Molly took it with a smile.
“I thank you sir, not at all; though I fear I should have injured myself quite considerably had you not been so swift in catching me. ’Twas most kind of you, I am sure!” She extended her small hand, and her eyes devoured him.
For a moment my lord hesitated, and then, sweeping off his hat, he bowed low over the hand.
“ ’Twas less than nothing, madam,” he said in his own cultivated voice. “I beg you will dismiss it from your mind.” He straightened himself as the gaolers came forward, and put on his hat again.
Lady O’Hara stepped aside and watched them disappear into the house. Her cheeks were rather flushed, and her eyes suspiciously bright. Suddenly she nodded her head decisively, and throwing away her luckless basket, hurried across the lawn and entered the house through a long window.
My lord was conducted to the library, where O’Hara sat awaiting him, and slouched forward with his hands thrust deep into his pockets and his hat still on his head.
The head gaoler eyed him gloomily, and looked pained when Carstares with studied boorishness leaned carelessly against a fine carved table.
“We ’ave refrained from ’andcuffin’ pris’ner, sir, at your horders,” he said, in a tone that warned O’Hara that should harm come of it, on his head be the blame.
Miles nodded.
“Quite right,” he said pleasantly, and glanced at the cloaked and masked figure before him with more suspicion than ever.
“But I regrets to ’ave to report very hobstinate be’aviour on part of pris’ner, sir,” added the gaoler impressively.
“Indeed?” said Miles gravely. “How so?”
Jack controlled an insane desire to laugh, and listened to the gaoler’s complaint.
“You see the pris’ner, sir, with that great mask on ’is face? Afore we set out to come ’ere, I told ’im to take it hoff. And ’e refoosed, sir. Seeing as ’ow you gave no horders, I did not force ’im to hobey.”
“Ah! … Your name, please?”
“John Smith, sir,” answered Carstares promptly and hoarsely. O’Hara wrote it down with a sceptical smile on his lips that Jack did not quite like.
“Perhaps ye will have the goodness to unmask?”
There was a momentary silence.
“Why, sir, I thought ye might allow me to keep it on?”
“Did ye now? I will not be allowing any such thing.”
“But, sir—”
“ ’Tis impossible. Off with it!”
“Sir—”
“If ye don’t take it off, I shall ask these men to assist ye,” warned Miles.
“May I not speak with ye alone, sir?” pleaded Jack. By now O’Hara was greatly intrigued.
“Ye may not. Unmask!” He was leaning half across the table, his eyes fixed on Jack’s face.
With a quaint little laugh that made O’Hara’s brows contract swiftly, my lord shrugged his shoulders French fashion and obeyed. The mask and hat were tossed lightly on to the table, and Miles found himself gazing into a pair of blue eyes that met his half defiantly, half imploringly. He drew in his breath sharply and the thin ivory rule he held snapped suddenly between his fingers. And at that crucial moment a door behind him that had stood ajar was pushed open, and my Lady O’Hara came tripping into the room.
The two gaolers and her husband turned at once to see who it was, while Jack, who had recognised her, but had not the least idea who she was, fell to dusting his boots with his handkerchief.
O’Hara rose, and for once looked severe.
“What—” he began, and stopped, for without so much as a glance at him, my lady ran towards the prisoner, crying:
“Harry! Oh, Harry!”
Jack gathered that he was the person addressed, and instantly made her an elaborate leg.
The next moment she was tugging at the lapels of his coat, with her face upturned to his.
“Harry, you wicked boy!” she cried, and added beneath her breath: “My name is Molly!”
A laugh sprang to my lord’s eyes and his beautiful smile appeared.
In a stupefied fashion O’Hara watched him steal an arm about her waist, and place a hand beneath her chin. The next instant a kiss was planted full on the little lady’s lips, and he heard Jack Carstares’ voice exclaim:
“Fie on you, Molly, for a spoilsport! Here had I fooled Miles to the top of my bent—and ’pon rep.! he scarce knows me yet!”
My lady disengaged herself, blushing.
“Oh, Miles, you do know Harry—my cousin Harry?”
O’Hara collected his scattered wits and rose nobly to the occasion.
“Of course I do, me dear, though at first he gave me such a shock, I was near dumbfounded. Ye are a mad, scatterbrained fellow to play such a thrick upon us, devil take ye!” He laid his hands on Jack’s shoulders. “Pray, what did ye do it for, boy?”
Jack’s brain worked swiftly.
“Why, Miles, never tell me you’ve forgot our wager! Did I not swear I’d have you at a disadvantage—to be even with you for that night at Jasper’s? But what must you do but see my pistol was unloaded and make me lose my wager! Still, ’twas worth that and a night in gaol to see your face when I unmasked!”
O’Hara shook him slightly, laughing, and turned to the two amazed gaolers. The senior gaoler met his humorous glance with a cold and indignant stare, and gave a prodigious sniff.
“Me good fellows,” drawled Miles, “I’m mighty sorry ye’ve been worried over me young cousin here. He’s fooled us all it appears, but now there’s nought to be done in the matter, though I’ve a mind to send him to await the next sessions!” He slipped a guinea into each curiously ready palm, and replied to the head gaoler’s haughty bow with a pleasant nod. In silence he watched them leave the room shaking their heads over the incomprehensible ways of the
