"
"Well, but my daughter," moaned the wretched man.
"Your daughter will do well enough. Here are two suitors, Cassilis
and I, neither of us beggars, between whom she has to choose. And
as for yourself, to make an end of arguments, you have no right to
a farthing, and, unless I'm much mistaken, you are going to die."
It was certainly very cruelly said; but Mr. Huddlestone was a man
who attracted little sympathy; and, although I saw him wince and
shudder, I mentally endorsed the rebuke; nay, I added a
contribution of my own.
"Northmour and I," I said, "are willing enough to help you to save
your life, but not to escape with stolen property."
He struggled for a while with himself, as though he were on the
point of giving way to anger, but prudence had the best of the
controversy.
"My dear boys," he said, "do with me or my money what you will. I
leave all in your hands. Let me compose myself."
And so we left him, gladly enough I am sure. The last that I saw,
he had once more taken up his great Bible, and with tremulous hands
was adjusting his spectacles to read.
CHAPTER VII - TELLS HOW A WORD WAS CRIED THROUGH THE PAVILION
WINDOW
The recollection of that afternoon will always be graven on my
mind. Northmour and I were persuaded that an attack was imminent;
and if it had been in our power to alter in any way the order of
events, that power would have been used to precipitate rather than
delay the critical moment.
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