then; but -she had gone away into the country--so Lady -Warburton had informed me. Thus, alone -and at her mercy, she had succeeded in wringing -from me a half promise that I would cease -my attentions for the space of six months, -"just to give dear Elizabeth time to learn her -own heart in regard to the matter."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This was last Monday. On the Wednesday -following, as I wandered aimlessly along -Piccadilly, at odds with fortune and myself, but -especially with myself, my eye encountered the -Duchess of Chelsea.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Duchess is familiarly known as the -"Conversational Brook" from the fact that -when once she begins she goes on for ever. -Hence, being in my then frame of mind, it was -with a feeling of rebellion that I obeyed the -summons of her parasol and crossed over to -the brougham.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So she's gone away?" was her greeting -as I raised my hat--"Lisbeth," she nodded, -"I happened to hear something about her, -you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It is strange, perhaps, but the Duchess -generally does "happen to hear" something -about everything.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you actually allowed yourself to -be bullied into making that promise--Dick! -Dick! I'm ashamed of you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How was I to help myself?" I began. -"You see----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Poor boy!" said the Duchess, patting -me affectionately with the handle of her parasol, -"it wasn't to be expected, of course. You see, -I know her--many, many years ago I was at -school with Agatha Warburton."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But she probably didn't use lorgnettes -then, and----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Her nose was just as sharp though--'peaky,' -I used to call it," nodded the Duchess. -"And she has actually sent Lisbeth away--dear -child--and to such a horrid, quiet little -place, too, where she'll have nobody to talk -to but that young Selwyn----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I beg pardon, Duchess, but----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Horace Selwyn, of Selwyn Park--cousin to -Lord Selwyn, of Brankesmere. Agatha has -been scheming for it a long time, under the rose, -you know. Of course, it would be a good -match in a way--wealthy, and all that--but I -must say he bores me horribly--so very serious -and precise!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Really!" I exclaimed, "do you mean to -say----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I expect she will have them married before -they know it--Agatha's dreadfully determined. -Her character lies in her nose and chin."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But Lisbeth is not a child--she has a will of -her own, and----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"True," nodded the Duchess, "but is it a -match for Agatha's chin? And then, too, it is -rather more than possible that you are become -the object of her bitterest scorn by now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But, my dear Duchess----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Agatha is a born diplomat. Of course -she has written before this, and, without actually -saying it, has managed to convey the fact that -you are a monster of perfidy; and Lisbeth, -poor child, who is probably crying her eyes out, -or imagining she hates you, is ready to accept -the first proposal she receives out of pure pique."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What on earth can I do?" I exclaimed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You might go fishing," the Duchess suggested -thoughtfully.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Fishing!" I repeated, "--er, to be sure, but----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Riverdale is a very pretty place, they tell -me," pursued the Duchess in the same thoughtful -tone; "there is a house there, a fine old -place, called Fane Court. It stands facing the -river, and adjoins Selwyn Park, I believe."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Duchess," I exclaimed, as I jotted down -the address upon my cuff, "I owe you a debt -of gratitude that I can never----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Tut, tut!" said her Grace.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think I'll start to-day, and----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You really couldn't do better," nodded the -Duchess.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>And so it befell that upon this August afternoon -I sat in the shade of the alders fishing, -with the smoke of my pipe floating up into the -sunshine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By adroit questioning I had elicited from -mine host of the Three Jolly Anglers the -precise whereabouts of Fane Court, the abode of -Lisbeth's sister, and, guided by his directions, -had chosen this sequestered spot, where by -simply turning my head I could catch a glimpse -of its tall chimneys above the swaying green of -tree-tops.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It is a fair thing upon a hot summer's afternoon, -within some shady bower, to lie upon one's -back and stare up through a network of branches -into the limitless blue beyond, while the air -is full of the stir of leaves, and the murmur of -water among the reeds. Or, propped on lazy -elbow, to watch perspiring wretches, short of -breath and purple of visage, urge boats up -stream or down, each deluding himself into the -belief that he is enjoying it. Life under such -conditions may seem very fair, as I say; yet -I was not happy. The words of the Duchess -seemed everywhere about me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You are become the object of her bitterest -scorn by now," sobbed the wind.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You are become," etc. etc., moaned the -river. It was therefore with no little trepidation -that I looked forward to my meeting with Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was at this moment that the bushes parted -and a boy appeared. He was a somewhat -diminutive boy, clad in a velvet suit with a -lace collar, both of which were plentifully -bespattered with mud. He carried his shoes and -stockings beneath one arm, and in the other -hand swung a hazel branch. He stood with -his little brown legs well apart, regarding me -with a critical eye; but when at length he -spoke his attitude was decidedly friendly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hallo, man!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hallo," I returned; "and who may you be?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," he answered gravely, "my real name -is Reginald Augustus, but they call me 'The Imp.'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can well believe it," I said, eyeing his -muddy person.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you please, what is an imp?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An imp," I explained, "is a sort of an--angel."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But," he demurred, after a moment's -thought, "I haven't got any wings an' things--or -a trumpet."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Your kind never do have wings, or trumpets."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, I see," he said; and sitting down -began to wipe the mud from his legs with his -stockings.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Rather muddy, aren't you?" I hinted. -The boy cast a furtive glance at his draggled -person.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Fraid I'm a teeny bit wet, too," he said -hesitatingly. "You see, I've been playing at -'Romans,' an' I had to wade, you know, 'cause -was the standard-bearer who jumped into the -sea waving his sword an' crying, 'Follow me!' You -remember him, don't you?--he's in the -history book."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To be sure," I nodded; "a truly heroic -character. But if you were the Romans, where -were the Ancient Britons?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, they were the reeds, you know; you -ought to have seen me slay them. It was fine; -they went down like--like----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Corn before the sickle," I suggested.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, just!" he cried; "the battle raged -for hours."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You must be rather tired."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Course not," he answered, with an indignant -look. "I'm not a girl--an' I'm nearly -nine, too."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I gather from your tone that you are not -partial to the sex--you don't like girls, eh, Imp?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Should think not," he returned; "silly -things, girls are. There's Dorothy, you know; -we were playing at executions the other -day--she was Mary Queen of Scots an' I was the -headsman. I made a lovely axe with wood and -silver paper, you know; an' when I cut her -head off she cried awfully, an' I only gave her -the weeniest little tap--an' they sent me to -bed at six o'clock for it. I believe she cried on -purpose--awfully caddish, wasn't it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My dear Imp," said I, "the older you grow -the more the depravity of the sex will become -apparent to you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you know, I like you," he said, regarding -me thoughtfully. "I think you are fine."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now that's very nice of you, Imp; in -common with my kind I have a weakness for -flattery--please go on."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I mean, I think you are jolly."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"As to that," I said, shaking my head and -sighing, "appearances are often very deceptive; -at the heart of many a fair blossom there is a -canker-worm."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm awfull' fond of worms, too," said the Imp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Indeed?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. I got a pocketful yesterday, only -Auntie found out an' made me let them all go -again."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah--yes," I said sympathetically; "that -was the woman of it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've only got one left now," continued the -Imp; and thrusting a hand into the pocket of -his knickerbockers he drew forth six inches or -so of slimy worm and held it out to me upon -his small, grimy palm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He's nice and fat!" I said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," nodded the Imp; "I caught him -under the gooseberry bushes;" and dropping -it back into his pocket he proceeded to don his -shoes and stockings.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Fraid I'm a bit muddy," he said suddenly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, you might be worse," I answered -reassuringly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you think they'll notice it?" he inquired, -contorting himself horribly in order to view the -small of his back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," I hesitated, "it all depends, you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't mind Dorothy, or Betty the cook, -or the governess--it's Auntie Lisbeth I'm -thinking about."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Auntie--who?" I exclaimed, regardless of -grammar.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Auntie Lisbeth," repeated the Imp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is she like?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, she's grown up big, only she's nice. -She came to take care of Dorothy an' me while -mother goes away to get nice an' strong--oh, -Auntie Lisbeth's jolly, you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"With black hair and blue eyes?" The -Imp nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And a dimple at the corner of her mouth?" -I went on dreamily.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' do you know my Auntie Lisbeth?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think it extremely probable--in fact, -I'm sure of it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then you might lend me your handkerchief, -please; I tied mine to a bush for a flag, you -know, an' it blew away."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You'd better come here and I'll give you a -rub down, my Imp." He obeyed, with many -profuse expressions of gratitude.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have you got any Aunties?" he inquired, -as I laboured upon his miry person.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," I answered, shaking my head; -"unfortunately mine are all Aunts, and that is -vastly different."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh," said the Imp, regarding me with a -puzzled expression; "are they nice--I mean do -they ever read to you out of the history book, -an help you to sail boats, an' paddle?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Paddle?" I repeated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. My Aunt Lisbeth does. The other -day we got up awfull' early an' went for a walk, -an' we came to the river, so we took off our -shoes an' stockings an' we paddled; it was -ever so jolly, you know. An' when Auntie -wasn't looking I found a frog an' put it in her -stocking."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Highly strategic, my Imp! Well?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was awfull' funny," he said, smiling -dreamily. "When she went to put 'em on she -gave a little high-up scream, like Dorothy does -when I pinch her a bit--an' then she throwed -them both away, 'cause she was afraid there -was frogs in both of them. Then she put on -her shoes without any stockings at all, so I hid -them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where?" I cried eagerly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Reggie!" called a voice some distance -away--a voice I recognised with a thrill. -"Reggie!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Imp, would you like half a crown?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Course I would; but you might clean -my back, please!" and he began rubbing -himself feverishly with his cap, after the fashion -of a scrubbing-brush.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look here," I said, pulling out the coin, -"tell me where you hid them--quick--and I'll -give you this." The Imp held out his hand, -but, even as he did so, the bushes parted, and -Lisbeth stood before us. She gave a little low -cry of surprise at sight of me, and then -frowned.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You?" she exclaimed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," I answered, raising my cap. And -there I stopped, trying frantically to remember -the speech I had so carefully prepared--the -greeting which was to have explained my -conduct and disarmed her resentment at the -very outset. But, rack my brain as I would, -I could think of nothing but the reproach in -her eyes--her disdainful mouth and chin--and -that one haunting phrase--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'I suppose I am become the object of your -bitterest scorn by now?'" I found myself -saying.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My Aunt informed me of--of everything, -and naturally----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let me explain," I began.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Really, it is not at all necessary."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But, Lisbeth, I must--I insist----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Reginald," she said, turning toward the -Imp, who was still busy with his cap, "it's -nearly tea-time, and--why, whatever have -you been doing to yourself?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"For the last half-hour," I interposed, -"we have been exchanging our opinions on -the sex."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' talking 'bout worms," added the Imp. -"This man is fond of worms, too, Auntie -Lisbeth--I like him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thanks," I said; "but let me beg of you -to drop your very distant mode of address. -Call me Uncle Dick."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But you're not my Uncle Dick, you know," -he demurred.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not yet, perhaps; but there's no -knowing what may happen some day if your -Auntie thinks us worthy--so take time by -the forelock, my Imp, and call me Uncle Dick."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Whatever Lisbeth might or might not have -said was checked by the patter of footsteps, and -a little girl tripped into view, with a small, -fluffy kitten cuddled in her arms.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Auntie Lisbeth," she began, but stopped -to stare at me over the back of the fluffy -kitten.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hallo, Dorothy!" cried the Imp; "this -is Uncle Dick. You can come an' shake hands -with him if you like."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I didn't know I had an Uncle Dick," said -Dorothy, hesitating.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh yes; it's all right," answered the Imp -reassuringly. "I found him, you know, an' -he likes worms, too!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Dorothy gave me her hand demurely.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How do you do, Uncle Dick?" she said -in a quaint, old-fashioned way. "Reginald is -always finding things, you know, an' he likes -worms, too!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>From somewhere near by there came the -silvery chime of a bell.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, there's the tea-bell!" exclaimed -Lisbeth; "and, Reginald, you have to change -those muddy clothes. Say good-bye to -Mr. Brent, children, and come along."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Imp," I whispered, as the others turned -away, "where did you hide those stockings?" And -I slipped the half-crown into his ready -palm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Along the river there's a tree--very big an' -awfull' fat, you know, with a lot of stickie-out -branches, an' a hole in its stomach--they're -in there."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Reginald!" called Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Up stream or down?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That way," he answered, pointing vaguely -down stream; and with a nod that brought -the yellow curls over his eyes he scampered off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Along the river," I repeated, "in a big, fat -tree with a lot of stickie-out branches!" It -sounded a trifle indefinite, I thought--still I -could but try. So having packed up my rod -I set out upon the search.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was strange, perhaps, but nearly every -tree I saw seemed to be either "big" or -"fat"--and all of them had "stickie-out" -branches.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Thus the sun was already low in the west, -and I was lighting my fifth pipe when I at -length observed the tree in question.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A great pollard oak it was, standing upon -the very edge of the stream, easily distinguishable -by its unusual size and the fact that at -some time or another it had been riven by -lightning. After all, the Imp's description -had been in the main correct; it was "fat," -immensely fat; and I hurried joyfully forward.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was still some way off when I saw the -distinct flutter of a white skirt, and--yes, sure -enough, there was Lisbeth, walking quickly, -too, and she was a great deal nearer the tree -than I.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Prompted by a sudden conviction I dropped -my rod and began to run. Immediately Lisbeth -began running too. I threw away my creel and -sprinted for all I was worth. I had earned some -small fame at this sort of thing in my university -days, yet I arrived at the tree with only a very -few yards to spare. Throwing myself upon -my knees, I commenced a feverish search, and -presently--more by good fortune than anything -else--my random fingers encountered a soft -silken bundle. When Lisbeth came up, flushed -and panting, I held them in my hands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Give them to me!" she cried.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm sorry----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Please," she begged.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm very sorry----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Brent," said Lisbeth, drawing herself -up, "I'll trouble you for my--them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Pardon me, Lisbeth," I answered, "but if I -remember anything of the law of 'treasure-trove' -one of these should go to the Crown, and one -belongs to me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lisbeth grew quite angry--one of her few -bad traits.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You will give them up at once--immediately."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"On the contrary," I said very gently, "seeing -the Crown can have no use for one, I shall -keep them both to dream over when the nights -are long and lonely."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lisbeth actually stamped her foot at me, -and I tucked "them" into my pocket.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How did you know they--they were here?" -she inquired after a pause.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was directed to a tree with 'stickie-out' -branches," I answered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, that Imp!" she exclaimed, and stamped -her foot again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you know, I've grown quite attached -to that nephew of mine already?" I said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He's not a nephew of yours," cried Lisbeth -quite hotly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not legally, perhaps; that is where you -might be of such assistance to us, Lisbeth. -A boy with only an aunt here and there, is -unbalanced, so to speak; he requires the -stronger influence of an uncle. Not," I -continued hastily, "that I would depreciate -aunts--by the way, he has but one, I -believe?" Lisbeth nodded coldly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course," I nodded, "and very lucky -in that one--extremely fortunate. Now, years -ago, when I was a boy, I had three, and all of -them blanks, so to speak. I mean none of them -ever read to me out of the history book, or -helped me to sail boats, or paddled and lost -their---- No, mine used to lecture me about -my hair and nails, I remember, and glare at me -over the big tea-urn until I choked into my -teacup. A truly desolate childhood mine. I -had no big-fisted uncle to thump me persuasively -when I needed it; had fortune granted me -one I might have been a very different man, -Lisbeth. You behold in me a horrible example -of what one may become whose boyhood has -been denuded of uncles."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you will be so very obliging as to return -my--my property."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My dear Lisbeth," I sighed, "be reasonable; -suppose we talk of something else"--and -I attempted, though quite vainly, to -direct her attention to the glories of the -sunset.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A fallen tree lay near by, upon which Lisbeth -seated herself with a certain determined set of -her little round chin that I knew well.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And how long do you intend keeping me -here?" she asked in a resigned tone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Always, if I had my way."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Really?" she said, and whole volumes -could never describe all the scorn she managed -to put into that single word. "You see," she -continued, "after what Aunt Agatha wrote -and told me----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lisbeth," I broke in, "if you'll only----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I naturally supposed----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you'll only let me explain----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That you would abide by the promise you -made her and wait----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Until you knew your own heart," I put in. -"The question is how long will it take you? -Probably, if you would allow me to teach you----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Your presence here now stamps you as--as -horribly deceitful!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Undoubtedly," I nodded; "but, you see, -when I was foolish enough to give that promise, -your very excellent Aunt made no reference -to her intentions regarding a certain Mr. Selwyn."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh!" exclaimed Lisbeth. And feeling that -I had made a point, I continued with redoubled -ardour:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She gave me to understand that she merely -wished you to have time to know your own -heart in the matter. Now, as I said before, how -long will it take you to find out, Lisbeth?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She sat, chin in hand, staring straight before -her, and her black brows were still drawn -together in a frown. But I watched her mouth--just -where the scarlet underlip curved up to -meet its fellow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lisbeth's mouth is a trifle wide, perhaps, -and rather full-lipped, and somewhere at one -corner--I can never be quite certain of its -exact location, because its appearance is, as a -rule, so very meteoric--but somewhere there -is a dimple. Now, if ever there was an arrant -traitor in this world it is that dimple; for let -her expression be ever so guileless, let her -wistful eyes be raised with a look of tears in -their blue depths, despite herself that dimple -will spring into life and undo it all in a -moment. So it was now; even as I watched, -it quivered round her lips, and feeling herself -betrayed, the frown vanished altogether and -she smiled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And now, Dick, suppose you give me my--my----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Conditionally," I said, sitting down beside her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sun had set, and from somewhere among -the purple shadows of the wood the rich, deep -notes of a blackbird came to us, with pauses -now and then, filled in with the rustle of leaves -and the distant lowing of cows.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not far from the village of Down in Kent," -I began dreamily, "there stands an old house -with quaint, high-gabled roofs and twisted Tudor -chimneys. Many years ago it was the home -of fair ladies and gallant gentlemen, but its -glory is long past. And yet, Lisbeth, when -I think of it at such an hour as this, and with -you beside me, I begin to wonder if we could -not manage between us to bring back the -old order of things."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lisbeth was silent.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It has a wonderful old-fashioned rose garden, -and you are fond of roses, Lisbeth."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," she murmured; "I'm very fond of roses."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They would be in full bloom now," I suggested.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was another pause, during which -the blackbird performed three or four -difficult arias with astonishing ease and -precision.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aunt Agatha is fond of roses, too!" said -Lisbeth at last very gravely. "Poor dear -Aunt, I wonder what she would say if she -could see us now?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Such things are better left to the -imagination," I answered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I ought to write and tell her," murmured -Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But you won't do that, of course?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, I won't do that, if----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you will give me--them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"One," I demurred.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Both!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"On one condition, then--just once, Lisbeth?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Her lips were very near, her lashes drooped, -and for one delicious moment she hesitated. -Then I felt a little tug at my coat pocket, and -springing to her feet she was away with "them" -clutched in her hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Trickery!" I cried, and started in pursuit.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There is a path through the woods leading -to the Shrubbery at Fane Court. Down this -she fled, and her laughter came to me on the -wind. I was close upon her when she reached -the gate, and darting through, turned, flushed -but triumphant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've won!" she mocked, nodding her head at me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who can cope with the duplicity of a -woman?" I retorted. "But, Lisbeth, you will -give me one--just one?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It would spoil the pair."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, very well," I sighed, "good-night, -Lisbeth," and lifting my cap I turned away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There came a ripple of laughter behind me, -something struck me softly upon the cheek, -and, stooping, I picked up that which lay half -unrolled at my feet, but when I looked round -Lisbeth was gone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So presently I thrust "them" into my -pocket and walked back slowly along the river -path toward the hospitable shelter of the Three -Jolly Anglers.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-sheriff-of-nottingham"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER II</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>To sit beside a river on a golden afternoon -listening to its whispered melody, while the air -about one is fragrant with summer, and heavy -with the drone of unseen wings!--What ordinary -mortal could wish for more?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And yet, though conscious of this fair world -about me, I was still uncontent, for my world -was incomplete--nay, lacked its most essential -charm, and I sat with my ears on the stretch, -waiting for Lisbeth's chance footstep on the -path and the soft whisper of her skirts.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The French are indeed a great people, for -among many other things they alone have -caught that magic sound a woman's garments -make as she walks, and given it to the world in -the one word "</span><em class="italics">frou-frou</em><span>."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>O wondrous word! O word sublime! How -full art thou of delicate suggestion! Truly -there can be no sweeter sound to ears masculine -upon a golden summer afternoon--or any -other time, for that matter--than the soft -"</span><em class="italics">frou-frou</em><span>" that tells him </span><em class="italics">She</em><span> is coming.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At this point my thoughts were interrupted -by something which hurtled through the air -and splashed into the water at my feet. Glancing -at this object, I recognised the loud-toned -cricket cap affected by the Imp, and reaching -for it, I fished it out on the end of my rod. It -was a hideous thing of red, white, blue, and -green--a really horrible affair, and therefore -much prized by its owner, as I knew.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Behind me the bank rose some four or five -feet, crowned with willows and underbrush, -from the other side of which there now came a -prodigious rustling and panting. Rising to my -feet, therefore, I parted the leaves with extreme -care, and beheld the Imp himself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was armed to the teeth--that is to say, -a wooden sword swung at his thigh, a tin bugle -depended from his belt, and he carried a bow -and arrow. Opposite him, was another boy, -particularly ragged at knee and elbow, who -stood with hands thrust into his pockets and grinned.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Base caitiff, hold!" cried the Imp, fitting -an arrow to the string; "stand an' deliver. -Give me my cap, thou varlet, thou!" The -boy's grin expanded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Give me my cap, base slave, or I'll shoot -you--by my troth!" As he spoke the Imp -aimed his arrow, whereupon the boy ducked -promptly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I ain't got yer cap," he grinned from the -shelter of his arm. "It's been an' gone an' -throwed itself into the river!" The Imp -let fly his arrow, which was answered by a yell -from the Base Varlet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yah!" he cried derisively as the Imp -drew his sword with a melodramatic flourish. -"Yah! put down that stick an' I'll fight yer."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Imp indignantly repudiated his trusty -weapon being called "a stick"--"an' I don't -think," he went on, "that Robin Hood ever -fought without his sword. Let's see what the -book says," and he drew a very crumpled -paper-covered volume from, his pocket, which -he consulted with knitted brows, while the -Base Varlet watched him, open-mouthed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh yes," nodded the Imp; "it's all right. -Listen to this!" and he read as follows in a -stern, deep voice:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Then Robin tossed aside his trusty blade, -an' laying bare his knotted arm, approached -the dastardly ruffian with many a merry quip -and jest, prepared for the fierce death-grip.'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hereupon the Imp laid aside his book and -weapons and proceeded to roll up his sleeve, -having done which to his satisfaction, he faced -round upon the Base Varlet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have at ye, dastardly ruffian!" he cried, -and therewith ensued a battle, fierce and fell.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If his antagonist had it in height, the Imp -made up for it in weight--he is a particularly -solid Imp--and thus the struggle lasted for -some five minutes without any appreciable -advantage to either, when, in eluding one of -the enemy's desperate rushes, the Imp stumbled, -lost his balance, and next moment I had caught -him in my arms. For a space "the enemy" -remained panting on the bank above, and then -with another yell turned and darted off among -the bushes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hallo, Imp!" I said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hallo, Uncle Dick!" he returned.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hurt?" I inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wounded a bit in the nose, you know," -he answered, mopping that organ with his -handkerchief; "but did you see me punch -'yon varlet' in the eye?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did you, Imp?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think so, Uncle Dick; only I do wish -I'd made him surrender. The book says that -Robin Hood always made his enemies 'surrender -an' beg their life on trembling knee!' Oh, -it must be fine to see your enemies on -their knee!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Especially if they tremble," I added.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you s'pose that boy--I mean 'yon -base varlet' would have surrendered?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not a doubt of it--if he hadn't happened -to push you over the bank first."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh!" murmured the Imp rather dubiously.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"By the way," I said, "where is your -Auntie Lisbeth?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, I chased her up the big apple-tree -with my bow an' arrow."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course," I nodded. "Very right and proper!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You see," he explained, "I wanted her -to be a wild elephant an' she wouldn't."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Extremely disobliging of her!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, wasn't it? So when she was right -up I took away the ladder an' hid it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Highly strategic, my Imp."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So then I turned into Robin Hood, I -hung my cap on a bush to shoot at, you know, -an' 'the Base Varlet' came up an' ran off -with it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And there it is," I said, pointing to where -it lay. The Imp received it with profuse thanks, -and, having wrung out the water, clapped it -upon his curls and sat down beside me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I found another man who wants to be -my uncle," he began.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, indeed?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes; but I don't want any more, you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course not. One like me suffices for -your everyday needs--eh, my Imp?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Imp nodded. "It was yesterday," -he continued. "He came to see Auntie Lisbeth, -an' I found them in the summer-house in the -orchard. An' I heard him say, 'Miss Elizabeth, -you're prettier than ever!'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did he though, confound him!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, an' then Auntie Lisbeth looked silly, -an' then he saw me behind a tree an' he looked -silly, too. Then he said, 'Come here, little -man!' An' I went, you know, though I do -hate to be called 'little man.' Then he said -he'd give me a shilling if I'd call him Uncle -Frank."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And what did you answer?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Fraid I'm awfull' wicked," sighed the -Imp, shaking his head, "'cause I told him a -story."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did you, Imp?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. I said I didn't want his shilling, -an' I do, you know, most awfully, to buy a -spring-pistol with."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, well, we'll see what can be done about -the spring-pistol," I answered. "And so you -don't like him, eh?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Should think not," returned the Imp -promptly. "He's always so--so awfull' clean, -an' wears a little moustache with teeny sharp -points on it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Anyone who does that deserves all he -gets," I said, shaking my head. "And what is -his name?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The Honourable Frank Selwyn, an' he -lives at Selwyn Park--the next house to ours."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oho!" I exclaimed, and whistled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Uncle Dick," said the Imp, breaking in -upon a somewhat unpleasant train of thought -conjured up by this intelligence, "will you -come an' be 'Little-John under the merry -greenwood tree'? Do."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, what do you know about 'the merry -greenwood,' Imp?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, lots!" he answered, hastily pulling -out the tattered book. "This is all about -Robin Hood an' Little-John. Ben, the -gardener's boy, lent it to me. Robin Hood -was a fine chap, an' so was Little-John, an' -they used to set ambushes an' capture the -Sheriff of Nottingham an' all sorts of caddish -barons, an' tie them to trees."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My Imp," I said, shaking my head, -"the times are sadly changed. One cannot tie -barons--caddish or otherwise--to trees in these -degenerate days."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, I s'pose not," sighed the Imp -dolefully; "but I do wish you would be -Little-John, Uncle Dick."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Oh, certainly, Imp, if it will make you any -happier; though of a truth, bold Robin," I -continued after the manner of the story-books, -"Little-John hath a mind to bide awhile and -commune with himself here; yet give but -one blast upon thy bugle horn and thou shalt -find my arm and quarter-staff ready and willing -enough, I'll warrant you!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That sounds awfull' fine, Uncle Dick, only--you -haven't got a quarter-staff, you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yea, 'tis here!" I answered, and detached -the lower joint of my fishing-rod. The Imp -rose, and folding his arms, surveyed me as -Robin Hood himself might have done--that is -to say, with an "eye of fire."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So be it, my faithful Little-John," quoth -he; "meet me at the Blasted Oak at midnight. -An' if I shout for help--I mean blow -my bugle--you'll come an' rescue me, won't -you, Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ay; trust me for that," I answered, all -unsuspecting.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Tis well!" nodded the Imp; and with -a wave of his hand he turned and scrambling -up the bank disappeared.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Of the existence of Mr. Selwyn I was already -aware, having been notified in this particular -by the Duchess, as I have told in the foregoing -narrative.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now, a rival in air--in the abstract, so to -speak--is one thing, but a rival who was on a -sufficiently intimate footing to deal in personal -compliments, and above all, one who was -already approved of and encouraged by the -powers that be, in the person of Lady -Warburton--Lisbeth's formidable aunt--was another -consideration altogether.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Miss Elizabeth, you're prettier than ever!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Somehow the expression rankled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What right had he to tell her such things?--and -in a summer-house, too;--the insufferable -audacity of the fellow!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A pipe being indispensable to the occasion, -I took out my matchbox, only to find that it -contained but a solitary vesta.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The afternoon had been hot and still hitherto, -with never so much as a breath of wind stirring; -but no sooner did I prepare to strike that match -than from somewhere there came a sudden -flaw of wind that ruffled the glassy waters of -the river and set every leaf whispering. Waiting -until what I took to be a favourable opportunity, -with infinite precaution I struck a light. -It flickered in a sickly fashion for a moment -between my sheltering palms, and immediately -expired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This is but one example of that "Spirit of -the Perverse" pervading all things mundane -which we poor mortals are called upon to bear -as best we may. Therefore I tossed aside the -charred match, and, having searched fruitlessly -through my pockets for another, waited -philosophically for some "good Samaritan" to come -along. The bank I have mentioned sloped -away gently on my left, thus affording an -uninterrupted view of the path.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now as my eyes followed this winding path -I beheld an individual some distance away who -crawled upon his hands and knees, evidently -searching for something. As I watched, he -succeeded in raking a Panama hat from -beneath a bush, and, having dusted it carefully -with his handkerchief, replaced it upon his -head and continued his advance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With some faint hope that there might be a -loose match hiding away in some corner of my -pockets, I went through them again more -carefully, but alas! with no better success; -whereupon I gave it up and turned to glance -at the approaching figure.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My astonishment may be readily imagined -when I beheld him in precisely the same attitude -as before--that is to say, upon his hands and -knees.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was yet puzzling over this phenomenon -when he again raked out the Panama on the -end of the hunting-crop he carried, dusted it -as before, looking about him the while with a -bewildered air, and, setting it firmly upon his -head, came down the path.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was a tall young fellow, scrupulously neat -and well groomed from the polish of his brown -riding-boots to his small, sleek moustache, -which was parted with elaborate care and -twisted into two fine points. There was about -his whole person an indefinable air of -self-complacent satisfaction, but he carried his -personality in his moustache, so to speak, which, -though small, as I say, and precise to a hair, -yet obtruded itself upon one in a vaguely -unpleasant way. Noticing all this, I thought -I might make a very good guess as to his identity -if need were.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All at once, as I watched him--like a bird -rising from her nest the devoted Panama -rose in the air, turned over once or twice and -fluttered (I use the word figuratively) into a -bramble bush. Bad language was writ large -in every line of his body as he stood looking -about him, the hunting-crop quivering in his -grasp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was at this precise juncture that his eye -encountered me, and, pausing only to recover -his unfortunate headgear, he strode toward -where I sat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you know anything about this?" he -inquired in a somewhat aggressive manner, -holding up a length of black thread.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A piece of ordinary pack-thread," I answered, -affecting to examine it with a critical eye.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you know anything about it?" he said -again, evidently in a very bad temper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sir," I answered, "I do not."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Because if I thought you did----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sir," I broke in, "you'll excuse me, but -that seems a very remarkable hat of yours."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I repeat, if I thought you did----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course," I went on, "each to his taste, -but personally I prefer one with less -'gymnastic' and more 'stay-at-home' qualities."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The hunting-crop was raised threateningly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Selwyn?" I inquired in a conversational tone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The hunting-crop hesitated and was lowered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, sir?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah, I thought so," I said, bowing; "permit -me to trespass upon your generosity to the -extent of a match--or, say, a couple."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Selwyn remained staring down at me for -a moment, and I saw the points of his moustache -positively curling with indignation. Then, -without deigning a reply, he turned on his heel -and strode away. He had not gone more than -thirty or forty paces, however, when I heard -him stop and mutter savagely--I did not need -to look to learn the reason--I admit I chuckled. -But my merriment was short-lived, for a -moment later came the feeble squeak of a horn -followed by a shout and the Imp's voice upraised -in dire distress.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Little-John! Little-John! to the rescue!" -it called.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I hesitated, for I will freely confess that -when I had made that promise to the Imp it -was with small expectation that I should be -called upon to fulfil it. Still, a promise is a -promise; so I sighed, and picking up the joint of -my fishing-rod, clambered up the bank. Glancing -in the direction of the cries, I beheld Robin -Hood struggling in the foe's indignant grasp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now, there were but two methods of procedure -open to me as I could see--the serious -or the frankly grotesque. Naturally I chose -the latter, and, quarter-staff on shoulder, I -swaggered down the path with an air that -Little-John himself might well have envied.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Beshrew me!" I cried, confronting the -amazed Mr. Selwyn. "Who dares lay hands -on bold Robin Hood? Away, base rogue, hie -thee hence, or I am like to fetch thee a dour -ding on that pate o' thine!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Selwyn loosed the Imp and stared at me -in speechless amazement, as well he might.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look ye, master," I continued, entering -into the spirit of the thing, "no man lays hand -on Robin Hood whiles Little-John can twirl a -staff or draw a bow-string--no!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Imp, retired to a safe distance, stood -hearkening in a transport till, bethinking him -of his part, he fished out the tattered book and -began surreptitiously turning over the pages; -as for Mr. Selwyn, he only fumbled at his -moustache and stared.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aye, but I know thee," I went on again; -"by thy sly and crafty look, by thy scalloped -cape and chain of office, I know thee for that -same Sheriff of Nottingham that hath sworn -to our undoing. Go to! didst think to take -Robin--in the greenwood? Out upon thee! -Thy years should have taught thee better -wisdom. Out upon thee!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now will I feed"--began the Imp, with -the book carefully held behind him--"now will -I feed fat mine vengeance--to thy knees for a -scurvy rascal!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aye," I nodded, "'twere well he should -do penance on his marrow-bones from hither -to Nottingham Town; but as thou art -strong--be merciful, Robin."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Selwyn still curled the point of his -moustache.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are you mad," he inquired, "or only drunk?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"As to that, good master Sheriff, it doth -concern thee nothing--but mark you! 'tis -an ill thing to venture within the greenwood -whiles Robin Hood and Little-John be -abroad."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Selwyn shrugged his shoulders and -turned to the Imp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am on my way to see your Aunt Elizabeth, -and shall make it my particular care to -inform her of your conduct, and see that you -are properly punished. As for you, sir," he -continued, addressing me, "I shall inform -the police that there is a madman at large."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At this double-barrelled threat the Imp -was plainly much dismayed, and coming up -beside me, slipped his hand into mine, and -I promptly pocketed it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sweet master Sheriff," I said, sweeping -off my cap in true outlaw fashion, "the way -is long and something lonely; methinks--we -will therefore e'en accompany you, and may -perchance lighten the tedium with quip and -quirk and a merry stave or so."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Seeing the angry rejoinder upon Mr. Selwyn's -lips, I burst forth incontinent into the following -ditty, the words extemporised to the tune of -"Bonnie Dundee":</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>"There lived a sheriff in Nottinghamshire,</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>With a hey derry down and a down;</span></div> -</div> -<div class="line"><span>He was fond of good beef, but was fonder of beer,</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>With a hey derry down and a down."</span></div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>By the time we reached the Shrubbery -gate the Imp was in an ecstasy, and Mr. Selwyn -once more reduced to speechless indignation -and astonishment. Here our ways diverged, -Mr. Selwyn turning toward the house, while the -Imp and I made our way to the orchard at the -rear.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Uncle Dick," he said, halting suddenly, -"do you think he will tell--really?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My dear Imp," I answered, "a man who -wears 'points on his moustache' is capable -of anything."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then I shall be sent to bed for it, I know I -shall!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To run into a thread tied across the path -must have been very annoying," I said, shaking -my head thoughtfully, "especially with a -bran-new hat!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They were only 'ambushes,' you know, Uncle Dick."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To be sure," I nodded. "Now, observe, -my Imp, here is a shilling; go and buy that -spring-pistol you were speaking of, and take -your time about it; I'll see what can be done -in the meanwhile."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Imp was reduced to incoherent thanks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's all right," I said, "but you had -better hurry off."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He obeyed with alacrity, disappearing in the -direction of the village, while I went on towards -the orchard to find Lisbeth. And presently, -sure enough, I did find her--that is to say, part -of her, for the foliage of that particular tree -happened to be very thick, and I could see -nothing of her but a foot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A small and shapely foot it was that -swung audaciously to and fro; a foot in a -ridiculously out-of-place little patent-leather -shoe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I approached softly, with the soul of me -in my eyes, so to speak, yet, despite my caution, -she seemed to become aware of my presence in -some way--the foot faltered in its swing and -vanished as the leaves were parted, and Lisbeth -looked down at me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, it's you?" she said, and I fancied -she seemed quite pleased. "You'll find a -step-ladder somewhere about--it can't be very far."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thanks," I answered, "but I don't want one."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No; but I do; I want to get down. That -little wretched Imp hid the ladder, and I've -been here all the afternoon," she wailed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But then you refused to be an elephant -you know," I reminded her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He shall go to bed for it--directly after -tea!" she said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lisbeth," I returned, "I firmly believe -your nature to be altogether too sweet and -forgiving---"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I want to come down!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Certainly," I said; "put your left foot -in my right hand, take firm hold of the branch -above, and let yourself sink gently into my -arms."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly, "here's -Mr. Selwyn coming," and following her glance, -I saw a distinct Panama approaching.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lisbeth," said I, "are you anxious to see him?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In this ridiculous situation--of course not!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well then, hide--just sit there and -leave matters to me and----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hush," she whispered, and at that moment -Selwyn emerged into full view. Catching sight -of me he stopped in evident surprise.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was told I should find Miss Elizabeth -here," he said stiffly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It would almost appear that you had -been misinformed," I answered. For a moment -he seemed undecided what to do. Would -he go away? I wondered. Evidently not -for after glancing about him he sat himself -down upon a rustic seat near by with a certain -resolute air that I did not like. I must get -rid of him at all hazards.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sir," said I, "can I trespass on your -generosity to the extent of a match--or say a -couple?" After a brief hesitation he drew -out a very neat silver match-box, which he -handed to me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A fine day, sir?" I said, puffing at my pipe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Selwyn made no reply.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I hear that the crops are looking -particularly healthy this year," I went on.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Selwyn appeared to be utterly lost in -the contemplation of an adjacent tree.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To my mind an old apple-tree is singularly -picturesque," I began again. "Nice nobbly -branches, don't you know?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Selwyn began to fidget.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And then," I pursued, "they tell me that -apples are so good for the blood."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Selwyn shifted his gaze to the toe of his -riding-boot, and for a space there was silence, -so much so, indeed, that an inquisitive rabbit -crept up and sat down to watch us with much -interest, until--evidently remembering some -pressing engagement--he disappeared with a -flash of his white tail.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Talking of rabbits," said I, "they are -quite a pest in Australia, I believe, and are -exterminated by the thousand; I have often -wondered if a syndicate could not be formed -to acquire the skins. This idea, so far as I know, -is original, but you are quite welcome to it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Selwyn rose abruptly to his feet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I once in my boyhood possessed a rabbit--of -the lop-eared variety," I continued, "which -over-ate itself and died. I remember I -attempted to skin it with dire results----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sir," said Mr. Selwyn, "I beg to inform -you that I am not interested in rabbits, -lop-eared or otherwise; nor do I propose to become -so; furthermore----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But at this moment of my triumph, even as -he turned to depart, something small and white -fluttered down from the branches above, and -the next moment Selwyn had stooped and -picked up a lace handkerchief. Then, while -he stared at it and I at him, there came a -ripple of laughter and Lisbeth peered down at -us through the leaves.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My handkerchief--thank you," she said, as -Selwyn stood somewhat taken aback by her -sudden appearance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The trees hereabouts certainly bear very -remarkable, not to say delightful fruit," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And as you will remember, I was always -particularly fond of apple-trees," I interpolated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Selwyn," smiled Lisbeth, "let me -introduce you to Mr. Brent."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sir," I said, "I am delighted to make your -acquaintance; have heard Her Grace of Chelsea -speak of you--her friends are mine, I trust?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Selwyn's bow was rather more than distant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have already had the pleasure of meeting -this--this very original gentleman before, and -under rather peculiar circumstances, Miss -Elizabeth," he said, and forthwith plunged into an -account of the whole affair of the "ambushes," -while Lisbeth, perched upon her lofty throne, -surveyed us with an ever-growing astonishment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Whatever does it all mean?" she inquired -as Mr. Selwyn made an end.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You must know then," I explained, leaning -upon my quarter-staff, "the Imp took it into -his head to become Robin Hood; I was Little-John, -and Mr. Selwyn here was so very obliging -as to enact the rôle of Sheriff of Nottingham----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I beg your pardon," exclaimed Mr. Selwyn -indignantly, turning upon me with a fiery eye.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Everyone recollects the immortal exploits -of Robin and his 'merrie men,'" I continued, -"and you will, of course, remember that they -had a habit of capturing the Sheriff and tying -him up to trees and things. Naturally the Imp -did not proceed to that extreme. He contented -himself with merely capturing the Sheriff's hat. I -think that you will agree that those 'ambushes' -worked like a charm, Mr. Selwyn?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Miss Elizabeth," he said, disdaining any -reply, "I am aware of the affection you lavish -upon your nephew; I hope that you will take -measures to restrain him from such pranks--such -very disgraceful pranks--in the future. -I myself should suggest a change of companionship" -(here he glanced at me) "as the most -salutary method. Good afternoon, Miss -Elizabeth." So saying, Mr. Selwyn raised his hat, -bowed stiffly to me, and, turning upon an -indignant heel, strode haughtily away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well!" exclaimed Lisbeth with a look of -very real concern.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well, indeed!" I nodded; "we are -alone at last."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Dick! but to have offended him like this!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A highly estimable young gentleman," I -said, "though deplorably lacking in that saving -sense of humour which----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aunt Agatha seems to think a great deal of him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So I understand," I nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Only this morning I received a letter from -her, in which, among other things, she pointed -out what a very excellent match he would be."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And what do you think?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, I agree with her, of course; his family -dates back ages and ages before the Conqueror, -and he has two or three estates besides Selwyn -Park, and one in Scotland."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you know, Lisbeth, that reminds me of -another house--not at all big or splendid, but -of great age; a house which stands not far -from the village of Down, in Kent; a house -which is going to rack and ruin for want of a -mistress. Sometimes, just as evening comes -on, I think it must dream of the light feet and -gentle hands it has known so many years ago, -and feels its loneliness more than ever."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Poor old house!" said Lisbeth softly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, a house is very human, Lisbeth, -especially an old one, and feels the need of -that loving care which only a woman can bestow, -just as we do ourselves."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dear old house!" said Lisbeth, more softly -than before.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How much longer must it wait--when will -you come and care for it, Lisbeth?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She started, and I thought her cheeks seemed -a trifle pinker than usual as her eyes met mine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dick," she said wistfully, "I do wish you -would get the ladder; it's horribly uncomfortable -to sit in a tree for hours and----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"First of all, Lisbeth, you will forgive the -Imp--full and freely, won't you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He shall go to bed without any tea whatever."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That will be rank cruelty, Lisbeth; -remember he is a growing boy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And I have been perched up here--between -heaven and earth--all the afternoon."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then why not come down?" I inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you will only get the ladder----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you will just put your right foot in -my----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I won't!" said Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"As you please," I nodded, and sitting down, -mechanically took out my pipe and began to -fill it, while she opened her book, frowning. -And after she had read very studiously for -perhaps two minutes, she drew out and consulted -her watch. I did the same.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A quarter to five!" I said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lisbeth glanced down at me with the air of -one who is deliberating upon two courses of -action, and when at length she spoke, every -trace of irritation had vanished completely.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dick, I'm awfully hungry."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So am I," I nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It </span><em class="italics">would</em><span> be nice to have tea here under the -trees, wouldn't it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It would be positively idyllic!" I said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then if you will please find that ladder----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you will promise to forgive the Imp----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Certainly not!" she retorted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So be it!" I sighed, and sat down again. -As I did so she launched her book at me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wretch!" she exclaimed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Which means that you are ready to descend?" -I inquired, rising and depositing the -maltreated volume side by side with my pipe -on a rustic table near by; "very good. Place -your right foot in----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, all right," she said quite pettishly, and -next moment I had her in my arms.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dick! put me down--at once!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"One moment, Lisbeth; that boy is a growing -boy----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And shall go to bed without any tea!" she -broke in.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well, then," I said, and reading the -purpose in my eyes, she attempted, quite vainly, -to turn her head aside.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You will find it quite useless to struggle, -Lisbeth," I warned. "Your only course is to -remember that he is a growing boy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you are a brute!" she cried.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Undoubtedly," I answered, bending my -head nearer her petulant lips. "But think of -the Imp in bed, lying there, sleepless, tealess, -and growing all the while as fast as he can."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lisbeth surrendered, of course, but my -triumph was greatly tempered with disappointment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You will then forgive him for the -'ambushes' and cherish him with much tea?" -I stipulated, winking away a tress of hair that -tickled most provokingly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," said Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And no bed until the usual hour?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," she answered, quite subdued; "and -now please do put me down." So I sighed and -perforce obeyed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She stood for a moment patting her rebellious -hair into order with deft, white fingers, looking -up at me meanwhile with a laugh in her eyes -that seemed almost a challenge. I took a -hasty step toward her, but as I did so the Imp -hove into view.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hallo, Auntie Lisbeth!" he exclaimed, -eyeing her wonderingly; then his glance -wandered round as if in quest of something.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How did she do it, Uncle Dick?" he inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do what, my Imp?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, get out of the tree?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I smiled and looked at Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did she climb down?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," said I, shaking my head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did she--jump down?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, she didn't jump down."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, did she--did she fly down?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, nor fly down--she just came down."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, but how did she----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Reginald," said Lisbeth, "run and tell the -maids to bring tea out here--for three."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Three?" echoed the Imp. "But Dorothy -has gone out to tea, you know--is Uncle Dick -going to----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To be sure, Imp," I nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, that is fine--hurrah, Little-John!" -he cried, and darted off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you, Lisbeth?" I said, imprisoning -her hands. "Are you glad also?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lisbeth did not speak, yet I was satisfied -nevertheless.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-desperadoes"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER III</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE DESPERADOES</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Fane Court stands bowered in trees, with a wide -stretch of the greenest of green lawns sloping -down to the river stairs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They are quaint old stairs, with a marble -rail and carved balusters, worn and crumbling, -yet whose decay is half hid by the kindly green -of lichens and mosses; stairs indeed for an idle -fellow to dream over on a hot summer's -afternoon--and they were, moreover, a favourite -haunt of Lisbeth. It was here that I had -moored my boat, therefore, and now lay back, -pipe in mouth and with a cushion beneath my -head, in that blissful state between sleeping -and waking.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now, as I lay, from the blue wreaths of my -pipe I wove me fair fancies:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And lo! the stairs were no longer deserted; -there were fine gentlemen, patched and powdered, -in silks and satins, with shoe-buckles that flashed -in the sun; there were dainty ladies in quilted -petticoats and flowered gowns, with most -wonderful coiffures; and there was Lisbeth, -fairer and daintier than them all, and there, too, -was I. And behold how demurely she curtsied -and smiled behind her ivory fan! With what -a grace I took a pinch of snuff! With what -an air I bowed with hand on heart! Then, -somehow, it seemed we were alone, she on the -top stair, I on the lower. And standing thus -raised my arms to her with an appealing -gesture. Her eyes looked down into mine, the -patch quivered at the corner of her scarlet -mouth, and there beside it was the dimple. -Beneath her petticoat I saw her foot in a little -pink satin shoe come slowly toward me and stop -again. I watched, scarce breathing, for it -seemed my fate hung in the balance. Would -she come down to Love and me, or----</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ship ahoy!" cried a voice, and in that -moment my dream vanished. I sighed, and -looking round, beheld a head peering at me over -the balustrade--a head bound up in a bandanna -handkerchief of large pattern and vivid colouring.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, Imp!" I exclaimed. But my surprise -abated when he emerged into full view.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>About his waist was a broad-buckled belt, -which supported a wooden cutlass, two or three -murderous wooden daggers and a brace of toy -pistols; while upon his legs were a pair of -top-boots many sizes too large for him, so that -walking required no little care. Yet on the -whole his appearance was decidedly effective. -There could be no mistake--he was a -blood-thirsty pirate!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Imp is an artist to his grimy finger-tips.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Avast, shipmate!" I cried. "How's the wind?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh," he exclaimed, falling over his boots -with eagerness, "do take me in your boat, an' -let's be pirates, will you, Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, that depends. Where is your Auntie -Lisbeth?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Selwyn is going to row her and Dorothy -up the river."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh! he is!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, an' they won't take me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why not, my Imp?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Cause they're 'fraid I should upset the -boat. So I thought I'd come an' ask you to be -a pirate, you know. I'll lend you my best -dagger an' one of my pistols. Will you, Uncle -Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come aboard, shipmate, if you are for -Hispaniola, the Tortugas, and the Spanish -Main," said I, whereupon he scrambled in, -losing a boot overboard in his haste, which -necessitated much intricate angling with the -boathook ere it was recovered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They're Peter's, you know," he explained, -as he emptied out the water. "I took them -out of the harness-room; a pirate must have -boots, you know, but I'm afraid Peter'll say -things."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not a doubt of it when he sees them," I said -as we pushed off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wish," he began, looking round thoughtfully -after a minute or so, "I wish we could get -a plank or a yard-arm from somewhere."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What for, my Imp?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, don't you remember, pirates always -had a plank for people to 'walk,' you know, -an' used to 'swing them up to the yard-arm'?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You seem to know all about it," I said, as I -pulled slowly down stream.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh yes; I read it all in </span><em class="italics">Scarlet Sam, the -Scourge of the South Seas</em><span>. Scarlet Sam was -fine. He used to stride up and down the -quarterdeck an' flourish his cutlass, an' his eyes -would roll, an' he'd foam at the mouth, an'----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Knock everybody into the 'lee scuppers,'" -I put in.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," cried the Imp in a tone of unfeigned -surprise. "How did you know that, Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Once upon a time," I said, as I swung -lazily at the sculls, "I was a boy myself, and -read a lot about a gentleman named 'Beetle-browed -Ben.' I tell you, Imp, he was a terror -for foaming and stamping, if you like, and used -to flog three or four people every morning, -just to get an appetite for breakfast." The -Imp regarded me with round eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And then he was a very wonderful man -in other ways. You see, he was always getting -himself shot through the head, or run through -the body, but it never hurt Beetle-browed -Ben--not a bit of it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' did he 'swing people at the yard-arm--with -a bitter smile'?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lots of 'em!" I answered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' make them 'walk the plank--with a -horrid laugh'?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"By the hundreds!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' 'maroon them on a desolate island--with -a low chuckle'?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Many a time," I answered; "and generally -with a chuckle."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, I should like to read about him!" -said the Imp with a deep sigh; "will you lend -me your book about him, Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I shook my head. "Unfortunately, that, -together with many other valued possessions, -has been ravaged from me by the ruthless -maw of Time," I replied sadly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Imp sat plunged in deep thought, trailing -his fingers pensively in the water.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And so your Auntie Lisbeth is going for a -row with Mr. Selwyn, is she?" I said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, an' I told her she could come an' -be a pirate with me if she liked--but she -wouldn't."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Strange!" I murmured.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Uncle Dick, do you think Auntie Lisbeth -is in love with Mr. Selwyn?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What?" I exclaimed, and stopped rowing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I mean, do you think Mr. Selwyn is in love -with Auntie Lisbeth?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My Imp, I'm afraid he is. Why?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Cause cook says he is, an' so does Jane, -an' they know all about love, you know. I've -heard them read it out of a book lots an' lots of -times. But I think love is awfull' silly, don't -you, Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Occasionally I greatly fear so," I sighed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You wouldn't go loving anybody, would -you, Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not if I could help it," I answered, shaking -my head; "but I do love someone, and that's -the worst of it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh!" exclaimed the Imp, but in a tone -more of sorrow than anger.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't be too hard on me, Imp," I said; -"your turn may come when you are older; -you may love somebody one of these days."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Imp frowned and shook his head. "No," -he answered sternly; "when I grow up big I -shall keep ferrets. Ben, the gardener's boy, -has one with the littlest, teeniest pink nose you -ever saw."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Certainly a ferret has its advantage," I -mused. "A ferret will not frown upon one -one minute and flash a dimple at one the next. -And then, again, a ferret cannot be reasonably -supposed to possess an aunt. There is -something to be said for your idea after all, Imp."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, then, let's be pirates, Uncle Dick," -he said with an air of finality. "I think I'll -be Scarlet Sam, 'cause I know all about him, an' -you can be Timothy Bone, the boatswain."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aye, aye, sir," I responded promptly; -"only I say, Imp, don't roll your eyes so -frightfully or you may roll yourself overboard."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Scorning reply, he drew his cutlass, and -setting it between his teeth in most approved -pirate fashion, sat, pistol in hand, frowning -frantically at creation in general.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Starboard your helm--starboard!" he -cried, removing his weapon for the purpose.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Starboard it is!" I answered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Clear away for action!" growled the Imp. -"Double-shot the carronades, and, bo'sun, -pipe all hands to quarters."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hereupon I executed a lively imitation of a -boatswain's whistle.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Most children are blessed with imagination, -but the Imp in this respect is gifted beyond his -years. For him there is no such thing as -"pretence"; he has but to close his eyes a -moment to open them upon a new and a very -real world of his own--the golden world of -Romance, wherein so few of us are privileged -to walk in these cold days of common sense. -And yet it is a very fair world, peopled with -giants and fairies; where castles lift their -grim, embattled towers; where magic woods -and forests cast their shade, full of strange -beasts; where knights ride forth with lance in -rest and their armour shining in the sun. And -right well we know them. There is Roland, -Sir William Wallace, and Hereward the Wake; -Ivanhoe, the Black Knight, and bold Robin -Hood. And there, too, is King Arthur with -his Knights of the Round Table--but the throng -is very great, and who could name them all?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So the Imp and I sailed away into this -wonderful world of romance aboard our gallant -vessel, which, like any other pirate ship that -ever existed--in books or out of them--"luffed, -and filling upon another tack, stood away in -pursuit of the Spanish treasure galleon in the -offing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What pen could justly describe the fight -which followed--how guns roared and pistols -flashed, while the air was full of shouts and -cries and the thundering din of battle; how -Scarlet Sam foamed and stamped and flourished -his cutlass; how Timothy Bone piped his -whistle as a bo'sun should? We had already -sunk five great galleons and were hard at work -with a sixth, which was evidently in a bad way, -when Scarlet Sam ceased foaming and pointed -over my shoulder with his dripping blade.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sail ho!" he cried.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where away?" I called back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Three points on the weather bow."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As he spoke came the sound of oars, and -turning my head, I saw a skiff approaching, -sculled by a man in irreproachable flannels and -straw hat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, it's--it's him!" cried the Imp -suddenly. "Heave to, there!" he bellowed -in the voice of Scarlet Sam. "Heave to, or I'll -sink you!" Almost with the words, and -before I could prevent him, he gave a sharp tug -to the rudder-lines; there was an angry -exclamation behind me, a shock, a splintering of -wood, and I found myself face to face with -Mr. Selwyn, flushed and hatless.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Selwyn exclaimed, and proceeded to -fish for his hat with the shaft of his broken -oar.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Imp sat for a moment half frightened -at his handiwork, then rose to his feet, cutlass -in hand, but I punted him gently back into his -seat with my foot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Really," I began, "I'm awfully sorry, -you know--er----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"May I inquire," said Mr. Selwyn cuttingly, -as he surveyed his dripping hat--"may I inquire -how it all happened?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A most deplorable accident, I assure you. -If I can tow you back I shall be delighted, and -as for the damage----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The damage is trifling, thanks," he returned -icily; "it is the delay that I find annoying."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You have my very humblest apologies," I -said meekly. "If I can be of any service----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Selwyn stopped me with a wave of his hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank you, I think I can manage," he -said; "but I should rather like to know how -it happened. You are unused to rowing, I -presume?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sir," I answered, "it was chiefly owing to -the hot-headedness of Scarlet Sam, the Scourge -of the South Seas."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I beg your pardon?" said Mr. Selwyn -with raised brows.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sir," I went on, "at this moment you -probably believe yourself to be Mr. Selwyn of -Selwyn Park. Allow me to dispel that illusion; -you are, on the contrary, Don Pedro Vasquez -da Silva, commanding the </span><em class="italics">Esmeralda</em><span> galleasse, -bound out of Santa Cruz. In us you behold -Scarlet Sam and Timothy Bone, of the good -ship </span><em class="italics">Black Death</em><span>, with the 'skull and -crossbones' fluttering at our peak. If you don't -see it, that is not our fault."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Selwyn stared at me in wide-eyed -astonishment, then shrugging his shoulders, turned his -back upon me and paddled away as best he might.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, Imp," I said, "you've done it this time!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Fraid I have," he returned; "but oh! wasn't -it grand--and all that about Don Pedro -an' the treasure galleon! I do wish I knew as -much as you do, Uncle Dick. I'd be a real -pirate then."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Heaven forfend!" I exclaimed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So I presently turned and rowed back upstream, -not a little perturbed in my mind as -to the outcome of the adventure.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not a word, mind!" I cautioned as I caught -sight of a certain dainty figure watching our -approach from the shade of her parasol. The -Imp nodded, sighed, and sheathed his cutlass.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well!" said Lisbeth as we glided up to -the water-stairs; "I wonder what mischief -you have been after together?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We have been floating upon a river of -dreams," I answered, rising and lifting my hat; -"we have likewise discoursed of many things. -In the words of the immortal Carroll:</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>"'Of shoes, and ships, and sealing-wax, and cabbages,</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>and----'"</span></div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Pirates!" burst out the Imp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This dream river of ours," I went on, -quelling him with a glance, "has carried us -to you, which is very right and proper. Dream -rivers always should, more especially when -you sit</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>"''Mid sunshine throned, and all alone.'"</span></div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"But I'm not all alone, Dick."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No; I'm here," said a voice, and Dorothy -appeared with her small and very fluffy kitten -under her arm as usual. "We are waiting for -Mr. Selwyn, you know. We've waited, oh! a -long, long time, but he hasn't come, and Auntie -says he's a wretch and----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dorothy!" exclaimed Lisbeth, frowning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, you did, Auntie," said Dorothy, -nodding her head. "I heard you when Louise -ran up a tree and I had to coax her back; and -I have a clean frock on, too, and Louise will -be, oh, so disappointed!" Here she kissed the -fluffy kitten on the nose. "So he is a wretch; -don't you think so, Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Such delay is highly reprehensible," I nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm glad you've come, Uncle Dick, and so -is Auntie. She was hoping----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That will do, Dorothy!" Lisbeth interrupted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wonder what she was hoping?" I sighed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you say another word, Dorothy, I won't -tell you any more about the Fairy Prince, -said Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, then," I continued, seeing the threat -had the desired effect, "since Mr. Selwyn -hasn't turned up, perhaps you would care -to----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>--"Be a pirate!" put in the Imp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To come for a row with us?" I corrected.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>--"Aboard the good ship </span><em class="italics">Black Death</em><span>," he -went on, "'with the skull an' crossbones at -our peak.'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thanks," said Lisbeth, "but really, I -don't think I should. What a horrible name!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's in a name? a boat by any -other----" I misquoted. "If you like, we'll call -it the </span><em class="italics">Joyful Hope</em><span>, bound for the Land of -Heart's Delight."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lisbeth shook her head, but I fancied the -dimple peeped at me for a moment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It would be a pity to disappoint Louise," -I said, reaching up to stroke the fluffy kitten.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," cried Dorothy, "do let's go, Auntie."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"For the sake of Louise," I urged and held -out my arms to her. Lisbeth was standing on -the top stair and I on the lower, in exactly the -same attitudes as I had beheld in my vision. I -saw her foot come slowly toward me and stop -again; her red lips quivered into a smile, and -lo, there was the dimple! Dorothy saw it, -too--children are wonderfully quick in such -matters--and next moment was ensconced in the boat, -Louise in her lap, and there was nothing left -for Lisbeth but to follow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Imp went forward to keep a "look-out," -and finding a length of fishing-line, announced -his intention of "heaving the lead."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I have upon several occasions ridden with -Lisbeth--she is a good horsewoman--frequently -danced with her, but never before had I been -with her in a boat. The novelty of it was -therefore decidedly pleasing, the more so as -she sat so close that by furtively reaching out -a foot I could just touch the hem of her dress.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Uncle Dick," said Dorothy, looking up at -me with her big grey eyes, "where is the Land -of Heart's Delight?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It lies beyond the River of Dreams," I answered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is it far away?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm afraid it is, Dorothy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh!--and hard to get to?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes; though it depends altogether upon -who is at the helm."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lisbeth very slowly began to tie a knot in -the rudder-line.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, Auntie's steering now. Could she -get us there?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, she could get us there, if she would."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh!" cried Dorothy, "do--do steer for -the Land of Heart's Delight, Auntie Lisbeth; -it sounds so pretty, and I'm sure Louise would -like it ever so much."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Lisbeth only laughed, and tied another -knot in the rudder-line.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The Land of Heart's Delight!" repeated -Dorothy. "It sounds rather like Auntie's tale -of the Fairy Prince. His name was Trueheart."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And what was Prince Trueheart like?" I -inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Fine!" broke in the Imp. "He used to -fight dragons, you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And he lived in a palace of crystal," -continued Dorothy, "and he was so good and -kind that the birds used to make friends with -him!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' he wore gold armour, an' a big feather -in his helmet!" supplemented the Imp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And of course he loved the beautiful -princess," I ended.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," nodded Dorothy; "but how did -you know there was a beautiful princess?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Uncle Dick knows everything, of course," -returned the Imp sententiously.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you think the beautiful princess loved -the prince, Dorothy?" I asked, glancing at -Lisbeth's averted face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," answered Dorothy, pursing her -mouth thoughtfully, "I don't know, Uncle -Dick; you see, Auntie hasn't got to that yet, -but everybody loves somebody sometime, you -know. Betty--she's our cook, you know--Betty -says all nice tales end up in marrying -and living happy ever after."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not a doubt of it," said I, resting on my -oars. "What do you think, Lisbeth?" She -leaned back and regarded me demurely beneath -her long lashes for a moment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think," she answered, "that it would be -much nicer if you would go on rowing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"One more question," I said. "Tell me, has -this Prince Trueheart got a moustache?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Like Mr. Selwyn?" cried the Imp; "should -think not. The prince was a fine chap, an' -used to kill dragons, you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah! I'm glad of that," I murmured, -passing my fingers across my shaven upper -lip; "very glad indeed."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lisbeth laughed, but I saw her colour deepen, -and she looked away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, it must be lovely to kill a dragon!" -sighed the Imp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now, as he spoke, chancing to look round, -I saw in the distance a man in a boat, who -rowed most lustily--and the man wore a -Panama.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hereupon, taking a fresh grip upon my long -sculls, I began to row--to row, indeed, as I -had not done for many a year, with a long, -steady stroke that made the skiff fairly -leap.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Who does not know that feeling of exhilaration -as the blades grip the water and the gentle -lapping at the bow swells into a gurgling song? -The memorable time when I had "stroked" -Cambridge to victory was nothing to this. -Then it was but empty glory that hung in the -balance, while now----!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I settled my feet more firmly, and lengthening -my stroke, pulled with a will. Lisbeth sat up, -and I saw her fingers tighten upon the rudder-line.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You asked me to row, you know," I said -in response to her look.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yo-ho!" roared Scarlet Sam in the gruffest -of nautical tones. "By the deep nine, an' -the wind's a-lee, so heave, my mariners -all--O!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At first we began to gain considerably upon -our pursuer, but presently I saw him turn his -head, saw the Panama tossed aside as Mr. Selwyn -settled down to real business--and the -struggle began.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Very soon, probably owing to the fixedness -of my gaze, or my unremitting exertion or -both, Lisbeth seemed to become aware of the -situation, and turned to look over her shoulder. -I set my teeth as I waited to meet her indignant -look, for I had determined to continue the -struggle, come what might. But when at last -she did confront me her eyes were shining, her -cheeks were flushed, and there actually -was--the dimple.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sit still, children," she said, and that was -all; but for one moment her eyes looked into mine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The old river has witnessed many a hard-fought -race in its time, but never was there -one more hotly contested than this. Never -was the song of the water more pleasant to my -ear, never was the spring and bend of the long -sculls more grateful, as the banks swept by -faster and faster. No pirate straining every -inch of canvas to escape well-merited capture, -no smuggler fleeing for some sheltered cove, -with the revenue cutter close astern, ever -experienced a keener excitement than did we.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Imp was in a perfect ecstasy of delight; -even Dorothy forgot her beloved Louise for the -time, while Lisbeth leaned toward me, the -tiller-lines over her shoulders, her lips parted -and a light in her eyes I had never seen there -before. And yet Selwyn hung fast in our rear, -if he was deficient in a sense of humour, he -could certainly row.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He was an Oxford Blue," said Lisbeth, -speaking almost in a whisper, "and he has an -empty boat!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I longed to kiss the point of her little tan -shoe or the hem of her dress for those impulsive -words, and tried to tell her so with my -eyes--breath was too precious just then. Whether -she understood or not I won't be sure, but -I fancy she did from the way her lashes -drooped.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, my eyes!" bellowed Scarlet Sam; -"keep her to it, quartermaster, an' take a -turn at the mizzen-shrouds!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When I again glanced at our pursuer I saw -that he was gaining. Yes, there could be no -mistake; slowly but surely, try as I would, -the distance between us lessened and lessened, -until he was so near that I could discern the -very parting of his back hair. So perforce, -bowing to the inevitable, I ceased my exertions, -contenting myself with a long, easy stroke. -Thus by the time he was alongside I had in -some measure regained my breath.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Miss--Eliz--beth," he panted, very hot of -face and moist of brow, "must beg--the--favour--of -few words with you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"With pleasure, Mr. Selwyn," answered -Lisbeth, radiant with smiles; "as many as -you wish." Forthwith Mr. Selwyn panted out -his indictment against the desperadoes of the -</span><em class="italics">Black Death</em><span>, while the Imp glanced apprehensively -from him to Lisbeth and stole his -hand furtively into mine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I should not have troubled you with -this, Miss Elizabeth," Selwyn ended, "but -that I would not have you think me neglectful -of an appointment, especially with you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Indeed, Mr. Selwyn, I am very grateful -to you for opening my eyes to such a--a----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very deplorable accident," I put in.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I--I was perfectly certain," she continued, -without so much as glancing in my direction, -"that you would never have kept me waiting -without sufficient reason. And now, Mr. Brent, -if you will be so obliging as to take us to the -bank, Mr. Selwyn shall row us back--if he will."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Delighted!" he murmured.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I ordered tea served in the orchard at -five o'clock," smiled Lisbeth, "and it is only -just four, so----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Which bank would you prefer," I -inquired--"the right or the left?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The nearest," said Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Which should you think was the nearest, -Mr. Selwyn?" I queried.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Disdaining any reply, Selwyn ran his skiff -ashore, and I obediently followed. Without -waiting for my assistance, Lisbeth deftly made -the exchange from one boat to the other, -followed more slowly by Dorothy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come, Reginald," she said, as Selwyn -made ready to push off; "we're waiting for -you." The Imp squatted closer to me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Reginald Augustus!" said Lisbeth. The -Imp shuffled uneasily.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are you coming?" inquired Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I--I'd rather be a pirate with Uncle Dick, -please, Auntie Lisbeth," he said at last.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well," nodded Lisbeth with an air of -finality; "then of course I must punish you." But -her tone was strangely gentle, and as she -turned away I'll vow I saw the ghost of that -dimple--yes, I'll vow it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So we sat very lonely and dejected, the Imp -and I, desperadoes though we were, as we -watched Selwyn's boat grow smaller and smaller -until it was lost round a bend in the river.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Spect I shall get sent to bed for this," -said the Imp after a long pause.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think it more than probable, my Imp."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But then, it was a very fine race--oh, -beautiful!" he sighed; "an' I couldn't desert -my ship an' Timothy Bone, an' leave you -here all by yourself--now could I, Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course not, Imp."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What are you thinking about, Uncle -Dick?" he inquired, as I stared, chin in hand, -at nothing in particular.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was wondering, Imp, where the River -of Dreams was going to lead me, after all."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To the Land of Heart's Delight, of course," -he answered promptly; "you said so, you -know, an' you never tell lies, Uncle -Dick--never."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="at-the-three-jolly-anglers"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER IV</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">AT THE THREE JOLLY ANGLERS</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The Three Jolly Anglers is an inn of a distinctly -jovial aspect, with its toppling gables, its -creaking sign, and its bright lattices, which, -like merry little twinkling eyes, look down -upon the eternal river to-day with the same -half-waggish, half-kindly air as they have done -for generations.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Upon its battered sign, if you look closely -enough, you may still see the Three Anglers -themselves, somewhat worn and dim with time -and stress of weather, yet preserving their -jollity through it all with an heroic fortitude--as -they doubtless will do until they fade away -altogether.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It is an inn with raftered ceilings and narrow, -winding passageways; an inn with long low -chambers full of unexpected nooks and corners, -with great four-post beds built for tired giants -it would seem, and wide deep chimneys -reminiscent of Gargantuan rounds of beef; an inn -whose very walls seem to exude comfort, as it -were--the solid comfortable comfort of a -bygone age.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Of all the many rooms here to be found I love -best that which is called the Sanded Parlour. -Never were wainscoted walls of a mellower tone, -never was pewter more gleaming, never were -things more bright and speckless, from the worn -quaint andirons on the hearth to the brass-bound -blunderbuss, with the two ancient fishing-rods -above. At one end of the room was a long -low casement, and here I leaned, watching the -river near by, and listening to its never-ceasing -murmur. I had dined an hour ago; the beef -had been excellent--it always is at the Three -Jolly Anglers; also my pipe seemed to have -an added flavour.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Yet, despite all this, I did not enjoy that -supreme content--that philosophical calm -which such beef and such surroundings surely -warranted. But then, who ever heard of -Love and Philosophy going together?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Away over the uplands a round harvest -moon was beginning to rise, flecking the shadowy -waters with patches of silver, and, borne to my -ears upon the warm still air, came the throb of -distant violins. This served only to deepen -my melancholy, reminding me that somebody -or other was giving a ball to-night; and -Lisbeth was there, and Mr. Selwyn was there, -of course, and I--I was here--alone with the -brass-bound blunderbuss, the ancient fishing-rods, -and the antique andirons on the hearth; -with none to talk to save the moon, and the -jasmine that had crept in at the open casement. -And, noting the splendour of the night, I -experienced towards Lisbeth a feeling of pained -surprise that she should prefer the heat and -garish glitter of a ballroom to walking beneath -such a moon with me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Indeed, it was a wondrous night! one of -those warm still nights which seem full of vague -and untold possibilities! A night with magic -in the air, when elves and fairies dance within -their grassy rings, or, hiding amid the -shade of trees, peep out at one between the -leaves; or again, some gallant knight on mighty -steed may come pacing slowly from the forest -shadows, with the moonlight bright upon his -armour.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Yes, surely there was magic in the air to-night! -I half-wished that some enchanter might, by a -stroke of his fairy wand, roll back the years and -leave me in the brutal, virile, Good Old Times, -when men wooed and won their loves by might -and strength of arm, and not by gold, as is -so often the case in these days of ours. To be -mounted upon my fiery steed, lance in hand and -sword on thigh, riding down the leafy alleys -of the woods yonder, led by the throbbing, -sighing melody. To burst upon the astonished -dancers like a thunder-clap; to swing her up -to my saddle-bow, and, clasped in each other's -arms, to plunge into the green mystery of -forest.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My fancies had carried me thus far when I -became aware of a small furtive figure dodging -from one patch of shadow to another. Leaning -from the window I made out the form of a -somewhat disreputable urchin, who, dropping -upon hands and knees, proceeded to crawl -towards me over the grass with a show of the -most elaborate caution.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hallo!" I exclaimed, "halt and give the -counter-sign!" The urchin sat up on his heels -and stared at me with a pair of very round -bright eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Please, are you Mr. Uncle Dick?" he inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh," I said, "you come from the Imp, -I presume." The boy nodded a round head, -at the same time fumbling with something in -his pocket.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And who may you be?" I inquired conversationally.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm Ben, I am."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The gardener's boy?" Again the round -head nodded acquiescence, as with much -writhing and twisting he succeeded in drawing -a heterogeneous collection of articles from -his pocket, whence he selected a very dirty and -crumpled piece of paper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He wants a ladder so's he can git out, -but it's too big fer me to lift, so he told me to -give you this here so's you would come an' -rescue him--please, Mr. Uncle Dick." With -which lucid explanation Ben handed me the -crumpled note.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Spreading it out upon the window-sill, I -managed to make out as follows:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"DEAR UNKEL DICK,--I'm riting this with -my hart's blood bekors I'm a prisner in a -gloomie dungun. It isn't really my heart's -blood it's only red ink, so don't worry. Aunty -lisbath cent me to bed just after tea bekors -she said i'm norty, and when she'd gone Nurse -locked me in so i can't get out and i'm tired of -being a prisner, so please i want you to get the -ladda and let me eskape, please unkel dick, -will you.--yours till deth,</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span>"REGINALD AUGUSTUS."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Auntie was reading Ivanhoe to us and i've -been the </span><em class="italics">Black Knight</em><span> and you can be Gurth -the swine-herd if you like."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"So that's the way of it?" I said. "Well! well! such -an appeal shall not go unanswered, -at least. Wait there, my trusty Benjamin, -and I'll be with you anon." Pausing only to -refill my tobacco-pouch and get my cap, I -sallied out into the fragrant night, and set off -along the river, the faithful Benjamin trotting -at my heels.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Very soon we were skirting blooming flowerbeds -and crossing trim lawns, until at length -we reached a certain wing of the house, from a -window of which a pillow-case was dangling -by means of a string.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's for provisions!" volunteered Ben. -"We pertended he was starving, so he lets it -down, an' I fill it with onions out of the vegetable -garden."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At this moment the curly head of the Imp -appeared at the window, followed by the -major portion of his person.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Uncle Dick!" he cried, in a loud -stage-whisper, "I think you had better be the -Black Knight, 'cause you're so big, you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Imp," I said, "get in at once! Do you -want to break your neck?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Imp obediently wriggled into safety.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The ladder's in the tool-house, Uncle Dick--Ben'll -show you. Will you get it, please?" -he pleaded in a wheedling tone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"First of all, my Imp, why did your Auntie -Lisbeth send you to bed--had you been a very -naughty boy?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No-o," he answered, after a moment's -pause, "I don't think I was so very naughty--I -only painted Dorothy like an Indian chief--green, -with red spots, an' she looked fine, you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Green, with red spots!" I repeated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes; only Auntie didn't seem to like it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I fear your Auntie Lisbeth lacks an eye for -colour."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, 'fraid so; she sent me to bed for it, -you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Still, Imp, under the circumstances, I think -it would be best if you got undressed and -to sleep."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, but I can't, Uncle Dick!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why not, my Imp?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Cause the moon's so very bright, an' -everything looks so fine down there, an' I'm sure -there's fairies about--Moon-fairies, you -know--and I'm miserable."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Miserable, Imp?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, Auntie Lisbeth never came to kiss me -good-night, an' so I can't go to sleep, Uncle Dick!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, that alters the case, certainly."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, an' the ladder's in the tool-house."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Imp," I said, as I turned to follow Benjamin, -"oh, you Imp!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There are few things in this world more -difficult to manage than a common or garden -ladder; among other peculiarities it has a -most unpleasant knack of kicking out suddenly -just as everything appears to be going smoothly, -which is apt to prove disconcerting to the novice. -However, after sundry mishaps of the kind, I -eventually got it reared up to the window, and -a moment afterwards the Imp had climbed -down and stood beside me, drawing the breath -of freedom.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As a precautionary measure we proceeded -to hide the ladder in a clump of rhododendrons -hard by, and had but just done so when -Benjamin uttered a cry of warning and took -to his heels, while the Imp and I sought shelter -behind a friendly tree. And not a whit too -soon, for, scarcely had we done so, when two -figures came round a corner of the house--two -figures who walked very slowly and very -close together.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, it's Betty--the cook, you know--an' -Peter!" whispered the Imp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Almost opposite our hiding-place Betty -paused to sigh heavily and stare up at the -moon.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Peter!" she murmured, "look at that -there orb!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ar!" said Peter, gazing obediently upward.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Peter, ain't it 'eavingly; don't it stir your -very soul?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ar!" said Peter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Peter, are you sure you loves me more than -that Susan thing at the doctor's?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A corduroy coat-sleeve crept slowly about -Betty's plump waist, and there came the -unmistakable sound of a kiss.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Really and truly, Peter?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ar!" said Peter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The kissing sound was repeated, and they -walked on once more, only closer than ever now -on account of the corduroy coat-sleeve.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Those two are in love, you know," nodded -the Imp. "Peter says the cheese-cakes she -makes are enough to drive any man into -marrying her, whether he wants to or not, an' -I heard Betty telling Jane that she adored -Peter, 'cause he had so much soul! Why is it," -he inquired thoughtfully, as he watched the -two out of sight, "why is it, Uncle Dick, that -people in love always look so silly?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you think so?" I asked, as I paused to -light my pipe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Course I do!" returned the Imp; "what's -anyone got to put their arm round girls for, -just as if they wanted holding up?--I think it's -awfull' silly!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course it is, Imp--your wisdom is -unassailable. Still, do you know, I can -understand a man being foolish enough to do -it--occasionally."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But you never would, Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Alas, Imp!" I said, shaking my head, -"Fortune seems to preclude all chances of it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Course you wouldn't," he exclaimed; -"an' Ivanhoe wouldn't----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah, but he did!" I put in; "have you -forgotten Rowena?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh!" cried the Imp dolefully, "do you -really think he ever put his arm round her?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sure of it," I nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Imp seemed much cast down and even -shocked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But there was the Black Knight," he said, -brightening suddenly; "Richard of the Lion -Heart, you know--he never did!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not while he was fighting, of course, -but afterwards, if history is to be believed, he -very frequently did; and we are all alike, -Imp--everybody does sooner or later."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But why? Why should anyone want to -put their arm round a girl, Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"For the simple reason that the girl is there -to put it round, I suppose. And now, Imp, let -us talk of fish."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Instinctively we had wandered towards the -river, and now we stood to watch the broad, -silver path made by the moon across the -mystery of its waters.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I love to see the shine upon the river -like that," said the Imp dreamily; "Auntie -Lisbeth says it's the path that the Moon-fairies -come down by to bring you nice dreams when -you've been good. I've got out of bed lots of -times an' watched an' watched, but I've never -seen them come. Do you think there are fairies -in the moon, Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Undoubtedly," I answered; "how else -does it keep so bright? I used to wonder once -how they managed to make it shine so."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It must need lots of rubbing!" said the -Imp; "I wonder if they ever get tired?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course they do, Imp, and disheartened, -too, sometimes, like the rest of us, and then -everything is black, and people wonder where -the moon is. But they are very brave, these -Moon-fairies, and they never quite lose hope, -you know; so they presently go back to their -rubbing and polishing, always starting at one -edge. And in a little while we see it begin to -shine again, very small and thin at first, like -a----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thumb-nail!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, just like a thumb-nail; and so they -go on working and working at it until it gets as -big and round and bright as it is to-night."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Thus we walked together through a fairy -world, the Imp and I, while above the murmur -of the waters, above the sighing of the trees, -came the soft tremulous melody of the violins.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I do wish I had lived when there were -knights like Ivanhoe," burst out the Imp -suddenly; "it must have been fine to knock a -man off his horse with your lance."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Always supposing he didn't knock you off -first, Imp."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh! I should have been the sort of knight -that nobody could knock off, you know. An' -I'd have wandered about on my faithful charger, -fighting all sorts of caddish barons and caitiffs, -an' slaying giants; an' I'd have rescued lovely -ladies from castles grim--though I wouldn't -have put my arm round them, of course!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Perish the thought, my Imp!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Uncle Dick!" he said insinuatingly, "I -do wish you'd be the Black Knight, an' let me -be Ivanhoe."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But there are no caitiffs and things left -for us to fight, Imp, and no lovely ladies to -rescue from castles grim, alas!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now we had been walking on, drawn almost -imperceptibly by the magic thread of the -melody, which had led us, by devious paths, to -a low stone wall, beyond which we could see -the gleam of lighted windows and the twinkle -of fairy lamps among the trees. And over -there, amid the music and laughter, was -Lisbeth in all the glory of her beauty, happy, -of course, and light-hearted; and here, beneath -the moon, was I.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We could pretend this was a castle grim, -you know, Uncle Dick, full of dungeons an' -turrets, an' that we were going to rescue Auntie -Lisbeth."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Imp," I said, "that's really a great idea."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wish I'd brought my trusty sword," he -sighed, searching about for something to supply -its place; "I left it under my pillow, you -know." Very soon, however, he had procured -two sticks, somewhat thin and wobbly, yet -which, by the magic of imagination, became -transformed into formidable two-edged swords, -with one of which he armed me, the other he -flourished above his head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Forward, gallant knights!" he cried; "the -breach! the breach! On! on! St. George -for Merrie England!" With the words he -clambered upon the wall and disappeared upon -the other side.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For a moment I hesitated, and then, inspired -by the music and the thought of Lisbeth, I -followed suit. It was all very mad, of course, -but who cared for sanity on such a night--certainly -not I.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Careful now, Imp!" I cautioned; "if anyone -should see us they'll take us for thieves, or -lunatics, beyond a doubt."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We found ourselves in an enclosed garden -with a walk which led between rows of fruit -trees. Following this, it brought us out upon a -broad stretch of lawn, with here and there a -great tree, and beyond, the gleaming windows of -the house. Filled with the spirit of adventure, -we approached, keeping in the shadow as much -as possible, until we could see figures that -strolled to and fro upon the terrace or -promenaded the walks below.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The excitement of dodging our way among so -many people was intense; time and again we -were only saved from detection by more than one -wandering couple, owing to the fact that all -their attention was centred in themselves. For -instance, we were skirmishing round a clump of -laurels, to gain the shadow of the terrace, when -we almost ran into the arms of a pair; but they -didn't see us, for the very good reason that she -was staring at the moon, and he at her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So sweet of you, Archibald!" she was saying.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What did she call him 'bald for, Uncle Dick?" -inquired the Imp in a loud stage-whisper, as I -dragged him down behind the laurels. "He's -not a bit bald, you know! An' I say, Uncle -Dick, did you see his arm? It was round----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes--yes!" I nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Just like Peter's, you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes--yes, I saw."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wonder why she called him----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hush!" I broke in, "his name is Archibald, -I suppose."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, I hope when I grow up nobody will -ever call me----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hush!" I said again, "not a word--there's -your Auntie Lisbeth!" She was, indeed, -standing upon the terrace, within a yard -of our hiding-place, and beside her was Mr. Selwyn.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Uncle Dick," whispered the irrepressible -Imp, "do you think if we watch long enough -that Mr. Selwyn will put his arm round----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Shut up!" I whispered savagely.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lisbeth was clad in a long, trailing gown of -dove-coloured silk--one of those close-fitting -garments that make the uninitiated, such as -myself, wonder how they are ever got on.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Selwyn stood beside her with a plate of -ice-cream in his hand, which he handed to her, -and they sat down. As I watched her and -noticed her weary, bored air, and how wistfully -she gazed up at the silver disc of the moon, I -experienced a feeling of decided satisfaction.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," said Lisbeth, toying absently with -the ice-cream, "he painted Dorothy's face with -stripes of red and green enamel, and goodness -only knows how we can ever get it all off!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Selwyn was duly shocked, and murmured -something about the "efficacy of turpentine" -in such an emergency.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course, I had to punish him," continued -Lisbeth, "so I sent him to bed immediately -after tea, and never went to say good-night, or -tuck him up as I usually do, and it has been -worrying me all the evening."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Selwyn was sure that he was all right, -and positively certain that at this moment he -was wrapped in balmy slumber. Despite my -warning grasp, the Imp chuckled, but we were -saved by the band striking up. Mr. Selwyn -rose, giving his arm to Lisbeth, and they -re-entered the ballroom. One by one the other -couples followed suit until the long terrace -deserted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now, upon Lisbeth's deserted chair, showing -wonderfully pink in the soft glow of the Chinese -lanterns, was the ice-cream.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Uncle Dick," said the Imp in his thoughtful -way, "I think I'll be a bandit for a bit."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Anything you like," I answered rashly, "so -long as we get away while we can."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right," he whispered, "I won't be a -minute," and before I could stop him he had -scrambled down the steps and fallen to upon -the ice-cream.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The wonderful celerity with which the Imp -wolfed down that ice-cream was positively -awe-inspiring. In less time almost than it takes to -tell, the plate was empty. Yet scarcely had -he swallowed the last mouthful when he heard -Mr. Selwyn's voice close by. In his haste the -Imp dropped his cap, a glaring affair of red and -white, and before he could recover it, Lisbeth -reappeared, followed by Mr. Selwyn.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It certainly is more pleasant out here!" he -was saying.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lisbeth came straight towards the cap--it -was a moral impossibility that she could fail to -see it--yet she sank into her chair without word -or sign. Mr. Selwyn, on the contrary, stood -with the empty ice plate in his hand, staring -at it in wide-eyed astonishment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's gone!" he exclaimed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh!" said Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Most extraordinary!" said Mr. Selwyn, -fixing his monocle and staring harder than -ever; "I wonder where it can have got to?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Perhaps it melted!" Lisbeth suggested, -"and I should so have loved an ice!" she -sighed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then, of course, I'll get you another, with -pleasure," he said, and hurried off, eyeing the -plate dubiously as he went.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>No sooner was Lisbeth alone than she kicked -aside the train of her dress and picked up the -tell-tale cap.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Imp!" she whispered, rising to her feet, -"Imp, come here at once, sir!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was a moment's breathless pause, and -then the Imp squirmed himself into view.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hallo, Auntie Lisbeth!" he said, with a -cheerfulness wholly assumed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh!" she cried distressfully, "whatever -does this mean; what are you doing here? -Oh, you naughty boy!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lisbeth," I said, as I rose in my turn and -confronted her, "do not blame the child--the -fault is mine--let me explain; by means of a -ladder----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not here," she whispered, glancing -nervously towards the ballroom.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then come where I can."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Impossible!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not at all; you have only to descend these -steps and we can talk undisturbed."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ridiculous!" she said, stooping to replace -the Imp's cap; but being thus temptingly -within reach, she was next moment beside us -in the shadows.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dick, how could you, how dared you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You see, I had to explain," I answered very -humbly; "I really couldn't allow this poor -child to bear the blame of my fault----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm not a 'poor child,' Uncle Dick," -expostulated the Imp; "I'm a gallant knight -and----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"--The blame of my fault, Lisbeth," I -continued. "I alone must face your just -resentment, for----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hush!" she whispered, glancing hastily about.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"--For, by means of a ladder, Lisbeth, a -common or garden ladder----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, do be quiet!" she said, and laid her -hand upon my lips, which I immediately -imprisoned there, but for a moment only; the -next it was snatched away as there came the -unmistakable sound of someone approaching.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come along, Auntie Lisbeth," whispered -the Imp; "fear not, we'll rescue you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Oh! surely there was magic in the air -to-night; for, with a swift, dexterous movement, -Lisbeth had swept her long train across her arm, -and we were running hand in hand, all three -of us, running across lawns and down winding -paths between yew hedges, sometimes so close -together that I could feel a tress of her fragrant -hair brushing my face with a touch almost like -a caress. Surely, surely, there was magic in the -air to-night!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Suddenly Lisbeth stopped, flushed and panting.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well!" she exclaimed, staring from me to -the Imp, and back again, "was ever anything -so mad!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Everything is mad to-night," I said; "it's -the moon!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To think of my running away like this -with two--two----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Interlopers," I suggested.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I really ought to be very, very angry with -you--both of you," she said, trying to frown.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, don't be angry with us, Auntie Lisbeth," -pleaded the Imp, "'cause you are a lovely lady -in a castle grim, an' we are two gallant knights, -so we had to come an' rescue you; an' you -never came to kiss me good-night, an' I'm -awfull' sorry 'bout painting Dorothy's face--really!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Imp," cried Lisbeth, falling on her knees, -regardless of her silks and laces, "Imp, come -and kiss me." The Imp drew out a decidedly -grubby handkerchief, and, having rubbed his -lips with it, obeyed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now, Uncle Dick!" he said, and offered -me the grubby handkerchief. Lisbeth actually -blushed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Reginald!" she exclaimed, "whatever put -such an idea into your head?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh! everybody's always kissing somebody, -you know," he nodded; "an' it's Uncle Dick's -turn now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lisbeth rose from her knees and began to -pat her rebellious hair into order. Now, as she -raised her arms, her shawl very naturally -slipped to the ground; and standing there, -with her eyes laughing up at me beneath their -dark lashes, with the moonlight in her hair, -she had never seemed quite so bewilderingly -beautiful before.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dick," she said, "I must go back at -once--before they miss me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Go back!" I repeated; "never--that is, -not yet."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But suppose anyone saw us!" she said, -with a hairpin in her mouth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They shan't," I answered; "you will see -to that, won't you, Imp?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Course I will, Uncle Dick!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then go you, Sir Knight, and keep faithful -ward behind yon apple-tree, and let no base -varlet hither come; that is, if you see anyone, -be sure to tell me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Imp saluted and promptly disappeared -behind the apple-tree in question, while I stood -watching Lisbeth's dexterous fingers and striving -to remember a line from Keats, descriptive -of a beautiful woman in the moonlight, before -I could call it to mind, however, Lisbeth -interrupted me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't you think you might pick up -my shawl instead of staring at me as if I -was----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The most beautiful woman in the world!" -I put in.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who is catching her death of cold," she -laughed, yet for all her light tone her eyes -drooped before mine as I obediently wrapped -the shawl about her, in the doing of which, my -arm being round her, very naturally stayed -there, and--wonder of wonders, was not -repulsed. And at this very moment, from the -shadowy trees behind us, came the rich clear -song of a nightingale.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Oh, most certainly the air was full of magic -to-night!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dick," said Lisbeth very softly, as the -trilling notes died away, "I thought one could -only dream such a night as this is."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And yet life might hold many such for -you and me, if you would only let it, -Lisbeth," I reminded her. She did not answer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not far from the village of Down, in Kent," -I began.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There stands a house," she put in, staring -up at the moon with dreamy eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A very old house, with twisted Tudor -chimneys and pointed gables--you see, I have -it all by heart, Dick--a house with wide stairways -and long panelled chambers----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very empty and desolate at present," I -added. "And, amongst other things, there -is a rose garden--they call it My Lady's -Garden, Lisbeth, though no lady has trod its -winding paths for years and years. But I have -dreamed, many and many a time, that we stood -among the roses, she and I, upon just such -another night as this is. So I keep the old -house ready and the gardens freshly trimmed, -ready for my lady's coming; must I wait much -longer, Lisbeth?" As I ended the nightingale -took up the story, pleading my cause for me, -filling the air with a melody now appealing, now -commanding, until it gradually died away in -one long note of passionate entreaty.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lisbeth sighed and turned towards me, but, -as she did so, I felt a tug at my coat, and, -looking round, beheld the Imp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Uncle Dick," he said, his eyes studiously -averted, doubtless on account of the position of -my arm, "here's Mr. Selwyn!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With a sudden exclamation Lisbeth started -from me and gathered up her skirts to run.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where away, my Imp?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Coming across the lawn."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Reginald," I said solemnly, "listen to me; -you must sally out upon him with lance in rest, -tell him you are a Knight-errant, wishful to -uphold the glory of that faire ladye, your -Auntie Lisbeth, and, whatever happens, you -must manage to keep him away from here. -Do you understand?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes; only I do wish I'd brought my trusty -sword, you know," he sighed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Never mind that now, Imp."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Will Auntie Lisbeth be quite----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She will be all right."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I suppose if you put your arm----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Never mind my arm, Imp, go!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then fare thee well!" said he, and, with a -melodramatic flourish of his lance, trotted off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What did he mean about your arm, Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Probably this," I answered, slipping it -around her again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But you must get away at once," -whispered Lisbeth; "if Mr. Selwyn should see -you----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I intend that he shall. Oh, it will be quite -simple; while he is talking to me you can get -back to the----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hush!" she whispered, laying her fingers -on my lips; "listen!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hallo, Mr. Selwyn!" came in the Imp's -familiar tones.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, good gracious!" exclaimed another -voice, much too near to be pleasant, "what on -earth are you doing here--and at this time -of night?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Looking for base varlets!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't you know that all little boys--all -nice little boys--should have been in bed hours -ago?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But I'm not a nice little boy; I'm a Knight-errant; -would you like to get a lance, Mr. Selwyn, -an' break it with me to the glory of -my Auntie Lisbeth?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The question is, what has become of her?" -said Mr. Selwyn. We waited almost -breathlessly for the answer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh! I 'specks she's somewhere looking at -the moon; everybody looks at the moon, you -know; Betty does, an' the lady with the -man with a funny name 'bout being bald, -an'----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think you had better come up to the -house," said Mr. Selwyn.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you think you could get me an ice-cream -if I did?" asked the Imp persuasively; -"nice an' pink, you know, with----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An ice!" repeated Mr. Selwyn; "I -wonder how many you have had already to-night?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The time for action was come.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lisbeth," I said, "we must go; such -happiness as this could not last; how should -it? I think it is given us to dream over in less -happy days. For me it will be a memory to -treasure always, and yet there might be one -thing more--a little thing, Lisbeth--can you -guess?" She did not speak, but I saw the -dimple come and go at the corner of her mouth, -so I stooped and kissed her. For a moment, -all too brief, we stood thus, with the glory of -the moonlight about us; then I was hurrying -across the lawn after Selwyn and the Imp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah, Mr. Selwyn!" I said as I overtook -them, "so you have found him, have -you?" Mr. Selwyn turned to regard me, surprise writ -large upon him, from the points of his immaculate -patent-leather shoes to the parting of -his no less immaculate hair.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So very good of you," I continued; "you -see he is such a difficult object to recover when -once he gets mislaid; really, I'm awfully -obliged." Mr. Selwyn's attitude was politely -formal. He bowed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is it to-night?" he inquired. "Pirates?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hardly so bad as that," I returned; "to-night -the air is full of the clash of armour and -the ring of steel; if you do not hear it, that is -not our fault."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' the woods are full of caddish barons -and caitiff knaves, you know, aren't they, Uncle -Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Certainly," I nodded, "with lance and -spear-point twinkling through the gloom; but -in the silver glory of the moon, Mr. Selwyn, walk -errant damozels and ladyes faire, and again, -if you don't see them, the loss is yours." As -I spoke, away upon the terrace a grey shadow -paused a moment ere it was swallowed in the -brilliance of the ballroom; seeing which I did -not mind the slightly superior smile that curved -Mr. Selwyn's very precise moustache; after -all, my rhapsody had not been altogether -thrown away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As I ended, the opening bars of a waltz -floated out to us. Mr. Selwyn glanced back -over his shoulder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah! I suppose you can find your way out?" -he inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh yes, thanks."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then if you will excuse me, I think I'll -leave you to--ah--to do it; the next dance -is beginning, and--ah----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Certainly," I said, "of course--good-night, -and much obliged--really!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Selwyn bowed, and, turning away, left -us to our own resources.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I should have liked another ice, Uncle -Dick," sighed the Imp regretfully.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Knights never ate ice-cream!" I said, -as we set off along the nearest path.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Uncle Dick," said the Imp suddenly, "do -you s'pose Mr. Selwyn wants to put his arm -round Auntie Lis----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Possibly!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' do you s'pose that Auntie Lisbeth wants -Mr. Selwyn to----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't know--of course not--er--kindly -shut up, will you, Imp?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I only wanted to know, you know," he -murmured.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Therewith we walked on in silence, and I -fell to dreaming of Lisbeth again, of how she -had sighed, of the look in her eyes as she turned -to me with her answer trembling on her lips--the -answer which the Imp had inadvertently -cut short.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In this frame of mind I drew near to that -corner of the garden where she had stood with -me, that quiet shady corner which henceforth -would remain enshrined within my memory for -her sake, which----</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I stopped suddenly short at the sight of two -figures--one in the cap and apron of a waiting-maid -and the other in the gorgeous plush and -gold braid of a footman; and they were -standing upon the very spot where Lisbeth and I -had stood, and in almost the exact attitude--it -was desecration.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I stood stock-still despite the Imp's frantic -tugs at my coat, all other feelings swallowed -up in one of half-amused resentment. Then -the resplendent footman happened to turn -his head, presently espied me, and removing -his plush-clad arm from the waist of the trim -maid-servant, and doubling his fists, strode -towards us with a truly terrible mien.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And w'ot might your game be?" he inquired, -with that supercilious air inseparable -from plush and gold braid. "Oh, I know your -kind, I do--I know yer!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then, fellow," quoth I, "I know not thee."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't get trying to come over me," said he -indignantly. "The question is, w'ot are you -'anging round 'ere for?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now, possibly deceived by my pacific -attitude, or inspired by the bright eyes of the -trim maid-servant, he seized me, none too -gently, by the collar, to the horrified dismay -of the Imp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nay, but I will give thee monies----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You are a-going to come up to the 'ouse -with me, and none of your nonsense, either; -d'ye 'ear?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then must I needs smite thee for a -barbarous dog--hence--base slave--begone!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Wherewith I delivered what is technically -known in "sporting" circles as a "right hook to -the ear," followed by a "left swing to the -chin," and my assailant immediately -disappeared behind a bush, with a flash of pink -silk calves and buckled shoes. Then, while the -trim maid-servant filled the air with her -lamentations, the Imp and I ran hot-foot for -the wall, over which I bundled him neck and -crop, and we set off pell-mell along the river-path.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Uncle Dick," he panted, "how--how -fine you are! You knocked yon footman--I -mean varlet--from his saddle like--like -anything. Oh, I do wish you would play like this -every night!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Heaven forbid!" I exclaimed fervently.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Coming at last to the Shrubbery gate, we -paused awhile to regain our breath.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Uncle Dick," said the Imp, regarding me -with a thoughtful eye, "did you see his -arm--I mean before you smote him 'hip and -thigh'?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I did."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was round her waist."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Imp, it was."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Just like Peter's?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' the man with the funny name?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Archibald's, yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An'--an'----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And mine," I put in, seeing he paused.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Uncle Dick--why?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah! who knows, Imp--perhaps it was -the Moon-magic. And now, by my troth! 'tis -full time all good knights were snoring, so hey -for bed and the Slumber-world!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The ladder was dragged from its hiding-place, -and the Imp, having mounted, watched me from -his window as I returned it to the laurels for -very obvious reasons.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We didn't see any fairies, did we, Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, I think I did, Imp, just for a moment; -I may have been mistaken, of course; but -anyhow, it has been a very wonderful night -all the same. And so--fare thee well, fair Knight!"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-episode-of-the-indian-s-aunt"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER V</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE EPISODE OF THE INDIAN'S AUNT</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The sun blazed down, as any truly self-respecting -sun should, on a fine August afternoon; yet -its heat was tempered by a soft, cool breeze -that just stirred the leaves above my head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The river was busy whispering many things -to the reeds, things which, had I been wise -enough to understand, might have helped me -to write many wonderful books, for, as it is -so very old, and has both seen and heard so -much, it is naturally very wise. But alas! being -ignorant of the language of rivers, I had -to content myself with my own dreams, and the -large, speckled frog that sat beside me, watching -the flow of the river with his big, gold-rimmed -eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was happy enough, I was sure. There -was a complacent satisfaction in every line of -his fat mottled body. And as I watched him -my mind very naturally reverted to the -</span><em class="italics">Pickwick Papers</em><span>, and I repeated Mrs. Leo Hunter's -deathless ode, beginning:</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>"Can I see thee panting, dying,</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>On a log,</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>Expiring frog!"</span></div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The big, green frog beside me listened with -polite attention, but, on the whole, seemed -strangely unmoved. Remembering the book -in my pocket, I took it out; an old book, with -battered leathern covers, which has passed -through many hands since it was first published, -more than two hundred years ago.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Indeed it is a wonderful, a most delightful -book, known to the world as </span><em class="italics">The Compleat -Angler</em><span>, in which, to be sure, one may read -something of fish and fishing, but more about -old Izaak's lovable self, his sunny streams -and shady pools, his buxom milkmaids, and -sequestered inns, and his kindly animadversions -upon men and things in general. Yet, as I -say, he does occasionally speak of fish and -fishing, and amongst other matters, concerning -live frogs as bait, after describing the properest -method of impaling one upon the hook, he ends -with this injunction--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Treat it as though you loved it, that it -may live the longer!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Up till now the frog had preserved his polite -attentiveness in a manner highly creditable -to his upbringing, but this proved too much; -his overcharged feelings burst from him in a -hoarse croak, and he disappeared into the river -with a splash.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good afternoon, Uncle Dick!" said a voice -at my elbow, and looking round, I beheld -Dorothy. Beneath one arm she carried the -fluffy kitten, and in the other hand a scrap of -paper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I promised Reginald to give you this," she -continued, "and--oh yes--I was to say 'Hist!' -first."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Really! And why were you to say 'Hist'?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, because all Indians always say 'Hist!' -you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To be sure they do," I answered; "but -am I to understand that you are an Indian?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not to-day," replied Dorothy, shaking her -head. "Last time Reginald painted me Auntie -was awfull' angry--it took her and nurse ages -to get it all off--the war-paint, I mean--so -I'm afraid I can't be an Indian again!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's very unfortunate!" I said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, isn't it; but nobody can be an -Indian chief without any war-paint, can -they?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Certainly not," I answered. "You seem -to know a great deal about it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh yes," nodded Dorothy. "Reginald has -a book all about Indians and full of pictures--and -here's the letter," she ended, and slipped -it into my hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Smoothing out its many folds and creases, -I read aloud, as follows:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"</span><em class="italics">To my pail-face brother:</em></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"'Ere another moon, Spotted Snaik will be -upon the war-path, and red goar shall flo in -buckkit-fulls."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"It sounds dreadful, doesn't it?" said -Dorothy, hugging her kitten.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Horrible!" I returned.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He got it out of the book, you know," she -went on, "but I put in the part about the -buckets--a bucket holds such an awful lot, -don't you think? But there's some more on -the other page." Obediently I turned, and -read:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"'ere another moon, scalps shall dangel at -belt of Spotted Snaik, for in his futsteps lurks -distruksion. But fear not pail-face, thou art -my brother--fairwell.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<dl class="docutils"> -<dt class="noindent"><span>"Sined</span></dt> -<dd><p class="first last noindent pfirst"><span>"SPOTTED SNAIK."</span></p> -</dd> -</dl> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"There was lots more, but we couldn't get -it in," said Dorothy. Squeezed up into a -corner I found this postscript;</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"If you will come and be an Indian Cheef -unkel dick, I will make you a spear, and you -can be Fanged Wolf. He was a fine chap and -nobody could beat him except Spotted Snaik, -will you Unkel dick?"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"He wants you to write an answer, and I'm -to take it to him," said Dorothy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Fanged Wolf!" I repeated; "no, I'm -afraid not. I shouldn't object so much to -becoming a red-skin--for a time--but Fanged -Wolf! Really, Dorothy, I'm afraid I couldn't -manage that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He was very brave," returned Dorothy, -"and awfull' strong, and could--could 'throw -his lance with such unerring aim as to pin his -foe to the nearest tree--in the twinkle of an -eye.' That's in the book, you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There certainly must be a great deal of -satisfaction in pinning one's foe to a tree," I -nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Y-e-e-s, I suppose so," said Dorothy rather -dubiously.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And where is Spotted Snake--I mean, what -is he doing?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, he's down by the river, with his bow -and arrow, scouting for canoes. It was great -fun! He shot at a man in a boat--and nearly -hit him, and the man got very angry indeed, so -we had to hide among the bushes, just like real -Indians. Oh, it was fine!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But your Auntie Lisbeth said you weren't -to play near the river, you know," I said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's what I told him," returned Dorothy, -"but he said that Indians didn't have any -aunts, and then I didn't know what to say. -What do you think about it, Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," I answered, "now I come to consider, -I can't remember ever having heard of an -Indian's aunt."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Poor things!" said Dorothy, giving the -fluffy kitten a kiss between the ears.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, it's hard on them, perhaps, and yet," -I added thoughtfully, "an aunt is sometimes -rather a mixed blessing. Still, whether an -Indian possesses an aunt or not, the fact remains -that water has an unpleasant habit of wetting -one, and, on the whole, I think I'll go and see -what Spotted Snake is up to."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then I think I'll come with you a little way," -said Dorothy, as I rose. "You see, I have to -get Louise her afternoon's milk."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And how is Louise?" I inquired, pulling -the fluffy kitten's nearest ear.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well, thank you," answered Dorothy -demurely; "but oh, dear me! kittens 'are -such a constant source of worry and anxiety'! -Auntie Lisbeth sometimes says that about -Reginald and me. I wonder what she would -say if we were kittens!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"By the by, where is your Auntie Lisbeth?" -I asked, in a strictly conversational tone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, she's lying in the old boat."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In the old boat!" I repeated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," nodded Dorothy; "when it's nice -and warm and sleepy, like to-day, she takes a -book, and a pillow, and a sunshade, and she -goes and lies in the old boat under the -water-stairs. There, just look at this naughty -Louise!" she broke off, as the kitten scrambled -up to her shoulder and stood there, balancing -itself very dexterously with curious angular -movements of its tail; "that's because she -thinks I've forgotten her milk, you know; she's -dreadfully impatient, but I suppose I must -humour her this once. 'Good afternoon!'" And, -having given me her hand in her demure -old-fashioned way, Dorothy hurried off, the -kitten still perched upon her shoulder, its tail -jerking spasmodically with her every step.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In a little while I came in view of the -Water-stairs, yet, although I paused more than once -to look about me, I saw no sign of the Imp. -Thinking he was most probably in "ambush" -somewhere, I continued my way, whistling a -tune to attract his notice. Ten minutes or -more elapsed, however, without any sign of him, -and I was already close to the stairs, when I -stopped whistling all at once, and, holding my -breath, crept forward on tiptoe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There before me was the old boat, and in it--her -cheek upon a crimson cushion and the sun -making a glory of her tumbled hair--was -Lisbeth--asleep.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Being come as near as I dared for fear of -waking her, I sat down, and lighting my pipe, -fell to watching her--the up-curving shadow -of her lashes, the gleam of teeth between the -scarlet of her parted lips. And from the heavy -braids of her hair my glance wandered down -to the little tan shoe peeping at me beneath -her skirt, and I called to mind how Goethe has -said:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A pretty foot is not only a continual joy, -but it is the one element of beauty that defies -the assaults of Time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Sometimes a butterfly hovered past, a bee -filled the air with his drone, or a bird settled -for a moment upon the stairs near by to preen -a ruffled feather, while soft and drowsy with -distance came the ceaseless roar of the weir.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I do not know how long I had sat thus, -supremely content, when I was suddenly aroused -by a rustling close at hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hist!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I looked up sharply, and beheld a head, a -head adorned with sundry feathers, and a face -hideously streaked with red and green paint; -but there was no mistaking those golden -curls--it was the Imp!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hist!" he repeated, bringing out the word -with a prolonged hiss, and then--before I could -even guess at his intention--there was the swift -gleam of a knife, a splash of the severed painter, -and caught by the tide the old boat swung out -and was adrift.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Imp stood gazing on his handiwork with -wide eyes, and then as I leaped to my feet -something in my look seemed to frighten him, for -without a word he turned and fled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But all my attention was centred in the boat, -which was drifting slowly into mid-stream with -Lisbeth still fast asleep. And as I watched its -sluggish progress, with a sudden chill I -remembered the weir, which foamed and roared only -a short half-mile away. If the boat once got -drawn into that----!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now, I am quite aware that under these -circumstances the right and proper thing for -me to have done, would have been to throw -aside my coat, tear off my boots, etc., and -"boldly breast the foamy flood." But I did -neither, for the simple reason that once within -the "foamy flood" aforesaid, there would have -been very little chance of my ever getting out -again, for--let me confess the fact with the -blush of shame--I am no swimmer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Yet I was not idle, far otherwise. Having -judged the distance between the drifting boat -and the bank, I began running along, seeking -the thing I wanted. And presently, sure enough, -I found it--a great pollard oak, growing upon -the edge of the water, that identical tree with -the "stickie-out" branches which has already -figured in these narratives.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hastily swinging myself up, I got astride the -lowest branch, which projected out over the -water. I had distanced the boat by some -hundred yards, and as I sat there I watched -its drift, one minute full of hope, and the next -as miserably uncertain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My obvious intention was to crawl out upon -the branch until it bent with my weight, and -so let myself into, or as near the boat as -possible.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was close now, so close that I could see -the gleam of Lisbeth's hair and the point of -the little tan shoe. With my eyes on this, I -writhed my way along the bough, which bent -more and more as I neared the end. Here I -hung, swaying up and down and to and fro -in a highly unpleasant manner, while I waited -the crucial moment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Never upon this whole round earth did -anything creep as that boat did. There was a -majestic deliberation in its progress that -positively maddened me. I remember to have -once read an article somewhere upon the -"Sensibility of Material Things," or something -of the sort, which I had forgotten long since, but -as I hung there suspended between heaven and -earth, it came back to me with a rush, and -I was perfectly certain that, recognising my -precarious position, that time-worn, ancient -boat checked its speed on purpose.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But all things have an end, and so, little by -little the blunt bow crept nearer until it was -in the very shade of my tree. Grasping the -branch, I let myself swing at arm's length; and -then I found that I was at least a foot too near -the bank. Edging my way, therefore, still -further along the branch, I kicked out in a -desperate endeavour to reach the boat, and, the -bough swaying with me, caught my toe inside -the gunwale, drew it under me, and loosing -my grasp, was sprawling upon my hands and -knees, but safe aboard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To pick myself up was the work of a moment, -yet scarcely had I done so, when Lisbeth opened -her eyes, and sitting up, stared about her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why--where am I?" she exclaimed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"On the river," I answered cheerfully. -"Glorious afternoon, Lisbeth, isn't it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How--in--the--world did you get here?" -she inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," I answered, "I might say I dropped -in, as it were."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lisbeth brushed the hair from her temples, -and turned to me with an imperious gesture.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then please take me back at once," she said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I would with pleasure," I returned, "only -that you forgot to bring the oars."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, then, we are adrift!" she said, staring -at me with frightened eyes, and clasping her -hands nervously.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We are," I nodded; "but, then, it's perfect -weather for boating, Lisbeth!" and I began to -look about for something that might serve as a -paddle. But the stretchers had disappeared -long since--the old tub was a sheer hulk, so to -speak. An attempt to tear up a floor board -resulted only in a broken nail and bleeding -fingers; so I presently desisted, and, rolling -up my sleeves, endeavoured to paddle with my -hands; but, finding this equally futile, I -resumed my coat, and took out pipe and -tobacco.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Dick, is there nothing you can do?" -she asked, with a brave attempt to steady the -quiver in her voice.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"With your permission, I'll smoke, Lisbeth."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But the weir!" she cried. "Have you -forgotten the weir?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," I answered, shaking my head; "it -has a way of obtruding itself on one's notice----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, it sounds hateful--hateful!" she said -with a shiver.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Like a strong wind among trees!" I nodded, -as I filled my pipe. We were approaching -a part of the river where it makes a sharp -bend to the right; and well I knew what lay -beyond--the row of posts, painted white, with -the foam and bubble of seething water below. -We should round that bend in about ten -minutes, I judged; long before then we might -see a boat, to be sure; if not--well, if the worst -happened, I could but do my best; in the -meantime I would smoke a pipe; but I will -admit my fingers trembled as I struck a match.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It sounds horribly close!" said Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sound is very deceptive, you know," I -answered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Only last month a boat went over, and the -man was drowned!" shuddered Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Poor chap!" I said. "Of course it's -different at night--the river is awfully deserted -then, you know, and----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But it happened in broad daylight!" -said Lisbeth, almost in a whisper. She was -sitting half turned from me, her gaze fixed on -the bend of the river, and by chance her restless -hand had found and begun to fumble with the -severed painter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So we drifted on, watching the gliding banks, -while every moment the roar of the weir grew -louder and more threatening.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dick," she said suddenly, "we can never -pass that awful place without oars!" and she -began to tie knots in the rope with fingers that -shook pitifully.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, I don't know!" I returned, with an -assumption of ease I was very far from feeling; -"and then, of course, we are bound to meet -a boat or something----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But suppose we don't?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, well, we aren't there yet--and--er--let's -talk of fish."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah, Dick," she cried, "how can you treat -the matter so lightly when we may be tossing -down there in that awful water so very soon? -We can never pass that weir without oars, and -you know it, and--and--oh, Dick, why did you -do it--how could you have been so mad?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do what?" I inquired, staring.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With a sudden gesture she rose to her knees -and fronted me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This!" she cried, and held up the severed -painter. "It has been cut! Oh, Dick, Dick, -how could you be so mad?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lisbeth!" I exclaimed, "do you mean to -say that you think----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know!" she broke in, and turning away, -hid her face in her hands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We were not so very far from the bend now, -and seeing this, a sudden inspiration came upon -me, by means of which I might prove her mind -towards me once and for all; and as she kneeled -before me with averted face, I leaned forward -and took her hands in mine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lisbeth," I said, "supposing I did cut -the boat adrift, like a--a fool--endangering -your life for a mad, thoughtless whim--could -you forgive me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For a long moment she remained without -answering, then very slowly she raised her head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Dick!" was all she said, but in her eyes -I read the wonder of wonders.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But, Lisbeth," I stammered, "could you -still love me--even--even if, through my folly, -the worst should happen and we--we----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't think I shall be so very much -afraid, Dick, if you will hold me close like this," -she whispered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The voice of the weir had swelled into a -roar by now, yet I paid little heed; for me, all -fear was swallowed up in a great wondering -happiness.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dick," she whispered, "you will hold -me tight, you will not let me go when--when----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Never," I answered; "nothing could ever -take you from me now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As I spoke I raised my eyes, and glancing -about beheld something which altered the whole -aspect of affairs--something which changed -tragedy into comedy all in a moment--a boat -was coming slowly round the bend.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lisbeth, look up!" With a sigh she -obeyed, her clasp tightening on mine, and a -dreadful expectation in her eyes. Then all at -once it was gone, her pale cheeks grew suddenly -scarlet, and she slipped from my arms; and -thereafter I noticed how very carefully her -eyes avoided mine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The boat came slowly into view, impelled -by one who rowed with exactly that amount of -splashing which speaks the true-born Cockney. -By dint of much exertion and more splashing -he presently ranged alongside in answer to -my hail.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"W'ot--a haccident then?" he inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Something of the sort," I nodded. "Will -you be so kind as to tow us to the bank -yonder?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hanythink to hoblige!" he grinned, and -having made fast the painter, proceeded to -splash us to </span><em class="italics">terra firma</em><span>. Which done, he -grinned again, waved his hat, and splashed upon -his way. I made the boat secure and turned -to Lisbeth. She was staring away towards the -weir.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lisbeth," I began.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I thought just now that--that it was the -end!" she said, and shivered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And at such times," I added, "one -sometimes says things one would not have said -under ordinary circumstances. My dear, I -quite understand--quite, and I'll try to -forget--you needn't fear."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you think you can?" she asked, turning -to look at me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can but try," I answered. Now, as I -spoke, I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw the -pale ghost of the dimple by her mouth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We walked back side by side along the river-path, -very silently for the most part, yet more -than once I caught her regarding me covertly, -and with a puzzled air.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well?" I said at last tentatively.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was wondering why you did it, Dick. -Oh, it was mean! cruel! wicked! How could you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, well"--and I shrugged my shoulders, -anathematising the Imp mentally the while.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If I hadn't noticed that the rope was -freshly cut, I should have thought it an -accident," she went on.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Naturally!" I said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And then, again, how came you in the boat?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To be sure!" I nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Still, I can scarcely believe that you -would wilfully jeopardise both our lives--my -life!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A man who would do such a thing," I -exclaimed, carried away by the heat of the -moment, "would be a--a----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," said Lisbeth quickly, "he would."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"--And utterly beyond the pale of all -forgiveness!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," said Lisbeth, "of course."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And," I was beginning again, but meeting -her searching glance, stopped. "And you -forgave me, Lisbeth," I ended.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did I?" she said, with raised brows.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Didn't you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not that I remember."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In the boat?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I never </span><em class="italics">said</em><span> so."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not in words, perhaps, but you implied as -much." Lisbeth had the grace to blush.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do I understand that I am not forgiven -after all?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not until I know why you did such a mad, -thoughtless trick," she answered, with that -determined set of her chin which I knew so well.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That I should thus shoulder the responsibility -for the Imp's misdeeds was ridiculous, and -wrong as it was unjust, for if ever boy deserved -punishment, that boy was the Imp. And -yet, probably because he was the Imp, or -because of that schoolboy honour which -forbids "sneaking," and which I carried with -me still, I held my peace; seeing which, Lisbeth -turned and left me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I stood where I was, with head bent in an -attitude suggestive of innocence, broken hopes, -and gentle resignation, but in vain; she never -once looked back. Still, martyr though I was, -the knowledge that I had immolated myself -upon the altar of friendship filled me with a -sense of conscious virtue that I found not -ill-pleasing. Howbeit, seeing I am but human -after all, I sat down, and refilling my pipe, fell -once more anathematising the Imp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hist!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A small shape flittered from behind an -adjacent tree, and lo! the subject of my -thoughts stood before me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Imp," I said, "come here." He obeyed -readily. "When you cut that rope and set -your Auntie Lisbeth adrift, you didn't remember -the man who was drowned in the weir last month, -did you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No!" he answered, staring.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course not," I nodded; "but all the -same it is not your fault that your Auntie -Lisbeth is not drowned--just as he was."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh!" exclaimed the Imp, and his beloved -bow slipped from his nerveless fingers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Imp," I went on, "it was a wicked thing to -cut that rope, a mean, cruel trick. Don't you -think so?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I 'specks it was, Uncle Dick."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't you think you ought to be punished?" He -nodded. "Very well," I answered, "I'll -punish you myself. Go and cut me a nice, -straight switch," and I handed him my open -penknife. Round-eyed, the Imp obeyed, and -for a space there was a prodigious cracking -and snapping of sticks. In a little while he -returned with three, also the blade of my -knife was broken, for which he was profusely -apologetic.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now," I said, as I selected the weapon -fittest for the purpose, "I am going to strike -you hard on either hand with this stick--that -is, if you think you deserve it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Was Auntie Lisbeth nearly drowned--really?" -he inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very nearly, and was only saved by a chance."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right, Uncle Dick, hit me," he said, and -held out his hand. The stick whizzed and -fell--once--twice. I saw his face grow scarlet and -the tears leap to his eyes, but he uttered no -sound.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did it hurt very much, my Imp?" I -inquired, as I tossed the stick aside.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He nodded, not trusting himself to speak, -while I turned to light my pipe, wasting three -matches quite fruitlessly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Uncle Dick," he burst out at last, struggling -manfully against his sobs, "I--I'm -awfull'--sorry----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, it's all right now, Imp. Shake hands!" Joyfully -the little, grimy fingers clasped mine, -and from that moment, I think, there grew -up between us a new understanding.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, Imp, my darling, you're crying!" -exclaimed a voice, and, with a rustle of -skirts, Lisbeth was down before him on her -knees.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know I am--'cause I'm awfull' sorry--an' -Uncle Dick's whipped my hands--an' I'm -glad!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Whipped your hands?" cried Lisbeth, -clasping him closer, and glaring at me -"Whipped your hands? How dare he? -What for?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Cause I cut the rope an' let the boat go -away with you an' you might have been -drowned dead in the weir, an' I'm awfull glad -Uncle Dick whipped me!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"O-h-h!" exclaimed Lisbeth, and it was -a very long-drawn "oh!" indeed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't know what made me do it," continued -the Imp. "I 'specks it was my new knife--it -was so nice an' sharp, you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, it's all right now, my Imp," I said, -fumbling for a match in a singularly clumsy -manner. "If you ask me, I think we are all -better friends than ever--or should be. I -know I should be fonder of your Auntie Lisbeth -even than before, and take greater care of her, -if I were you. And--and now take her in to -tea, my Imp, and--and see that she has plenty -to eat," and, lifting my hat, I turned away. But -Lisbeth was beside me, and her hand was on my -arm before I had gone a yard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We are having tea in the same old place--under -the trees. If you would care to--to--would you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, do--oh, do, Uncle Dick!" cried the -Imp. "I'll go and tell Jane to set a place for -you," and he bounded off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I didn't hit him very hard," I said, breaking -a somewhat awkward silence; "but, you see, -there are some things a gentleman cannot do. -I think he understands now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Dick!" she said very softly; "and -to think I could imagine you had done such a -thing--you! and to think that you should let -me think you had done such a thing--and all -to shield that Imp! Oh, Dick! no wonder -he is so fond of you. He never talks of -anyone but you--I grow quite jealous sometimes. -But, Dick, how did </span><em class="italics">you</em><span> get into that boat?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"By means of a tree with 'stickie-out' -branches."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you mean to say----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That, as I told you before, I dropped in, -as it were."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But supposing you had slipped?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But I didn't."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you can't swim a stroke!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not that I know of."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Dick! can you ever forgive me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"On three conditions."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"First, that you let me remember everything -you said to me while we were drifting -down to the weir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That depends, Dick. And the second?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The second lies in the fact that not far -from the village of Down, in Kent, there -stands an old house--a quaint old place -that is badly in want of someone to live in -it--an old house that is lonely for a woman's -sweet presence and gentle, busy hands, Lisbeth!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And the third?" she asked very softly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Surely you can guess that?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, I can't, and, besides, there's Dorothy -coming--and--oh, Dick!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, Auntie," exclaimed Dorothy, as she -came up, "how red you are! I knew you'd -get sunburned, lying in that old boat without -a parasol! But, then, she will do it, Uncle -Dick--oh, she will do it!"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-outlaw"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER VI</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE OUTLAW</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Everybody knew old Jasper Trent, the Crimean -veteran who had helped to beat the "Roosians -and the Proosians," and who, so it was rumoured, -had more wounds upon his worn, bent body -than there were months in the year.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The whole village was proud of old Jasper, -proud of his age, proud of his wounds, and -proud of the medals that shone resplendent -upon his shrunken breast.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Any day he might have been seen hobbling -along by the river, or pottering among the -flowers in his little garden, but oftener still -sitting on the bench in the sunshine beside the -door of the Three Jolly Anglers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Indeed, they made a fitting pair, the worn -old soldier and the ancient inn, alike both long -behind the times, dreaming of the past, rather -than the future, which seemed to me like an -invisible bond between them. Thus, when -old Jasper fell ill, and, taking to his bed, had -it moved opposite the window where he could -lie with his eyes upon the battered gables of -the inn--I for one could understand the reason.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Three Jolly Anglers is indeed ancient, -its early records long since lost beneath the -dust of centuries; yet the years have but -served to mellow it. Men have lived and died, -nations have waxed and waned, still it stands, -all unchanged beside the river, watching the -Great Tragedy which we call "Life" with -that same look of supreme wisdom, that -half-waggish, half-kindly air, which I have already -mentioned once before.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Those Sons of the Soil, who meet regularly -within its walls, are horny-handed, and for the -most part grey of head and bent with -over-much following of the plough. Quiet of voice -are they, and profoundly sedate of gesture, -while upon their wrinkled brows there sits that -spirit of calm content which it is given so few -of us to know.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Chief among these, and held in much respect, -was old Jasper Trent. Within their circle he -had been wont to sit ensconced in his elbow-chair -beside the hearth, by his long use and -custom, and not to be usurped; and while the -smoke rose slowly from their pipe-bowls he -would recount some tale of battle and sudden -death--now in the freezing trenches before -Sebastopol, now upon the blood-stained heights -of Inkermann. Yet, and I noticed it was always -towards the end of his second tankard, the old -man would lose the thread of his story, whatever -it might be, and take up the topic of "The -Bye Jarge."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was at first naturally perplexed as to -whom he could mean, until Mr. Amos Baggett, -the landlord, informed me on the quiet that the -"bye Jarge" was none other than old Jasper's -only son--a man now some forty years of -age--who, though promising well in his youth, -had "gone wrong"--and was at that moment -serving a long term of imprisonment for burglary; -further, that upon the day of his son's -conviction old Jasper had had a "stroke," and was -never quite the same after, all recollection of -the event being completely blotted from his -mind, so that he persisted in thinking and -speaking of his son as still a boy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That bye were a wonder!" he would say, -looking round with a kindling eye. "Went -away to make 'is fortun', 'e did. Oh, 'e were a -gen'us, were that bye Jarge! You, Amos -Baggett, were 'e a gen'us or were 'e not?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'E were!" Mr. Baggett would answer, with -a slow nod.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look'ee, sir, do'ee see that theer clock?"--and -he would point with a bony, tremulous -finger--"stopped it were--got sum'mat wrong -wi' its inn'ards--wouldn't stir a finger--dead it -were! But that bye Jarge 'e see it, 'e did--give -it a look over, 'e did, an' wi' nout but 'is -two 'ands set it a-goin' good as ever! You, -Silas Madden, you remember as 'e done it wi' -'is two 'ands?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Is two 'ands!" Silas would repeat solemnly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' it's gone ever since!" old Jasper would -croak triumphantly. "Oh! 'e were a gen'us, -were my bye Jarge. 'E'll come a-marchin' -back to 'is old feyther, some day, wi' 'is pockets -stuffed full o' money an' banknotes--I -knaw--I knaw, old Jasper bean't a fule."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And herewith, lifting up his old, cracked -voice, he would strike up "The British -Grenadiers," in which the rest would presently join -full lustily, waving their long-stemmed pipes -in unison.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So the old fellow would sit, singing the praises -of his scapegrace son, while his hearers would -nod solemn heads, fostering old Jasper's innocent -delusion for the sake of his white hairs and the -medals upon his breast.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But now, he was down with "the rheumatics," -and from what Lisbeth told me when -I met her on her way to and from his cottage, -it was rather more than likely that the -high-backed elbow-chair would know him no more.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Upon the old fellow's illness, Lisbeth had -promptly set herself to see that he was made -comfortable, for Jasper was a lonely old -man--had installed a competent nurse beside him, -and made it a custom morning and evening -to go and see that all was well.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was for this reason that I sat upon the -Shrubbery gate towards nine o'clock of a certain -evening, swinging my legs and listening for the -sound of her step along the path. In the -fullness of time she came, and, getting off my -perch, I took the heavy basket from her arm, -as was usual.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dick," she said as we walked on side by -side, "really I'm getting quite worried about -that Imp."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What has he been up to this time?" I inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm afraid he must be ill."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He looked anything but ill yesterday," I -answered reassuringly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I know he looks healthy enough," -said Lisbeth, wrinkling her brows; "but -lately he has developed such an enormous -appetite. Oh, Dick, it's awful!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My poor girl," I retorted, shaking my -head, "the genus 'Boy' is distinguished by -the two attributes dirt and appetite. You -should know that by this time. I myself have -harrowing recollections of huge piles of bread -and butter, of vast slabs of cake--damp and -'soggy,' and of mysterious hue--of glutinous -mixtures purporting to be 'stick-jaw,' one inch -of which was warranted to render coherent -speech impossible for ten minutes at least, -And then the joy of bolting things fiercely in -the shade of the pantry, with one's ears on -the stretch for foes! I sometimes find myself -sighing over the remembrance, even in these -days. Don't worry about the Imp's appetite; -believe me, it is quite unnecessary."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, but I can't help it," said Lisbeth; "it -seems somehow so--so weird. For instance, -this morning for breakfast he had first his -usual porridge, then five pieces of bread and -butter, and after that a large slice of ham--quite -a big piece, Dick! And he ate it all so -quickly. I turned away to ask Jane for the -toast, and when I looked at his plate again it -was empty, he had eaten every bit, and even -asked for more. Of course I refused, so he -tried to get Dorothy to give him hers in -exchange for a broken pocket-knife. It was -just the same at dinner. He ate the whole leg -of a chicken, and after that a wing, and then -some of the breast, and would have gone on -until he had finished everything, I'm sure, if I -hadn't stopped him, though I let him eat as long -as I dared. Then at tea he had six slices of -bread and butter, one after the other, not -counting toast and cake. He has been like -this for the last two days--and--oh yes, cook -told me to-night that she found him actually -eating dry bread just before he went up to bed. -Dry bread--think of it! Oh, Dick, what can -be the matter with him?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It certainly sounds mysterious," I answered, -"especially as regards the dry bread; but -that of itself suggests a theory, which, as the -detective says in the story, 'I will not divulge -just yet'; only don't worry, Lisbeth, the Imp -is all right."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Being now come to old Jasper's cottage, -which stands a little apart from the village in a -bylane, Lisbeth paused and held out her hand -for the basket.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't wait for me to-night," she said. "I -ordered Peter to fetch me in the dog-cart; -you see, I may be late."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is the old chap so very ill?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very, very ill, Dick."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Poor old Jasper!" I exclaimed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Poor old Jasper!" she sighed, and her eyes -were brimful of tenderness.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He is very old and feeble," I said, drawing -her close, under pretence of handing her the -basket; "and yet, with your gentle hand to -smooth my pillow, and your eyes to look into -mine, I could almost wish----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hush, Dick!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Peter or no Peter, I think I'll wait--unless -you really wish me to say 'Good-night' now?" But -with a dexterous turn she eluded me, and -waving her hand hurried up the rose-bordered path.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>An hour, or even two, does not seem so very -long when one's mind is so full of happy thoughts -as mine was. Thus, I was filling my pipe and -looking philosophically about for a likely spot -in which to keep my vigil, when I was aware -of a rustling close by, and, as I watched, a -small figure stepped from the shadow of the -hedge out into the moonlight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hallo, Uncle Dick!" said a voice.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Imp!" I exclaimed; "what does this -mean? You ought to have been in bed over -an hour ago!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So I was," he answered, with his guileless -smile; "only I got up again, you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So it seems!" I nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' I followed you an' Auntie Lisbeth all -the way, too."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did you though?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, an' I dropped one of the parcels an' -lost a sausage, but you never heard."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lost a sausage!" I repeated, staring.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, it's all right, you know," he hastened -to assure me; "I found it again, an' it wasn't -hurt a bit."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Imp," I said sternly, "come here, I want -to talk to you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Just a minute, Uncle Dick, while I get my -parcels. I want you to help me to carry them, -please, and with the words he dived under -the hedge, to emerge, a moment later, with his -arms full of unwieldy packages, which he laid -at my feet in a row.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, what on earth have you got there, Imp?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This," he said, pointing to the first, "is -jam an' ham an' a piece of bread; this next one -is cakes an' sardines, an' this one is bread an' -butter that I saved from my tea."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Quite a collection!" I nodded. "Suppose -you tell me what you mean to do with them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, they're for my outlaw. You -remember the other day I wanted to play at -being outlaws? Well, two days ago, as I -was tracking a base caitiff through the woods -with my trusty bow and arrow, I found a real -outlaw in the old boat-house."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah! and what is he like?" I inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, just like an outlaw--only funny, you -know, an' most awfull' hungry. Are all outlaws -always so very hungry, Uncle Dick?"'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I believe they generally are, Imp. And he -looks 'funny,' you say?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes; I mean his clothes are funny--all over -marks like little crosses, only they aren't -crosses."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Like this?" I inquired; and picking up a -piece of stick I drew a broad-arrow upon the path.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, just like that!" cried the Imp, in a -tone of amazement. "How did you know? -You're awfull' clever, Uncle Dick!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And he is in the old boat-house, is he?" I -said, as I picked up an armful of packages. -"'Lead on, Macduff!'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mind that parcel, please, Uncle Dick; -it's the one I dropped an' lost the sausage out -of--there's one trying to escape now!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Having reduced the recalcitrant sausage to -a due sense of law and order, we proceeded -toward the old boat-house--a dismal, dismantled -affair, some half-mile or so down stream.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And what sort of a fellow is your outlaw, Imp?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, I 'spected he'd be awfull' fierce an' -want to hold me for ransom, but he didn't; he's -quite quiet, for an outlaw, with grey hair and big -eyes, an' eats an awful lot."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So you saved him your breakfast and -dinner, did you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh yes; an' my tea, too. Auntie Lisbeth -got awfull' angry 'cause she said I ate too fast; -an' Dorothy was frightened an' wouldn't sit by -me 'cause she was 'fraid I'd burst--so -frightfully silly of her!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"By the way, you didn't tell me what you -have there," I said, pointing to a huge, -misshapen, newspaper parcel that he carried beneath -one arm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, it's a shirt, an' a coat, an' a pair of -trousers of Peter's."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did Peter give them to you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Course not; I took them. You see, my -outlaw got tired of being an outlaw, so he -asked me to get him some 'togs,' meaning -clothes, you know, so I went an' looked in the -stable an' found these."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You don't mean to say that you stole them, Imp?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Course not!" he answered reproachfully. -"I left Peter sixpence an' a note to say I would -pay him for them when I got my pocket-money."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah, to be sure!" I nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We were close to the old boat-house now, and -upon the Imp's earnest solicitations I handed -over my bundles and hid behind a tree, because, -as he pointed out, "His outlaw might not like -me to see him just at first."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Having opened each package with great care -and laid out their contents upon a log near by, -the Imp approached the ruined building with -signs of the most elaborate caution, and gave -three loud, double knocks. Now casting my -eyes about, I espied a short, heavy stick, and, -picking it up, poised it in my hand ready in the -event of possible contingencies.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The situation was decidedly unpleasant, I -confess, for I expected nothing less than to be -engaged in a desperate hand-to-hand struggle -within the next few minutes; therefore I waited -in some suspense, straining my eyes towards the -shadows with my fingers clasped tight upon my -bludgeon.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then all at once I saw a shape, ghostly and -undefined, flit swiftly from the gloom of the -boat-house, and next moment a convict was -standing beside the Imp, gaunt and tall and -wild-looking in the moonlight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His hideous clothes, stained with mud and -the green slime of his hiding-places, hung upon -him in tatters, and his eyes, deep-sunken in his -pallid face, gleamed with an unnatural brightness -as he glanced swiftly about him--a miserable, -hunted creature, worn by fatigue and pinched -with want and suffering.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did ye get 'em, sonny?" he inquired, in a -hoarse, rasping voice.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ay, ay, comrade," returned the Imp; "all's well!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Bless ye for that, sonny!" he exclaimed, -and with the words he fell to upon the food, -devouring each morsel as it was handed to him -with a frightful voracity, while his burning, -restless eyes glared about him, never still for a -moment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now as I noticed his wasted form and shaking -limbs, I knew that I could master him with one -hand. My weapon slipped from my slackened -grasp, but at the sound, slight though it was, -he turned and began to run. He had not gone -five yards, however, when he tripped and fell, -and before he could rise I was standing over -him. He lay there at my feet, perfectly still, -blinking up at me with red-rimmed eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right, master," he said at last; "you've -got me!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But with the words he suddenly rolled -himself towards the river, yet as he struggled -to his knees I pinned him down again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, sir, you won't go for to give me up to -them?" he panted. "I've never done you no -wrong. Don't send me back to it again, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Course not," cried the Imp, laying his hand -upon my arm; "this is only Uncle Dick. He -won't hurt you; will you, Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That depends," I answered, keeping tight -hold of the tattered coat collar. "Tell me, -what brings you hanging round here?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Used to live up in these parts once, master."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who are you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Convict 49, as broke jail over a week ago -an' would ha' died but for the little 'un there," -and he nodded towards the Imp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The convict, as I say, was a tall, thin fellow, -with a cadaverous face lined with suffering, -while the hair at his temples was prematurely -white. And as I looked at him, it occurred to -me that the suffering which had set its mark -so deeply upon him was not altogether the -grosser anguish of the body. Now for your -criminal who can still feel morally there is -surely hope. I think so, anyhow! For a long -moment there was silence, while I stared into -the haggard face below, and the Imp looked -from one to the other of us, utterly at a loss.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wonder if you ever heard tell of 'the bye -Jarge,'" I said suddenly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The convict started so violently that the -jacket tore in my grasp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How--how did ye know?" he gasped, -and stared at me with dropped jaw.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think I know your father."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My feyther," he muttered; "old Jasper--'e -ain't dead, then?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not yet," I answered; "come, get up, -and I'll tell you more while you eat." Mechanically -he obeyed, sitting with his glowing -eyes fixed upon my face the while I told -him of old Jasper's lapse of memory and present -illness.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then 'e don't remember as I'm a thief an' -convict 49, master?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No; he thinks and speaks of you always -as a boy and a pattern son."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man uttered a strange cry, and flinging -himself upon his knees buried his face in his -hands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come," I said, tapping him on the shoulder; -"take off those things," and, nodding to the -Imp, he immediately began unwrapping Peter's -garments.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What, master," cried the convict, starting -up, "are you goin' to let me see 'im afore you -give me up?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," I nodded; "only be quick."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In less than five minutes the tattered prison -dress was lying in the bed of the river, and we -were making our way along the path towards -old Jasper's cottage.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The convict spoke but once, and that as we -reached the cottage gate:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is he very ill, sir?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very ill," I said. He stood for a moment, -inhaling the fragrance of the roses in great -breaths, and staring about him; then with an -abrupt gesture he opened the little gate, and -gliding up the path with his furtive, stealthy -footstep, he knocked at the door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For some half-hour the Imp and I strolled -to and fro in the moonlight, during which he -related to me much about his outlaw and the -many "ruses he had employed to get him -provision." How upon one occasion, to escape -the watchful eyes of Auntie Lisbeth, he had -been compelled to hide a slice of jam tart in the -trousers pockets, to the detriment of each; how -Dorothy had watched him everywhere in the -momentary expectation of "something happening"; -how Jane and Peter and cook would -stand and stare and shake their heads at him -because he ate such a lot, "an' the worst of it -was, I was awfull' hungry all the time, you know, -Uncle Dick!" This and much more he told -me as we waited there in the moonlight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last the cottage door opened and the -convict came out. He did not join us at once, -but remained staring away towards the river, -though I saw him jerk his sleeve across his eyes -more than once in his furtive, stealthy fashion, -but when at last he came up to us his face was -firm and resolute.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did you see old Jasper?" I asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir, I saw him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is he any better?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Much better--he died in my arms, sir. -An' now I'm ready to go back, there's a police -station in the village." He stopped suddenly -and turned to stare back at the lighted windows -of the cottage, and when he spoke again his -voice sounded hoarser than ever.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thought I'd come back from furrin parts, -'e did, wi' my pockets stuffed full o' gold an' -banknotes. Called me 'is bye Jarge, 'e did!" -and again he brushed his cuff across his eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Master, I don't know who ye may be, but -I'm grateful to ye an' more than grateful, sir. -An' now I'm ready to go back an' finish my -time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How much longer is that?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Three years, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And when you come out, what shall you do -then?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Start all over again, sir; try to get some -honest work an' live straight."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you think you can?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know I can, sir. Ye see, he died in my -arms, called me 'is bye Jarge, said 'e were proud -of me, 'e did! A man can begin again an' live -straight an' square wi' a memory the like o' -that to help him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then why not begin to-night?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He passed a tremulous hand through his -silver hair, and stared at me with incredulous -eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Begin--to-night," he half whispered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have an old house among the Kentish -hop gardens," I went on; "no one lives there -at present except the caretaker, but it is within -the bounds of probability that I may go to stay -there--some day. Now the gardens need -trimming, and I'm very fond of flowers. Do you -suppose you could make the place look decent -in--say, a month?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sir," he said in a strange, broken voice, "you -ain't jokin' with me, are you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I could pay you a pound a week; what do you say?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He tried to speak, but his lips quivered, and -he turned his back upon us very suddenly. I -tore a page from my pocket-book and scrawled -a hasty note to my caretaker.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Here is the address," I said, tapping him -on the shoulder, "You will find no difficulty. -I will write again to-night. You must of -course have money to get there and may need -to buy a few necessaries besides; here is your -first week's wages in advance," and I thrust a -sovereign into his hand. He stared down at it -with blinking eyes, shuffling awkwardly with -his feet, and at that moment his face seemed -very worn, and lined, and his hair very grey, -yet I had a feeling that I should not regret my -quixotic action in the end.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sir," he faltered--"sir, do ye mean----?" -and stopped.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I mean that to-night 'the bye Jarge' has -a chance to make a new beginning, a chance to -become the man his father always thought he -would be. Of course, I may be a fool to trust -you. That only time will show; but, you see, -I had a great respect for old Jasper. And, now -that you have the address, you'd better go; -stay, though, you must have a hat; folks -might wonder--take this," and I handed him -my cap.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sir, I can't thank ye now, I never can. -It--it won't come; but----" With a nervous, -awkward gesture he caught my hand, suddenly -pressed it to his lips, and was gone down the -lane.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Thus it was that old Jasper's "bye Jarge" -went out to make a trial of life a second time, -and as I watched him striding through the -moonlight, his head erect, very different from the -shambling creature he had been, it seemed to -me that the felon was already ousted by the man.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I 'specks he forgot all 'bout me!" said the -Imp disconsolately.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," I answered, shaking my head; "I -don't think he will ever forget you, my Imp."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I s'pose he's awfull' fond of you, Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not that I know of."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then why did he kiss your hand?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, well--er--perhaps it is a way he has!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He didn't kiss mine," said the Imp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A door opened and closed very softly, and -Lisbeth came towards us down the path, -whereupon the Imp immediately "took cover" in -the ditch.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He is dead, Dick!" she said, as I opened -the gate. "He died in his son's arms--the -George he was always talking about. And -oh, Dick, he died trying to sing 'The British -Grenadiers.'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Poor old Jasper!" I said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"His son was a convict once, wasn't he?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was strange that he should come back -as he did--just in time; it almost seems like -the hand of Providence, doesn't it, Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes." Lisbeth was standing with her -elbows upon the gate and her chin in her hands, -staring up at the moon, and I saw that her -eyes were wet with tears.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, where is your cap?" she exclaimed, -when at last she condescended to look at me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"On the head of an escaped convict," I -answered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you mean----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The 'bye Jarge,'" I nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Dick!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, Lisbeth; it was a ridiculous piece of -sentiment, I admit. Your law-abiding -level-headed citizen would doubtless be highly -shocked, not to say scandalised; likewise the -Law might get up on its hind legs and kick--quite -unpleasantly; but all the same, I did it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You were never what one might call--very -'level-headed,' were you, Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, I'm afraid not."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And, do you know, I think that is the very -reason why I--good gracious!--what is that?" She -pointed toward the shadow of the hedge.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Merely the Imp," I answered; "but never -mind that--tell me what you were going to -say--'the very reason why you'--what?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Reginald!" said Lisbeth, unheeding my -question, "come here, sir!" Very sheepishly -the Imp crept forth from the ditch, and coming -up beside me, stole his hand into mine, and I -put it in my pocket.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Reginald," she repeated, looking from one -to the other of us with that expression which -always renews within me the memory of my -boyish misdeeds, "why are you not asleep in bed?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Cause I had to go an' feed my outlaw, -Auntie Lisbeth."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And," I put in to create a diversion, -"incidentally I've discovered the secret of his -'enormous appetite.' It is explained in three -words, to wit, 'the bye Jarge.'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you mean to say----" began Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Fed him regularly twice a day," I went on, -"and nearly famished himself in the doing of -it--you remember the dry-bread incident?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Imp!" cried Lisbeth; "Imp!" And she -had him next moment in her arms.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But Uncle Dick gave him a whole sovereign, -you know," he began; "an'----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I sent him to a certain house, Lisbeth," I -said, as her eyes met mine; "an old house -that stands not far from the village of Down, -in Kent, to prune the roses and things. I -should like it to be looking its best when we -get there; and----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' my outlaw kissed Uncle Dick's hand," -pursued the Imp. "Don't you think he must -love him an awful lot?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I gave him a month to do it in," I went -on; "but a month seems much too long when -one comes to consider--what do you think, -Lisbeth?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think that I hear the wheels of the -dog-cart!" she cried. Sure enough, a moment -later Peter hove in view, and great was his -astonishment at the sight of "Master Reginald."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Peter," I said, "Miss Elizabeth has changed -her mind, and will walk back with us; -and--er--by the way, I understand that Master -Reginald purchased a coat, a shirt, and a pair -of trousers of you, for which he has already -paid a deposit of sixpence. Now, if you will -let me know their value----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's hall right, Mr. Brent, sir. Betwixt -you and me, sir, they wasn't up to much, -nohow, the coat being tightish, sir--tightish--and -the trousis uncommon short in the leg for -a man o' my hinches, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nevertheless," said I, "a coat's a coat, -and a pair of trousers are indubitably a pair -of trousers, and nothing can alter the fact; -so if you will send me a bill some time, I shall -be glad."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very good, Mr. Brent, sir." Saying which, -Peter touched his hat, and turning, drove away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now," I said, as I rejoined Lisbeth and the -Imp, "I shall be glad if you will tell me how -long it should take for my garden to look fair -enough to welcome you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, well, it depends upon the gardener, -and the weather, and--and heaps of things," -she answered, flashing her dimple at me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"On the contrary," I retorted, shaking my -head, "it depends altogether upon the whim of -the most beautiful, tempting----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Supposing," sighed Lisbeth, "supposing -we talk of fish!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You haven't been fishing lately, Uncle -Dick," put in the Imp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've had no cause to," I answered; "you -see, I am guilty of such things only when life -assumes a grey monotony of hue and everything -is a flat, dreary desolation. Do you -understand, Imp?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not 'zackly--but it sounds fine! Auntie -Lisbeth," he said suddenly, as we paused at -the Shrubbery gate, "don't you think my -outlaw must be very, very fond of Uncle Dick -to kiss his hand?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, of course he must," nodded Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If," he went on thoughtfully, "if you -loved somebody--very much--would you kiss -their hand, Auntie Lisbeth?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't know--of course not!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But why not--s'posing their hand was nice -an' clean?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, well--really, I don't know. Imp, run -along to bed, do."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You'll come and tuck me up, an' kiss me -good-night, won't you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To be sure I will," nodded Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, then, I'll go," said the Imp; and with -a wave of the hand to me he went.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dick," said Lisbeth, staring up at the moon, -"it was very unwise of you, to say the least of -it, to set a desperate criminal at large."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm afraid it was, Lisbeth; but then I saw -there was good in the fellow, you know, and--er----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dick," she said again, and then laughed -suddenly, with the dimple in full evidence, -"you foolish old Dick--you know you would -have done it anyway for the sake of that old man."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Poor old Jasper!" I said; "I'm really -afraid I should." Then a wonderful thing -happened; for as I reached out my hand to -her, she caught it suddenly in hers, and before -I knew, had pressed her lips upon it--and so -was gone.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-blasted-oak"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER VII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE BLASTED OAK</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>I had quarrelled with Lisbeth; had quarrelled -beyond all hope of redemption and forgiveness, -desperately, irrevocably, and it had all come -about through a handkerchief--Mr. Selwyn's -handkerchief.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At a casual glance this may appear all very -absurd, not to say petty; but then I have -frequently noticed that insignificant things -very often serve for the foundation of great; -and incidentally quite a surprising number -of lives have been ruined by a handkerchief.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The circumstances were briefly these: In -the first place, I had received the following -letter from the Duchess, which had perturbed -me not a little:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"MY DEAR DICK,--I hear that that Agatha -Warburton creature has written threatening -to cut off our dear Lisbeth with the proverbial -shilling unless she complies with her wish and -marries Mr. Selwyn within the year. Did you -ever know of anything so disgusting?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If I were Lisbeth, and possessed such a -'creature' for an aunt, I'd see her in Timbuctoo -first--I would! But then, I forget the poor -child has nothing in the world, and you little -more, and 'love in a cottage' is all very well, -Dick, up to a certain time. Of course, it is all -right in novels, but you are neither of you in a -novel, and that is the worst of it. If -Providence had seen fit to make me Lisbeth's aunt, -now, things might have been very different; -but alas! it was not to be. Under the circumstances, -the best thing you can do, for her sake -and your own, is to turn your back upon -Arcadia and try to forget it all as soon as -possible in the swirl of London and everyday -life.--Yours, CHARLOTTE C.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"P.S.--Of course Romance is dead ages -and ages ago; still, it really would be nice if -you could manage to run off with her some -fine night!"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Thus the fiat had gone forth, the time of -waiting was accomplished; to-day Lisbeth -must choose between Selwyn and myself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This thought was in my mind as I strode -along the river path, filling me with that -strange exhilaration which comes, I suppose, -to most of us when we face some climax in our lives.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But now the great question, How would she -decide? leaped up and began to haunt me. -Because a woman smiles upon a man, he is -surely a most prodigious fool to flatter himself -that she loves him, therefore. How would -she decide? Nay, indeed; what choice had -she between affluence and penury? Selwyn -was wealthy and favoured by her aunt, Lady -Warburton, while as for me, my case was -altogether the reverse. And now I called to -mind how Lisbeth had always avoided coming -to any understanding with me, putting me -off on one pretence or another, but always -with infinite tact. So Fear came to me, and -Doubt began to rear its head; my step grew -slower and slower, till, reaching the Shrubbery -gate, I leaned there in doubt whether to proceed -or not. Summoning up my resolution, however, -I went on, turning in the direction of -the orchard, where I knew she often sat of -a morning to read or make a pretence of sewing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I had gone but a little way when I caught -sight of two distant figures walking slowly -across the lawn, and recognised Lisbeth and Mr. Selwyn.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sight of him here at such a time was -decidedly unpleasant, and I hurried on, -wondering what could have brought him so early.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beneath Lisbeth's favourite tree, an ancient -apple-tree so gnarled and rugged that it seemed -to have spent all its days tying itself into all -manner of impossible knots--in the shade of -this tree, I say, there was a rustic seat and -table, upon which was a work-basket, a book, -and a handkerchief. It was a large, decidedly -masculine handkerchief, and as my eyes -encountered it, by some unfortunate chance I -noticed a monogram embroidered in one corner--an -extremely neat, precise monogram, with -the letters "F.S." I recognised it at once as -the property of Mr. Selwyn.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Ordinarily I should have thought nothing -of it, but to-day it was different; for there -are times in one's life when the most foolish -things become pregnant of infinite possibilities; -when the veriest trifles assume overwhelming -proportions, filling and blotting out the universe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So it was now, and as I stared down at the -handkerchief, the Doubt within me grew -suddenly into Certainty.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was pacing restlessly up and down when -I saw Lisbeth approaching; her cheeks seemed -more flushed than usual, and her hand trembled -as she gave it to me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, whatever is the matter with -you?" she said; "you look so--so strange, Dick."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I received a letter from the Duchess this -morning."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes; in which she tells me your Aunt has -threatened to----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Cut me off with a shilling," nodded Lisbeth, -crossing over to the table.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," I said again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, for goodness' sake, Dick, stop tramping -up and down like a--a caged bear, and sit -down--do!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I obeyed; yet as I did so I saw her with the -tail of my eye whip up the handkerchief and -tuck it beneath the laces at her bosom.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lisbeth," said I, without turning my head, -"why hide it--there?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Her face flushed painfully, her lips quivered, -and for a moment she could find no answer; -then she tried to laugh it off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Because I--I wanted to, I suppose."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Obviously!" I retorted, and, rising, bowed -and turned to go.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stay a moment, Dick. I have something -to tell you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank you, but I think I can guess."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Can you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aren't you just a little bit theatrical, -Dick?" Now, as she spoke she drew out -Selwyn's handkerchief and began to tie and -untie knots in it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dick," she went on--and now she was -tracing out Selwyn's monogram with her -finger--"you tell me you know that Aunt -Agatha has threatened to disinherit me; can -you realise what that would mean to me, I -wonder?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Only in some small part," I answered -bitterly; "but it would be awful for you, of -course--good-bye to society and all the rest of -it--no more ball-gowns or hats and things from -Paris, and----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And bearing all this in mind," she put in, -"and knowing me as you do, perhaps you can -make another guess and tell me what I am -likely to do under these circumstances?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now, had I been anything but a preposterous -ass, my answer would have been different; but -then I was not myself, and I could not help -noticing how tenderly her finger traced out -those two letters "F.S.," so I laughed rather -brutally and answered--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Follow the instinct of your sex and stick -to the Paris hats and things."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I heard her breath catch, and turning away, -she began to flutter the pages of the book upon -the table.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you were always so clever at guessing, -weren't you?" she said after a moment, keeping -her face averted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"At least it has saved your explaining the -situation, and you should be thankful for that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The book slipped suddenly to the ground and -lay, all unheeded, and she began to laugh in -a strange high key. Wondering, I took a step -toward her; but as I did so she fled from me, -running toward the house, never stopping or -slackening speed, until I had lost sight of her -altogether.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Thus the whole miserable business had -befallen, dazing me by its very suddenness like a -"bolt from the blue." I had returned to the -Three Jolly Anglers, determined to follow the -advice of the Duchess and return to London by -the next train. Yet, after passing a sleepless -night, here I was sitting in my old place beneath -the alders pretending to fish.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The river was laughing among the reed, just -as merrily as ever, bees hummed and butterflies -wheeled and hovered--life and the world were -very fair. Yet for once I was blind to it all; -moreover, my pipe refused to "draw"--pieces -of grass, twigs, and my pen-knife were alike -unavailing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So I sat there, brooding upon the fickleness of -womankind, as many another has done before -me, and many will doubtless do after, alack!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And the sum of my thoughts was this: -Lisbeth had deceived me; the hour of trial had -found her weak; my idol was only common -clay, after all. And yet she had but preferred -wealth to comparative poverty, which surely -according to all the rules of common sense, had -shown her possessed of a wisdom beyond her -years. And who was I to sit and grieve over -it? Under the same circumstances ninety-nine -women out of a hundred would have chosen -precisely the same course; but then to me -Lisbeth had always seemed the one exempt--the -hundredth woman; moreover, there be times -when love, unreasoning and illogical, is infinitely -more beautiful than this much-vaunted common -sense.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This and much more was in my mind as I sat -fumbling with my useless pipe and staring with -unseeing eyes at the flow of the river. My -thoughts, however, were presently interrupted -by something soft rubbing against me, and looking -down, I beheld Dorothy's fluffy kitten, Louise. -Upon my attempting to pick her up, she -bounded from me in that remarkable sideways -fashion peculiar to her kind, and stood regarding -me from a distance, her tail straight up in the -air and her mouth opening and shutting without -a sound. At length, having given vent to a -very feeble attempt at a mew, she zig-zagged -to me, and, climbing upon my knee, immediately -fell into a purring slumber.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hallo, Uncle Dick!--I mean, what ho, -Little-John!" cried a voice, and looking over -my shoulder carefully, so as not to disturb the -balance of "Louise," I beheld the Imp. It -needed but a glance at the bow in his hand, the -three arrows in his belt, and the feather in his -cap, to tell me who he was for the time being.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How now, Robin?" I inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm a bitter, disappointed man, Uncle -Dick!" he answered, putting up a hand to feel -if his feather was in place.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes; the book says that Robin Hood was -'bitter an' disappointed,' an' so am I!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, how's that?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Imp folded his arms and regarded me -with a terrific frown.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's all the fault of my Auntie Lisbeth!" -he said in a tragic voice.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sit down, my Imp, and tell me all about it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," he began, laying aside his "trusty -sword," and seating himself at my elbow, -"she got awfull' angry with me yesterday, -awfull' angry, indeed, and she wouldn't play -with me or anything; an' when I tried to be -friends with her an' asked her to pretend she -was a hippopotamus, 'cause I was a mighty -hunter, you know, she just said, 'Reginald, go -away an' don't bother me!'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You surprise me, Imp!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But that's not the worst of it," he continued, -shaking his head gloomily; "she didn't come to -'tuck me up' an' kiss me good-night like she -always does. I lay awake hours an' hours -waiting for her, you know; but she never came, -an' so I've left her!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Left her!" I repeated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"For ever an' ever!" he said, nodding a -stern brow. "I 'specks she'll be awfull' sorry -some day."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But where shall you go to?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm thinking of Persia!" he said darkly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's nice an' far, you know, an' I might -meet Aladdin with the wonderful lamp."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Alas, Imp, I fear not," I answered, shaking -my head; "and besides, it will take a long, -long time to get there, and where shall you sleep -at night?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Imp frowned harder than ever, staring -straight before him as one who wrestles with -some mighty problem; then his brow cleared -and he spoke in this wise:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Henceforth, Uncle Dick, my roof shall be -the broad expanse of heaven, an'--an'--wait a -minute!" he broke off, and, lugging something -from his pocket, disclosed a tattered, -paper-covered volume (the Imp's books are always -tattered), and hastily turning the pages, paused -at a certain paragraph and read as follows:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Henceforth my roof shall be the broad -expanse of heaven, an' all tyrants shall learn -to tremble at my name!' Doesn't that sound -fine, Uncle Dick? I tried to get Ben--you -know, the gardener's boy--to come an' live in -the 'greenwood' with me a bit and help to -make 'tyrants' tremble, but he said he was -'fraid his mother might find him some day, an' -he wouldn't, so I'm going to make them tremble -all by myself, unless you will come an' be -Little-John, like you were once before--oh, do!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Before I could answer, hearing footsteps, I -looked round, and my heart leaped, for there was -Lisbeth coming down the path.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Her head was drooping, and she walked with -a listless air. Now, as I watched I forgot everything -but that she looked sad, and troubled, and -more beautiful than ever, and that I loved -her. Instinctively I rose, lifting my cap. She -started, and for the fraction of a second her eyes -looked into mine, then she passed serenely on -her way. I might have been a stick or stone -for all the further notice she bestowed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Side by side, the Imp and I watched her go, -until the last gleam of her white skirt had -vanished amid the green. Then he folded his -arms and turned to me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So be it!" he said, with an air of stern -finality; "an' now, what is a 'blasted oak,' -please?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A blasted oak?" I repeated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you please, Uncle Dick."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, it's an oak-tree that has been struck -by lightning."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Like the one with the 'stickie-out' branches, -where I once hid Auntie Lis--Her stockings?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I nodded, and, sitting down, began to pack -up my fishing-rod and things.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm glad of that," pursued the Imp -thoughtfully. "Robin Hood was always saying to -somebody, 'Hie thee to the blasted oak at -midnight!' an' it's nice to have one handy, -you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I only said "Yes," and sighed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Whence that doleful visage,' Uncle Dick--I -mean, Little-John? Is Auntie angry with -you, too?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," I answered, and sighed again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh!" said the Imp, staring, "an' do you -feel like--like--wait a minute"--and once -more he drew out and consulted the tattered -volume--"'do you feel like hanging yourself -in your sword-belt to the arm of yonder tree?'" -he asked eagerly, with his finger upon a certain -paragraph.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very like it, my Imp."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Or--or 'hurling yourself from the topmost -pinnacle of yon lofty crag?'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, Imp; the 'loftier' the better."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then you must be in love, like Alan-a-Dale; -he was going to hang himself, an' 'hurl -himself off the topmost pinnacle,' you know, -only Robin Hood said, 'Whence that doleful -visage?' an' stopped him--you remember?'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To be sure," I nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' so you are really in love with my Auntie -Lis--Her, are you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is that why she's angry with you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Probably."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Imp was silent, apparently plunged -once more in a profound meditation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Fraid there's something wrong with her," -he said at last, shaking his head; "she's -always getting angry with everybody 'bout -something--you an' me an' Mr. Selwyn----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Selwyn!" I exclaimed. "Imp, what -do you mean?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, she got cross with me first--an' -over such a little thing too! We were in the -orchard, an' I spilt some lemonade on her -gown--only about half a glass, you know, an' -when she went to wipe it off she hadn't a -handkerchief, an' 'course I had none. So she told -me to fetch one, an' I was just going when -Mr. Selwyn came, so I said, 'Would he lend -Auntie Lisbeth his handkerchief, 'cause she -wanted one to wipe her dress?' an' he said -'Delighted!' Then Auntie frowned at me -an' shook her head when he wasn't looking. -But Mr. Selwyn took out his handkerchief, an' -got down on his knees, an' began to wipe off -the lemonade, telling her something 'bout his -'heart,' an' wishing he could 'kneel at her feet -for ever'! Auntie got awfull' red, and told him -to stand up, but he wouldn't; an' then she -looked at me so awfull' cross that I thought -I'd better leave, so while she was saying, 'Rise, -Mr. Selwyn--do!' I ran away, only I could -tell she was awfull' angry with Mr. Selwyn--an' -that's all!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I rose to my knees, and caught the Imp by -the shoulders.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Imp," I cried, "are you sure--quite sure -that she was angry with Mr. Selwyn yesterday -morning?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Course I am. I always know when Auntie -Lisbeth's angry. An' now let's go an' play at -'Blasted Oaks.'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Anything you like, Imp, so long as we find her."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're forgetting your fishing-rod an'----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Bother the fishing-rod!" I exclaimed, and -set off hurriedly in the direction Lisbeth had -taken.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Imp trotted beside me, stumbling frequently -over his "trusty sword" and issuing -numberless commands in a hoarse, 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.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>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."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last, after more than an hour of this sort -of thing, even the Imp grew discouraged and -suggested "turning pirates."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Our wanderings had led by devious paths, -and now, as luck would have it, we found -ourselves beneath "the blasted oak."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We sat down very solemnly side by side, and -for a long time there was silence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's fine to make 'tyrants tremble,' isn't -it, Uncle Dick?" said the Imp at last.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Assuredly," I nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But I should have liked to kiss Auntie -Lisbeth good-bye first, an' Dorothy an' -Louise----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What do you mean, my Imp?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, you know, Uncle Dick! '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!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"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."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then let's go away together, Uncle Dick, do!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Impossible, my Imp; who will look after -your Auntie Lisbeth and Dorothy and Louise?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I forgot that," he answered ruefully.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And they need a deal of taking care of," I -added.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Fraid they do," he nodded; "but there's -Peter," he suggested, brightening.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Peter certainly knows how to look after -horses, but that is not quite the same. Lend -me your 'trusty sword.'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He rose, and drawing it from his belt, handed -it to me with a flourish.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"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 passed back -the weapon.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," he answered, with glistening eyes, -"I will, on my honour," and he kissed the sword.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good!" I exclaimed. "Thank you, Imp."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But are you really going away?" he -inquired, looking at me with a troubled face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Must you go?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Will you promise to come back some day--soon?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I promise."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"On your honour?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"On my honour!" I repeated, and in my -turn I obediently kissed his extended sword-hilt.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are you going to-night, Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I start very early in the morning, so you -see we had better say 'good-bye' now, my Imp."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh!" he said, and stared away down the -river. Now, in the buttonhole of my coat there -hung a fading rosebud which Lisbeth had -given me two days ago, and acting on impulse, -I took it out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"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?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, Uncle Dick," he said, taking it from -me, but keeping his face turned away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And now good-bye, Imp!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good-bye!" he answered, still without -looking at me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Won't you shake hands?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He thrust out a grimy little palm, and as I -clasped it I saw a big tear roll down his cheek.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You'll come back soon--very soon--Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I'll come back, my Imp."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>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.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>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.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>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 passed out of her -life for ever.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For over an hour I sat there, chewing the -stem of my useless pipe and racking my brain, -but the "few brief words" obstinately refused -to come.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>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.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The noise seemed to come from the vicinity -of the window. Crossing to it, therefore, I -flung the casement suddenly open, and found -myself staring into a round face, in which were -set two very round eyes and a button of a -nose, the whole surmounted by a shock of red hair.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Allo, Mr. Uncle Dick!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It needed but this and a second glance at -the round face to assure me that it pertained -to Ben, the gardener's boy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What, my noble Benjamin?" I exclaimed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, it's me!" answered the redoubtable -Ben. "'E said I was to give you this an' tell -you, 'Life an' death!'" As he spoke he held -out a roll of paper tied about the middle with -a boot lace; which done, the round head -grinned, nodded, and disappeared from my -ken. Unwinding the boot lace, I spread out -the paper and read the following words, scrawled -in pencil:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Hi the to the Blarsted Oke and all will be -forgiven. Come back to your luving frends -and bigones shall be bigones. Look to the -hole in the trunk there of.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<dl class="docutils"> -<dt class="noindent"><span>"Sined,</span></dt> -<dd><p class="first last noindent pfirst"><span>"ROBIN, Outlaw and Knight.</span></p> -</dd> -</dl> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"P.S.--I mean where i hid her stockings--you no."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>I stood for some time with this truly mysterious -document in my hand, in two minds what -to do about it; if I went, the chances were that -I should run against the Imp, and there would -be a second leave-taking, which in my present -mood I had small taste for. On the other -hand, there was a possibility that something -might have transpired which I should do well -to know.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And yet what more could transpire? Lisbeth -had made her choice, my dream was over, -to-morrow I should return to London--and -there was an end of it all; still----</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In this pitiful state of vacillation I remained -for some time, but in the end curiosity and a -fugitive hope gained the day, and, taking my -cap, I sallied forth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was, as Stevenson would say, "a wonderful -night of stars," and the air was full of their -soft, quivering light, for the moon was late and -had not risen as yet. As I stepped from the -inn door, somebody in the tap-room struck up -"Tom Bowling" in a rough but not unmusical -voice; and the plaintive melody seemed -somehow to become part of the night.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Truly my feet trod a path of "faerie," -carpeted with soft mosses, a path winding along -beside a river of shadows, on whose dark tide -stars were floating. I walked slowly, breathing -the fragrance of the night and watching the -great silver moon creeping slowly up the -spangled sky. So I presently came to the -"blasted oak." The hole in the trunk needed -little searching for. I remembered it well -enough, and thrusting in my hand, drew out a -folded paper. Holding this close to my eyes, -I managed with no little difficulty to decipher -this message:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Don't go unkel dick bekors Auntie lisbeth -wants you and i want you to. I heard her say so -to herself in the libree and she was crying to, -and didn't see me there but i was. And she -said O Dick i want you so, out loud bekors she -didn't no I was there. And i no she was crying -bekors i saw the tiers. And this is true on my -onner.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<dl class="docutils"> -<dt class="noindent"><span>"Sined,</span></dt> -<dd><dl class="docutils first last"> -<dt class="noindent"><span>"Yore true frend and Knight,</span></dt> -<dd><p class="first last noindent pfirst"><span>"REGINALD AUGUSTUS."</span></p> -</dd> -</dl> -</dd> -</dl> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>A revulsion of feeling swept over me as I read. -Ah! if only I could believe she had said such -words--my beautiful, proud Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Alas! dear Imp, how was it possible to -believe you? And because I knew it could not -possibly be true, and because I would have -given my life to know that it was true, I began -to read the note all over again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Suddenly I started and looked round; surely -that was a sob! But the moon's level rays -served only to show the utter loneliness about -me. It was imagination, of course, and yet it -had sounded very real.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And she said, "Oh, Dick, I want you so!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The river lapped softly against the bank, and -somewhere above my head the leaves rustled -dismally.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dear little Imp, if it were only true!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Once again the sound came to me, low and -restrained, but a sob unmistakably.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the other side of the giant tree I beheld a -figure half sitting, half lying. The shadow was -deep here, but as I stooped the kindly moon -sent down a shaft of silver light, and I saw a -lovely, startled face, with great, tear-dimmed -eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lisbeth!" I exclaimed; then, prompted by -a sudden thought, I glanced hastily around.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am alone," she said, interpreting my -thought aright.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But--here--and--and at such an hour!" -I stammered foolishly. She seemed to be upon -her feet in one movement, fronting me with -flashing eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I came to look for the Imp. I found this on -his pillow. Perhaps you will explain?" and -she handed me a crumpled paper.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"DEAR AUNTIE LISBATH" (I read)--"Unkel -dick is going away bekors he is in luv with you -and you are angry with him. Will you come -at nine o'clock to the Blarsted oke, where I hid -yore stokkings if you want to kiss me and be -kind to me again, come to me bekors I want -someboddie to be nice to me now he is gone.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"yore luving sorry Imp.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"P.S.--He said he would like to hang himself -in his sword-belt to the arm of yonder tree and -hurl himself from yon topmost pinnakel, so I -know he is in luv with you."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Oh, blessed Imp!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And now where is he?" she demanded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lisbeth, I don't know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You don't know! Then why are you here?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For answer I held out the letter I had found, -and watched while she read the words I could -not believe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Her hat was off, and the moon made wonderful -lights in the coils of her black hair. She -was wearing an indoor gown of some thin -material that clung, revealing the gracious lines -of her supple figure, and in the magic of the -moon she seemed some young goddess of the -woods--tall and fair and strong, yet infinitely -womanly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now as she finished reading she turned suddenly -away, yet not before I had seen the tell-tale -colour glowing in her cheeks--a slow wave which -surged over her from brow to chin, and chin -to the round, white column of her throat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And she said, 'Oh, Dick, I want you so!' -I read aloud.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh," Lisbeth murmured.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lisbeth, is it true?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She stood with her face averted, twisting the -letter in her fingers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lisbeth!" I said, and took a step nearer. -Still she did not speak, but her hands came out -to me with a swift, passionate gesture, and her -eyes looked into mine; and surely none were -ever more sweet, with the new shyness in their -depths and the tears glistening on their lashes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And in that moment Doubt and Fear were -swallowed up in a great joy, and I forgot all -things save that Lisbeth was before me and that -I loved her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The moon, risen now, had made a broad path -of silver across the shadowy river to our very -feet, and I remembered how the Imp had once -told me that it was there for the moon fairies -to come down by when they bring us happy -dreams. Surely, the air was full of moon -fairies to-night.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Imp, thrice blessed Imp!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But--but Selwyn?" I groaned at last.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you love him----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But I don't!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But if you are to marry him----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But I'm not. I was going to tell you so -in the orchard yesterday, but you gave me no -chance; you preferred to guess, and, of course, -guessed wrong altogether. I knew it made you -wretched, and I was glad of it, and meant to -keep you so a long, long time; but when I -looked up and saw you standing there so very, -very miserable, Dick, I couldn't keep it up any -longer, because I was so dreadfully wretched -myself, you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Can you ever forgive me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That depends, Dick."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"On what?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lisbeth stooped, and, picking up her hat, -began to put it on.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Depends on what?" I repeated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Her hat was on now, but for a while she -did not answer, her eyes upon the "fairy -path." When at last she spoke her voice was very -low and tender.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Not far from the village of Down, in -Kent, there is a house,'" she began, "'a very -old house, with pointed gables and panelled -chambers, but empty to-night and desolate.' You -see I remember it all," she broke off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, you remember it all," I repeated, -wondering.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dick--I--I want you to--take me there. -I've thought of it all so often. Take me there, -Dick."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lisbeth, do you mean it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It has been the dream of my life for a -long time now--to work for you there, to take -care of you, Dick--you need such a deal, such -a great deal of taking care of--to walk with you -in the old rose garden; but I'm a beggar now, -you know, though I shan't mind a bit if--if -you want me, Dick."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Want you?" I cried, and with the words -I drew her close and kissed her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now, from somewhere in the tree above -came a sudden crack and mighty snapping of -twigs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right, Uncle Dick!" cried a voice; -"it's only the branch. Don't worry."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Imp!" I exclaimed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm coming, Uncle Dick," he answered, -and with much exertion and heavy breathing -he presently emerged into view and squirmed -himself safely to earth. For a moment he -stood looking from one to the other of us, -then he turned to Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Won't you forgive me, too, Auntie Lisbeth, -please?" he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Forgive you?" she cried, and, falling on -her knees, gathered him in her arms.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm glad I didn't go to Persia, after all, -Uncle Dick," he said over her shoulder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Persia?" repeated Lisbeth wonderingly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh yes; you were so angry with Uncle -Dick an' me--so frightfull' angry, you know, -that I was going to try to find the 'wonderful -lamp' so I could wish everything all right -again an' all of us 'live happy ever after'; -but the blasted oak did just as well, an' was -nicer, somehow, wasn't it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Infinitely nicer," I answered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' you will never be angry with Uncle -Dick or me any more, will you, Auntie--that is, -not frightfull' angry, you know?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Never any more, dear."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"On your honour?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"On my honour!" she repeated, smiling, -but there were tears in her voice.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Very gravely the Imp drew his "trusty -sword," which she, following his instructions, -obediently kissed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And now," cried he, "we are all happy -again, aren't we?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"More happy than I ever hoped or dreamed -to be," answered Lisbeth, still upon her knees; -"and oh, Imp--dear little Imp, come and kiss me."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-land-of-heart-s-delight"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER VIII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE LAND OF HEART'S DELIGHT</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Surely there never was and never could be -such another morning as this? Ever since -the first peep of dawn a blackbird had been -singing to me from the fragrant syringa-bush -that blossomed just beneath my window. -Each morning I had wakened to the joyous -melody of his golden song. But to-day the -order was reversed. I had sat there at my -open casement, breathing the sweet purity -of the morning, watching the eastern sky turn -slowly from pearl-grey to saffron and from -saffron to deepest crimson, until at last the -new-risen sun had filled all the world with his -glory. And then this blackbird of mine had -begun--very hoarse at first, trying a note -now and then in a tentative sort of fashion, as -though still drowsy and not quite sure of -himself, but little by little his notes had grown -longer, richer, mellower, until here he was -pouring out his soul in an ecstasy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Ah! surely there never was, there never -could be, such another morning as this!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Out of the green twilight of the woods a -gentle wind was blowing, laden with the -scent of earth and hidden flowers. Dewdrops -twinkled in the grass and hung glistening from -every leaf and twig, and beyond all was the -sheen of the murmurous river.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The blackbird was in full song now, and -by degrees others joined in--thrush, and lark, -and linnet, with the humbler voices of the -farmyard--until the sunny air was vibrant with the -chorus.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Presently a man in a sleeved waistcoat -crossed the paddock, whistling lustily, and from -somewhere below there rose a merry clatter of -plates and dishes; and thus the old inn, which -had seen so many mornings, woke up to yet -another.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But there never was, there never could be, -just such another morning as this was!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And in a little while, having dressed with -more than usual care, I went downstairs to -find my breakfast awaiting me in the Sanded -Parlour, having ordered it for this early hour -the night previously--ham and eggs and -fragrant coffee, what mortal could wish for more?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And while I ate, waited on by the -rosy-cheeked chambermaid, in came Master Amos -Baggett, mine host, to pass the time of day, -and likewise to assure me that my baggage -should catch the early train; who, when I rose, -my meal at an end, paused to wipe his honest -hand quite needlessly upon his snowy apron -ere he wished me "Good-bye."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So having duly remembered the aforesaid -rosy-cheeked chambermaid, the obsequious -"Boots," and the grinning ostler, I sallied -forth into the sunshine, and crossing the green, -where stood the battered sign-post, I came -to a flight of rough steps, at the foot of which -my boat was moored. In I stepped, cast -loose the painter, and shipping the sculls, shot -out into the stream.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>No, there never was, there never could be, -just such another morning as this, for to-day -I was to marry Lisbeth, and every stroke -of the oar carried me nearer to her and -happiness.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Gaily the alders bent and nodded to me; -joyfully the birds piped and sang; merrily -the water laughed and chattered against my -prow as I rowed through the golden morning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Long before the hour appointed I reached -the water-stairs at Fane Court, and, tying my -skiff, lighted my pipe and watched the smoke -rise slowly into the still air while I tried "to -possess my soul in patience."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Sitting thus, I dreamed many a fair dream of -the new life that was to be, and made many -resolutions, as a man should upon his wedding -morn.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And at last came Lisbeth herself, swiftly, -lightly, as fair and sweet and fresh as the -morning, who yet paused awhile to lean upon the -balustrade and look down at me beneath the -brim of her hat. Up I rose and stretched out -my hands to her, but she still stood there, and -I saw her cheeks were flushed and her eyes shy -and tender.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So once more we stood upon the old water-stairs, -she on the top stair, I on the lower; -and again I saw the little foot beneath her skirt -come slowly towards me and hesitate.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dick," she said, "you know that Aunt -Agatha has cut me off--disinherited me -altogether--you have had time to think it all -over?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you are quite--quite sure?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Quite! I think I have been so all my life."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm penniless now, Dick, a beggar, with -nothing in the world but the clothes I wear."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," I said, catching her hands in mine, -"my beggar-maid; the loveliest, noblest, -sweetest that ever stooped to bestow her love -on man."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dick, how glorious everything is this -morning--the earth, the sky, and the river!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is our wedding morning!" said I.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Our wedding-day," she repeated in a whisper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And there never was just such a morning -as this," said I.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But, Dick, all days cannot be as this--there -must come clouds and storm sometimes, -and--and--oh, Dick! are you sure that you -will never, never regret--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I love you, Lisbeth, in the shadow as well -as the sunshine--love you ever and always." And -so, the little foot hesitating no longer, -Lisbeth came down to me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Oh, never again could there be such another -morning as this!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ahoy!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I looked round with a start, and there, his -cap cocked rakishly over one eye, his "murderous -cutlass" at his hip and his arms folded -across his chest, stood "Scarlet Sam, the Terror -of the South Seas."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Imp!" cried Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Avast!" cried he in lusty tones; "where-away?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I glanced helplessly at Lisbeth and she at me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where away, shipmate?" he bellowed in -nautical fashion, but before I could find a -suitable answer Dorothy made her appearance -with the fluffy kitten "Louise" cuddled under -her arm as usual.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How do you do?" she said demurely; -"it's awfully nice to get up so early, isn't it? -We heard Auntie creeping about on tippity-toes, -you know, so we came, too. Reginald -said she was pretending to be burglars, but I -think she's going 'paddling.' Are you, Auntie?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, dear; not this morning," answered -Lisbeth, shaking her head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then you are going for a row in Uncle Dick's -boat. How fine!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' you'll take us with you, won't you, -Uncle Dick?" cried the Imp eagerly. "We'll -be pirates. I'll be 'Scarlet Sam,' an' you can -be 'Timothy Bone, the bo'sun,' like you were -last time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Impossible, my Imp," I said firmly. He -looked at me incredulously for a moment, then, -seeing I meant it, his lip began to quiver.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I didn't think 'T-Timothy B-Bone' would -ever desert me," he said, and turned away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Auntie!" exclaimed Dorothy, "won't -you take us?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dear--not this morning."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are you going far, then, Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, very far," I answered, glancing uneasily -from the Imp's drooping figure to Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wonder where?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh--well--er--down the river," I -stammered, quite at a loss.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Y-e-s, but where?" persisted Dorothy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, to--er--to----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To the 'Land of Heart's Delight,'" Lisbeth -put in, "and you may come with us, after all, -if Uncle Dick will take you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To be sure he will, if your Auntie requires -it," I cried, "so step aboard, my hearties, and -lively!" In a moment the Imp's hand was -in mine, and he was smiling up at me with wet -lashes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I knew 'Timothy Bone' could never be a--a -'mutinous rogue,'" he said, and turned to -aid Dorothy aboard with the air of an admiral -on his flagship.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And now, all being ready, he unhitched the -painter, or, as he said, "slipped our cable," -and we glided out into midstream.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A ship," he said thoughtfully, "always has -a name. What shall we call this one? Last -time we were 'pirates' and she was the </span><em class="italics">Black -Death</em><span>----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Never mind last time, Imp," I broke in; -"to-day she is the </span><em class="italics">Joyful Hope</em><span>."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That doesn't sound very 'pirate-y,' somehow," -he responded, with a disparaging shake -of the head, "but I s'pose it will have to do."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And so, upon that summer morning, the good -ship </span><em class="italics">Joyful Hope</em><span> set sail for the "Land of -Heart's Delight," and surely no vessel of her -size ever carried quite such a cargo of happiness -before or since.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And once again "Scarlet Sam" stamped -upon the "quarter-deck" and roared orders -anent "lee-shrouds" and "weather braces," -with divers injunctions concerning the "helm," -while his eyes rolled and he flourished his -"murderous cutlass" as he had done upon a -certain other memorable occasion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Never, never again could there be just such -another morning as this--for two of us at -least.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On we went, past rush and sedge and weeping -willow, by roaring weir and cavernous lock, -into the shadow of grim stone bridges and out -again into the sunshine, past shady woods and -green uplands, until at length we "cast anchor" -before a flight of steps leading up to a particularly -worn stone gateway surmounted by a -crumbling stone cross.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why," exclaimed the Imp, staring, "this is -a church!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Imp," I nodded, "I believe it is."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But to-day isn't Sunday, you know," he -remonstrated, seeing it was our intention to -land.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Never mind that, Imp; 'the better the -deed, the better the day, you know.'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On we went, Dorothy and the Imp in front, -while Lisbeth and I brought up the rear, and she -slipped her hand into mine. In the porch we -came upon an aged woman busy with a broom -and a very large duster, who, catching sight -of us, dropped first the duster and then the -broom, and stood staring in open-mouthed -astonishment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And there, in the dim old church, with the -morning sun making a glory of the window -above our heads, and with the birds for our -choristers, the vows were exchanged and the -blessing pronounced that gave Lisbeth and her -future into my keeping; yet I think we were -both conscious of those two small figures in the -gloom of the great pew behind, who stared in -round-eyed wonderment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The register duly signed, and all formalities -over and done, we go out into the sunshine; -and once more the aged woman, richer now by -half a crown, is reduced to mute astonishment, -so that speech is beyond her, when the Imp, -lifting his feathered cap, politely wishes her -"good morning."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Once more aboard the </span><em class="italics">Joyful Hope</em><span>, there -ensued an awkward pause, during which Lisbeth -looked at the children and I at her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We must take them back home," she said at last.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We shall miss our train, Lisbeth."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But," and here she blushed most delightfully, -"there is really no hurry; we can take a--a later one."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So be it," I said, and laid our course accordingly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For a time there was silence, during which -the Imp, as if in momentary expectation of an -attack by bloodthirsty foes, scowled about him, -pistol in hand, keeping, as he said, "his weather -eye lifting," while Dorothy glanced from -Lisbeth to me and back again with puzzled brows.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I do believe you have been marrying each -other!" she said suddenly. The Imp forgot -all about his "weather eye" and stared aghast.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Course not," he cried at last. "Uncle -Dick wouldn't do such a thing, would you, -Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Imp, I have--I do confess it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh!" he exclaimed in a tone of deepest -tragedy. "And you let him go and do it, -Auntie Lisbeth?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He was so very, very persistent, Imp," she -said, actually turning crimson beneath his -reproachful eye.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't be too hard on us, Imp," I pleaded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I s'pose it can't be helped now," he said, a -little mollified, but frowning sternly, nevertheless.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," I answered, with my eyes upon Lisbeth's -lovely, blushing face, "it certainly can't -be helped now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you'll never do it again?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Never again, Imp."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then I forgive you, only why--why did -you do it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, you see, my Imp, I have an old house -in the country, a very cosy old place, but it's -lonely, horribly lonely, to live by oneself. I've -wanted somebody to help me to live in it for a -long time, but nobody would, you know, Imp. -At last your Auntie Lisbeth has promised to -take care of the house and me, to fill the desolate -rooms with her voice and sweet presence, and -my empty life with her life. You can't quite -understand how much this means to me now, -Imp, but you will some day, perhaps."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But are you going to take our Auntie -Lisbeth away from us?" cried Dorothy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, dear," I answered, "but----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, I don't like that one bit!" exclaimed -the Imp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But you shall come there and stay with us -us often as you wish," said Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That would be perfectly beautiful!" cried -Dorothy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, but when?" inquired the Imp gloomily.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Soon," I answered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very soon!" said Lisbeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Will you promise to be 'Timothy Bone, the -bo'sun,' an' the 'Black Knight,' an' -'Little-John' whenever I want you to, Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will, Imp."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' make me a long sword with a--a 'deadly point'?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," I nodded, "and show you some real -ones, too."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Real ones?" he cried.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh yes, and armour as well; there's lots -of it in the old house, you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let's go now!" he cried, nearly upsetting -the boat in his eagerness.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh! Oh, Dick!" cried Lisbeth at this -moment, "Dick--there's aunt!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aunt?" I repeated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aunt Agatha, and she sees us; look!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Turning my head, I beheld a most unexpected -sight. Advancing directly upon us was the -old boat, that identical, weather-beaten tub of -a boat in which Lisbeth and I had come so -near ending our lives together, the which has -already been told in these Chronicles. On the -rowing-thwart sat Peter, the coachman, and -in the stern-sheets, very grim and stiff in the -back, her lorgnette to her eyes, was Lady -Warburton.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Escape was quite out of the question, and in -half a dozen strokes of the oar we were alongside -and close under the battery of the lorgnette.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Elizabeth," she began, in her most ponderous -manner, ignoring my presence altogether, "Elizabeth, -child, I blush for you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then, aunt, please don't," cried Lisbeth; -"I can do quite enough of that for myself. -I'm always blushing lately," and as if to prove -her words she immediately proceeded to do so.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Elizabeth," proceeded Lady Warburton, -making great play with her lorgnette, "your -very shameless, ungrateful letter I received -last night. This morning I arose at an -objectionably early hour, travelled down in a draughty -train, and here I am out on a damp and nasty -river in a leaky boat, with my feet horribly -wet, but determined to save you from an act -which you may repent all your days."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Excuse me," I said, bowing deeply, "but -such heroic devotion cannot be sufficiently -appreciated and admired. In Lisbeth's name -I beg to thank you; nevertheless----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Brent, I believe?" she said in a tone of -faint surprise, as though noticing my presence -for the first time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"At your service, madam!" I answered, -with another bow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then I must ask you to convey my ward -back to Fane Court immediately; she and -the children will accompany me to London at -once."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My dear Lady Warburton," I said, fronting -the lorgnette with really admirable fortitude, -"it grieves me to deny you this request, but, -believe me, it is impossible!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Impossible!" she repeated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Quite!" I answered. "You here behold -the good ship </span><em class="italics">Joyful Hope</em><span>, bound for the 'Land -of Heart's Delight,' and we aboard are all -determined on our course."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'An' the wind blows fair, an' our helm's -a-lee, so it's heave, my mariners, all--O!'" -cried the Imp in his nautical voice.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dear me!" ejaculated Lady Warburton, -staring. "Elizabeth, be so obliging as to tell -me what it all means. Why have you dragged -these children from their beds to come -philandering upon a horrid river at such an hour?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Excuse me, aunt, but she didn't drag us," -protested the Imp, bowing exactly as I had -done a moment before.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh no, we came," nodded Dorothy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' we've been getting married, you know," -said the Imp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And it was all very, very beautiful," added -Dorothy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Married!" cried Lady Warburton in a tone -of horror; "married!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They would do it, you know," sighed the Imp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And quite right, too," said Dorothy; -"everybody always marries somebody, some -time; it's very fashionable at present. Mamma -did, and so shall I when I grow up, I suppose."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Goodness gracious, child!" exclaimed Lady -Warburton.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I s'pose you're angry 'bout it, aunt," -pursued the Imp. "I was at first--just a -weeny bit; but you see Uncle Dick has a -wonderful house with swords an' armour, but -empty, an' he wanted to keep somebody in it -to see that everything was nice, I s'pose, an' -sing, you know, an' take care of his life. Auntie -Lisbeth can sing, an' she wanted to go, so I -forgave them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, indeed, Reginald?" said Lady Warburton -in a rather queer voice, and I saw -the corners of her high thin nose quiver -strangely.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Beggin' your pardon, ma'am," said Peter -at this moment, touching his cap, "I don't -know much about boats, my line bein' 'osses, -but I do think as this 'ere boat is a-goin' to -sink."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then row for the shore instantly," said -Lady Warburton firmly, "and should I never -reach it alive"--here she brought her lorgnette -to bear on Lisbeth--"I say if I </span><em class="italics">do</em><span> meet a -watery grave this day, my epitaph shall be, -'Drowned by the Ingratitude of a Niece.'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, this gloomy tragedy being happily -averted, and Lady Warburton safely landed, -I, at a nod from Lisbeth, rowed to the bank -likewise, and we all disembarked together.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now, as kind Fortune would have it, and -Fortune was very kind that morning, the place -where we stood was within a stone's-throw of -the Three Jolly Anglers, and wafted to us on -the warm, still air there came a wondrous -fragrance, far sweeter and more alluring to the -hungry than the breath of roses or honeysuckle--the -delightful aroma of frying bacon.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lady Warburton faced us, her parasol tucked -beneath her arm, looking very much like a -military officer on parade.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dorothy and Reginald," she said in a -short, sharp voice of command, "bid good-bye -to your Auntie Lisbeth and accompany me -home at once."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, no," cried Lisbeth, with hands stretched -out appealingly, "you will not leave us like -this, Aunt--for the sake of the love I shall -always bear you, and--and----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Elizabeth, I cared for you from your -babyhood up. Ingratitude is my return. I -watched you grow from child to woman. I -planned out a future for you; you broke -those plans. I might tell you that I am a -lonely, disappointed old woman, who loved -you much more than she thought, but I won't!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dear, dear Aunt Agatha, did you love me -so much, and I never guessed; you wouldn't -let me, you see. Ah! do not think me -ungrateful, but when a woman comes to marry -she must choose for herself, as I have done; and -I am happy, dear, and proud of my choice--proud -to have won the true love of a true man; -only do not think I am ungrateful. And if -this must be good-bye, do not let us part like -this--for my sake and your sake and the sake -of my--husband."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lady Warburton had turned away, and there -ensued a somewhat embarrassing pause.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Elizabeth," she said suddenly, "if I don't -mistake, somebody is frying bacon somewhere, -and I'm ravenously hungry."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So am I," cried the Imp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And so am I," Dorothy chimed in.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then suppose we have breakfast," I suggested, -and in almost less time than it takes -to tell I was leading the way across the green -with Lady Warburton on my arm--actually -leaning on my arm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And now who so surprised to see us as honest -Amos Baggett, ushering us with many bows -and smiles into the Sanded Parlour, where -breakfast was soon ready; and who so quick -and dexterous in attending to our wants as the -rosy-cheeked chambermaid?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And what a breakfast that was! Never -had the antique andirons on the hearth, the -pewter plates and dishes upon the walls, the -brass-bound blunderbuss above the mantel -seemed so bright and polished before, and surely -never had they gleamed upon a merrier company. -To be sure, the Imp's remarks were somewhat -few and far between, but that was simply on -account of the blackberry jam.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I suppose you are both ridiculously happy," -said Lady Warburton, eyeing us over her coffee-cup.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Most absurdly!" answered Lisbeth, blushing -all in a moment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Preposterously!" I nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course!" said Lady Warburton, and -setting down her cup, she sighed, while I -wondered what memories her narrow life could -hold.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Uncle Dick," said the Imp suddenly, -"do you s'pose Scarlet Sam ever ate -blackberry jam?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Undoubtedly, my Imp, when he could -get it." This appeared greatly to relieve his -mind, for he took another helping.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But all things must have an end, alas!--even -such a breakfast as this, and presently -we were out in the sunshine again, standing -beneath the weather-beaten sign whereon three -faded fishermen fished with faded rods in a -faded stream; while away down the road we -could see Peter already approaching with the -carriage.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And now I suppose you are going?" said -Lady Warburton.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There is a train at half-past ten," I -answered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' we are going too!" said Dorothy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, we're quite ready, Uncle Dick!" -cried the Imp, thrusting his pistols into his belt.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But you wouldn't leave me all alone, -would you, children?" asked Lady Warburton, -and there was a certain wistfulness in her sharp -face that seemed new to it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Course not," sighed the Imp, "only----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We must stay and take care of her, -Reginald," nodded Dorothy decisively.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I'll take care of you, Aunt, with -lance, battle-axe, an' sword, by day an' night," -said the Imp, "only--I should have liked to -see Uncle Dick's wonderful house, with the -real swords an' armour, in the Land of Heart's -Delight--some day, you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And so you shall!" cried Lady Warburton, -and she actually stooped to kiss him, and then -Dorothy, rather "pecky" kisses, perhaps, but -very genuine kisses notwithstanding.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Richard," she said, giving me her hand, -"we shall come down to your wonderful house--all -three of us, next week, so be prepared--now -be off--both of you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then you forgive me, Aunt?" asked Lisbeth, hesitating.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, I don't quite know yet, Lisbeth; -but, my dear, I'll tell you something I have -never mentioned to a living soul but you: -if I had acted forty years ago as you did to-day, -I should have been a very different creature -from the cross-grained old woman you think -me. There--there's a kiss, but as for forgiving -you--that is quite another matter, I must have -time to think it over. Good-bye, my dear: -and, Richard, fill her life with happiness, to -make up for mine, if you can. Children, bid -good-bye to your Auntie--and Uncle Dick!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You won't forget the sword with the -'deadly point,' will you, Uncle Dick?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I won't forget, my Imp!" Hereupon he -tried to smile, but his trembling lips refused, -and snatching his hand from mine, he turned -away; as for Dorothy, she was sobbing into -the fur of the fluffy kitten.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then I helped Lisbeth aboard the </span><em class="italics">Joyful -Hope</em><span>, loving her the more for the tears that -gleamed beneath her long lashes, and "casting -loose," we glided out into the stream.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There they stood, the two children, with -the white-haired figure between them, Dorothy -holding up the round-eyed "Louise," for a -parting glimpse, and the Imp flourishing his -cutlass, until a bend of the river hid them from -view.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So Lisbeth and I sailed on together through -the golden morning to the "Land of Heart's -Delight."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="small">LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, -<br />DUKE STREET, STAMFORD STREET, S.E., AND GREAT WINDMILL STREET, W.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 6em"> -</div> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="backmatter"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst" id="pg-end-line"><span>*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK </span><span>THE CHRONICLES OF THE IMP</span><span> ***</span></p> -<div class="cleardoublepage"> -</div> -<div class="language-en level-2 pgfooter section" id="a-word-from-project-gutenberg" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<span id="pg-footer"></span><h2 class="level-2 pfirst section-title title"><span>A Word from Project Gutenberg</span></h2> -<p class="pfirst"><span>We will update this book if we find any errors.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This book can be found under: </span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/49282"><span>http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/49282</span></a></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. -Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this -license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works to protect the Project Gutenberg™ concept and -trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be -used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific -permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, -complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for -nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away – you may do practically </span><em class="italics">anything</em><span> in the United States with -eBooks not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject -to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.</span></p> -<div class="level-3 section" id="the-full-project-gutenberg-license"> -<span id="project-gutenberg-license"></span><h3 class="level-3 pfirst section-title title"><span>The Full Project Gutenberg License</span></h3> -<p class="pfirst"><em class="italics">Please read this before you distribute or use this work.</em></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project -Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at -</span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/license">http://www.gutenberg.org/license</a><span>.</span></p> -<div class="level-4 section" id="section-1-general-terms-of-use-redistributing-project-gutenberg-electronic-works"> -<h4 class="level-4 pfirst section-title title"><span>Section 1. General Terms of Use & Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works</span></h4> -<p class="pfirst"><strong class="bold">1.A.</strong><span> By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by -the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person -or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.B.</strong><span> “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.C.</strong><span> The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the -Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free -access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works -in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project -Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with -the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format -with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it -without charge with others.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.D.</strong><span> The copyright laws of the place where you are located also -govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most -countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the -United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms -of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.</strong><span> Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.1.</strong><span> The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work -on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the -phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed:</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States -and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no -restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at </span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org">http://www.gutenberg.org</a><span> . If you are not -located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this ebook.</span></p> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><strong class="bold">1.E.2.</strong><span> If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project -Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.3.</strong><span> If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is -posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and -distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and -any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted -with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of -this work.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.4.</strong><span> Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project -Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a -part of this work or any other work associated with Project -Gutenberg™.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.5.</strong><span> Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute -this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg™ License.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.6.</strong><span> You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other -than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ web site -(</span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org">http://www.gutenberg.org</a><span>), you must, at no additional cost, fee or -expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a -means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original -“Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include -the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.7.</strong><span> Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.8.</strong><span> You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided -that</span></p> -<ul class="open"> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><span>You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from -the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you -already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to -the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to -donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 -days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally -required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments -should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, -“Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation.”</span></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><span>You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies -you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he -does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ -License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all -copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue -all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ -works.</span></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><span>You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of -any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the -electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of -receipt of the work.</span></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><span>You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free -distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.</span></p> -</li> -</ul> -<p class="pfirst"><strong class="bold">1.E.9.</strong><span> If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3. below.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.</strong></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.1.</strong><span> Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend -considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe -and proofread works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating -the Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be -stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, -incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a -copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or -damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that -damage or cannot be read by your equipment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.2.</strong><span> LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES – Except for the -“Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the -Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the -Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a -Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.3.</strong><span> LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND – If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.4.</strong><span> Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set -forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS,’ WITH -NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.5.</strong><span> Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.6.</strong><span> INDEMNITY – You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, -the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any -Defect you cause.</span></p> -</div> -<div class="level-4 section" id="section-2-information-about-the-mission-of-project-gutenberg"> -<h4 class="level-4 pfirst section-title title"><span>Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™</span></h4> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™'s -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain -freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To -learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and -how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the -Foundation web page at </span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.pglaf.org">http://www.pglaf.org</a><span> .</span></p> -</div> -<div class="level-4 section" id="section-3-information-about-the-project-gutenberg-literary-archive-foundation"> -<h4 class="level-4 pfirst section-title title"><span>Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation</span></h4> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at -</span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf">http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf</a><span> . Contributions to the -Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to -the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email </span><a class="reference external" href="mailto:business@pglaf.org">business@pglaf.org</a><span>. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at </span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.pglaf.org">http://www.pglaf.org</a></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For additional contact information:</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>Dr. Gregory B. Newby</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>Chief Executive and Director</span></div> -<div class="line"><a class="reference external" href="mailto:gbnewby@pglaf.org">gbnewby@pglaf.org</a></div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -</div> -<div class="level-4 section" id="section-4-information-about-donations-to-the-project-gutenberg-literary-archive-foundation"> -<h4 class="level-4 pfirst section-title title"><span>Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation</span></h4> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without wide spread -public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing -the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely -distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest array of -equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to -$5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status -with the IRS.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit </span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate">http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate</a></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: </span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate">http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate</a></p> -</div> -<div class="level-4 section" id="section-5-general-information-about-project-gutenberg-electronic-works"> -<h4 class="level-4 pfirst section-title title"><span>Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works.</span></h4> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Each eBook is in a subdirectory of the same number as the eBook's -eBook number, often in several formats including plain vanilla ASCII, -compressed (zipped), HTML and others.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Corrected </span><em class="italics">editions</em><span> of our eBooks replace the old file and take over -the old filename and etext number. The replaced older file is -renamed. </span><em class="italics">Versions</em><span> based on separate sources are treated as new -eBooks receiving new filenames and etext numbers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility:</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<p class="pfirst"><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org">http://www.gutenberg.org</a></p> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including -how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe -to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.</span></p> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</body> -</html> |