depend upon it it will be found to be touched in the wind, or for ever throwing out a splint! Then, too, he does not play at the clubs, but at houses in Pall Mall, where one never sees the real Goes! In fact," said Miss Stornaway, summing the matter up in a word, "the fellow's a skitter!"
"I see," said John, only the very slightest tremor in his voice.
"Until Jermyn was killed, I scarcely knew him, because Grandpapa quarrelled with my uncle upon the occasion of his marriage," Nell pursued. "She was the daughter of a Cit, and, I believe, rather a vulgar person. Not," she added, in a reflective tone, "that Grandpapa ever liked him above half—according to what Huby has told me. Huby is our butler, and he has been at Kellands for so long that he knows far more about Grandpapa than I do. But when Jermyn died, Henry became the heir, and Grandpapa thought himself obliged to receive him. He used to come here now and then, because in those days he was afraid of Grandpapa, but you could see that he thought it a dead bore. When Grandpapa had that dreadful stroke, Henry ceased to come, which I was very glad of. I never heard anything more of him until ten days ago, when he suddenly arrived at Kellands." Her eyes smouldered. "He had the effrontery to tell me that he thought it his duty! You may guess how I liked that!"
"I imagine you must have told him how soon he might pack his bags again?"
"I did," she said bitterly. "Then—then I was made to see that it is not in my power to be rid of him! He is sly enough to know that I would not, for any consideration you might offer me, permit him to agitate my grandfather. I was obliged to acquiesce in his remaining, particularly when he talked of rusticating for a while, because he was scorched. For Grandpapa to be succeeded—as might happen at any moment—by a man imprisoned for debt would be too much! Besides, I am very well able to deal with Henry. But then, you see, Coate arrived at Kellands, and to my astonishment Henry informed me that it was by his invitation! Since that day there has been no doing anything with Henry: he is ruled entirely by that creature, and I think—I am sure—that he is afraid of him. Coate orders all as he pleases—or he would do so, if I were not there to check him!"
"Are you able to do that?"
"Yes, in general, because I have the good fortune to take his fancy," she said disdainfully. "I have been the object of his gallantry this past week. He has even done me the honour to inform me that he likes a female to be spirited: it affords the better sport, you see." She was interrupted at this point, Captain Staple expressing a strong desire to make Mr. Coate's acquaintance. She laughed, but shook her head. "No, no, I beg you will not! I am well able to take care of myself, and if I were not I have Joseph and Winkfield at hand. If I chose to disclose the whole to my grandfather, he would have both Coate and Henry turned out of doors: he is still master at Kellands! I don't choose to. Dr. Bacup considers that any agitation might prove fatal, and my chief concern is to shield him from any knowledge of what is going on."
"Very well, but you have no need to keep that knowledge from me. What is going on?" asked John.
"I don't know." She clasped and unclasped her hands. "That is what alarms me—not, I give you my word, Coate's encroaching fancies! He and Henry are here for some purpose, and I cannot discover what it may be. It's nothing good! Henry is afraid of something, and Coate is afraid of what Henry may divulge when he's in his cups. He watches him like a cat, and once I heard him threaten to break his neck if he didn't keep his mouth shut."
"Did he, by Jove! Can you discover nothing from your cousin?"
"No. When he is sober, it would be useless to question him, and when he's foxed, Coate takes good care not to let him out of his sight. He becomes a trifle fuddled nearly every night, but he doesn't say anything to the purpose."
"Am I to understand by that
"I see," said John, only the very slightest tremor in his voice.
"Until Jermyn was killed, I scarcely knew him, because Grandpapa quarrelled with my uncle upon the occasion of his marriage," Nell pursued. "She was the daughter of a Cit, and, I believe, rather a vulgar person. Not," she added, in a reflective tone, "that Grandpapa ever liked him above half—according to what Huby has told me. Huby is our butler, and he has been at Kellands for so long that he knows far more about Grandpapa than I do. But when Jermyn died, Henry became the heir, and Grandpapa thought himself obliged to receive him. He used to come here now and then, because in those days he was afraid of Grandpapa, but you could see that he thought it a dead bore. When Grandpapa had that dreadful stroke, Henry ceased to come, which I was very glad of. I never heard anything more of him until ten days ago, when he suddenly arrived at Kellands." Her eyes smouldered. "He had the effrontery to tell me that he thought it his duty! You may guess how I liked that!"
"I imagine you must have told him how soon he might pack his bags again?"
"I did," she said bitterly. "Then—then I was made to see that it is not in my power to be rid of him! He is sly enough to know that I would not, for any consideration you might offer me, permit him to agitate my grandfather. I was obliged to acquiesce in his remaining, particularly when he talked of rusticating for a while, because he was scorched. For Grandpapa to be succeeded—as might happen at any moment—by a man imprisoned for debt would be too much! Besides, I am very well able to deal with Henry. But then, you see, Coate arrived at Kellands, and to my astonishment Henry informed me that it was by his invitation! Since that day there has been no doing anything with Henry: he is ruled entirely by that creature, and I think—I am sure—that he is afraid of him. Coate orders all as he pleases—or he would do so, if I were not there to check him!"
"Are you able to do that?"
"Yes, in general, because I have the good fortune to take his fancy," she said disdainfully. "I have been the object of his gallantry this past week. He has even done me the honour to inform me that he likes a female to be spirited: it affords the better sport, you see." She was interrupted at this point, Captain Staple expressing a strong desire to make Mr. Coate's acquaintance. She laughed, but shook her head. "No, no, I beg you will not! I am well able to take care of myself, and if I were not I have Joseph and Winkfield at hand. If I chose to disclose the whole to my grandfather, he would have both Coate and Henry turned out of doors: he is still master at Kellands! I don't choose to. Dr. Bacup considers that any agitation might prove fatal, and my chief concern is to shield him from any knowledge of what is going on."
"Very well, but you have no need to keep that knowledge from me. What is going on?" asked John.
"I don't know." She clasped and unclasped her hands. "That is what alarms me—not, I give you my word, Coate's encroaching fancies! He and Henry are here for some purpose, and I cannot discover what it may be. It's nothing good! Henry is afraid of something, and Coate is afraid of what Henry may divulge when he's in his cups. He watches him like a cat, and once I heard him threaten to break his neck if he didn't keep his mouth shut."
"Did he, by Jove! Can you discover nothing from your cousin?"
"No. When he is sober, it would be useless to question him, and when he's foxed, Coate takes good care not to let him out of his sight. He becomes a trifle fuddled nearly every night, but he doesn't say anything to the purpose."
"Am I to understand by that
Similar Books
