MEN IN HIDING.
When in actual sight of the two things I had most longed to see, I can
hardly say which of them more strongly attracted my attention--the sea
glistening like a sheet of silver in the distance, or the old house
nestling down among the trees, with its mullioned windows, gray,
lichen-covered walls, and the funny little cupola surmounting the roof,
and containing the bell which was rung to summon the farm hands to
their meals. The coach had put us down at a spot on the highroad known
as Tod's Corner, where an old servant had met us, and driven us the
rest of the way in a light trap which was just large enough to hold us
and our luggage.
Even at the first glance Coverthorne quite realized my expectations.
The house and farm buildings formed a quadrangle, while the windows of
the sitting-rooms looked out into a quiet, old walled garden, with
fruit-trees, box-edged paths, beds of old-fashioned flowers, and a big
mulberry tree, in the shade of which was a rustic seat. Inside the
building was a large stone-flagged hall, in which, except on special
occasions, we had our meals. The rooms were low and cool, the steps of
the staircase were shallow and broad, flanked with a ponderous
balustrade of dark oak, while panelling of the same material covered
the walls of the best rooms and some of the passages. The whole place
seemed characteristic of a peaceful old age, and it was almost
impossible to think that within its walls anything could ever occur to
disturb its restful quiet with any jarring note of violence or fear.
Mrs. Coverthorne gave me a kindly welcome, though it was evident that
she had not yet recovered from the shock of her husband's death. Her
quiet voice and motherly smile at once won my affections; but often,
when her face was in repose, it bore a sad and harassed expression
which did not escape my notice, and which brought back to my mind a
remembrance of the hints which Miles had given me at school, of some
trouble, in addition to his father's death, which overshadowed the
family.
We arrived early in the afternoon, and after a hearty meal, for which
the long ride in the fresh air had given us an appetite, we hurried out
of doors, to go the round of the place, and visit all Miles's favourite
haunts. To the neighbouring pond and water-wheel, the orchard, the
stables and dog-kennels--to these and a score of other places my friend
rushed, eager to discover whether any changes had taken place; and
after he had satisfied his curiosity on these points, we went farther
afield, roaming over the estate, which on that side included all the
land between Coverthorne and the sea. In those days, when people did
comparatively little travelling, the sight of the ocean was more of a
novelty to an inland-bred boy than it would be now; and standing on the
summit of a headland, listening to the surging of the waves against the
foot of the precipice over which we gazed, I caught my breath, thrilled
with a feeling which was almost one of awe. Away to our left was the
little coast village of Rockymouth, and as we looked we could see a
tiny fishing-boat beating up against the wind to make the harbour,
while on either hand the formidable line of frowning cliffs stretched
away, headland beyond headland, till lost in the blue and hazy
distance. To me the view was like a scene from some stirring romance,
and I drank it in, little thinking under what different circumstances I
should one day renew my acquaintance with that sea and shore.
So many things there were to occupy our attention during that first
afternoon and evening that, for the time being, our resolve to search
for the secret place was banished from our minds; but after we had
finished breakfast on the following morning, I reminded Miles of our
project.
"D'you want to begin at once?" he asked, smiling.
"Why not!" I returned; "it won't take us long."
"Won't it?" answered my companion. "Don't you be so cocksure till
you've tried.--By the way," he continued, his face changing from gay to
grave, "we'd better not let my mother know what we're doing; it would
only revive unpleasant thoughts in her mind."
"Would she be vexed if she found out we were searching for the
hiding-place?" I asked.
"Oh no! it's the loss of the papers she troubles so much about."
It was easy to make an excuse for wandering about the house, and
together we examined every nook and corner, from the cold, gloomy
cellars to dark and stuffy holes in the roof. More than once I thought
I had made some wonderful discovery when I came across mysterious
little doors in some of the bedrooms opening into dark cupboards or
closets in the wall; but Miles in every case damped my enthusiasm by
saying that these were already well known to the whole household. I
must confess that in my own mind I had fondly imagined I should
discover the secret chamber without much difficulty, but soon I began
to realize that it was not such an easy task as I had expected, and at
the end of a couple of hours I came near to owning myself beaten.
"This is where I saw old Denny sounding the walls with the hammer,"
said Miles. As my companion spoke, we were passing down the narrow
wainscoted passage which he had described to me at school. I struck
the boarding myself once or twice with my knuckles as we moved along,
but produced no sound which might betoken the presence of a hollow
cavity behind the oak. Arriving at length at an old square-panelled
doorway, we entered a room which I at once realized I had not been
inside before. Save for a plain wooden chair and table, it was empty
and destitute of furniture. There was nothing specially remarkable
about the place, yet the appearance of its interior seems so vividly
impressed on my mind, that I can see it now as though at this moment I
were once more crossing the threshold.
The apartment was evidently intended for a sort of morning room or
second parlour. The walls were panelled with oak, and a carved
mantelpiece, of massive though not elaborate design, framed the wide,
open hearth. There was a curious earthy smell about the place,
probably owing to the fact that it was never used; which seemed
strange, for it had a pleasant outlook into the garden.
"What a jolly room!" I exclaimed. "Why isn't it used?"
Miles gave a short laugh.
"There's no need," he answered; "we've got enough without it."
We crossed the bare floor and sat down in the deep window-seat. I
still went on talking, but, though I hardly noticed it at the time, my
companion grew quieter than before. He returned absent-minded replies
to my questions, and seemed, from the position of his head, as though
he half expected to hear something in the passage or the garden. We
may have sat like this for ten minutes or longer, when suddenly an
intent expression on Miles's face caused me to break off abruptly in
what I was saying. Then, for the first time, I became aware of a
curious sound, faint and subdued, as though some one were humming with
the mouth closed. At first it seemed far away; then it might have been
in the room, though in what part it was impossible to say. I was
listening idly and with no particular wonder to the noise, when Miles
rose to his feet.
"Come on," he said abruptly.
For a moment I hesitated, not understanding this sudden move; then
seeing my friend already half-way across the room, I rose and followed.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"Oh, anywhere," he answered, almost snappishly, and I wondered what
could have upset his temper.
A boy's thoughts turn quickly from one point to another, like a
weather-vane in a changing wind, and that afternoon our search for the
secret chamber was abandoned in favour of another form of amusement.
Miles had already learned to shoot, and promised to take me out with
him that evening in the hope that we might get a few rabbits. I was,
of course, eager for the expedition, though my own part in it would be
the comparatively humble one of carrying the flasks for powder and
shot. What a clumsy thing that old flintlock fowling-piece would
appear now beside the modern breechloader! Yet how I envied my friend
its possession while I watched him cleaning it, as we sat in the
garden, sheltered from the hot sun by the thick foliage of the old
mulberry tree!
"There!" said Miles at length, as he threw aside the oiled rag and
brought the weapon to his shoulder; "with a charge well rammed home,
I'll warrant her to kill as far as any gun in the county!"
The heat of the day was past when we set out, and the landscape
appeared bathed in warm evening sunshine. I wished that the "Foxes"
and "Eagles" could see us sallying forth armed with a real gun; and
when about two fields away from the house we halted to load and prime
the piece, I felt almost as though I were actually embarked on one of
the wild adventures of the hunter heroes of our Indian tales.
As far as actual sport went, we tramped a long way with very little
result. We should see rabbits feeding out in the fields as we crept up
under the hedges, but before we got within range they would suddenly
prick up their ears and scamper back to their holes.
"The ground is so hard in this hot weather that they hear us coming,"
muttered Miles; but he managed to get a few shots, and, much to my
delight, killed two, which he handed to me to carry.
So we went on, walking across the open, or creeping cautiously along
under the shadow of hedges and bushes, until we reached the summit of
the cliffs, where we sat down to rest.
"How many ships can you see?" asked Miles.
"Two," I replied.
"I can make out a third!" he answered, pointing with his finger. "My
eyes, I expect, are sharper than yours. It's a great deal a matter of
practice. You'd be surprised what keen sight some of the men have here
who've been sailors. Old Lewis, for instance--he can tell a ship's
nationality when she appears only a speck on the horizon, and I believe
he can see almost as well in the dark as he can in the daylight. He's
a curious old fellow. Some afternoon we'll go out fishing with him in
his boat."
We sat looking out over the vast expanse of ocean till the sun sank
like a huge ball of fire below the horizon; then my companion rose once
more to his feet.
"It's time we went back to supper," he said, "or mother will be getting
anxious, and think we've met with an accident. She's been very nervous
since father's death."
Crossing a stretch of common land, we found ourselves looking down on a
little sheltered valley, through which ran a tiny stream, winding its
way towards a little cove where I knew my friend often went to bathe.
Worn out, no doubt, in the course of ages by the water, this gully
narrowed down as it neared the sea, but where we stood it was some
little distance across, and the farther side was covered with quite a
thick copse of trees and bushes.
"I wish I'd brought the dog with me," said Miles. "There is any
quantity of rabbits here. Still, we may be able to get a shot. If we
creep along till we reach that corner," he continued, as we entered the
fringe of the wood, "we may find some of them sitting out in the open."
Bending down, we moved forward in single file, avoiding any dry twigs
which might crack beneath our feet. In this manner we had proceeded
some distance, when I was startled by a rustling in the bushes, and a
big brown dog went bounding across our path.
"You poaching rascal!" exclaimed Miles, and raised his gun to his
shoulder. He was, I am sure, too kind-hearted to have actually shot
the dog; it was more of an angry gesture, or he might have intended to
send the charge a few yards behind the animal's tail to give it a
fright. Anyway, before he could have had time to pull the trigger, to
my astonishment a man suddenly rose up close to us, as though out of
the ground.
"Don't shoot, Master Miles!" he cried. "It be only old Joey, and he's
doing no harm."
The speaker was clad in a dilapidated hat, a blue jersey, and a pair of
old trousers stuffed into a fisherman's boots. I set him down at once
as a poacher, and was astonished at the friendly tone in which he
addressed the owner of the property on which he was found trespassing.
I was still further surprised when Miles, instead of showing any signs
of resentment, merely turned and said in an almost jocular tone,--
"Hullo! what are you up to? It's a mercy I didn't mistake you for a
fox or a rabbit, and put a charge of shot into your whiskers."
"Just out for an evening stroll, sir, and lay down to rest," replied
the man, whistling the dog to his side. There was a funny twinkle in
his piercing gray eyes as he spoke, the meaning of which Miles seemed
to fathom, for his own face relaxed into a grin.
[Illustration: There was a funny twinkle in his eyes as he spoke.]
"Begging your pardon, sir," the fellow continued, "I don't think you're
likely to find any rabbits in this copse to-night. They're all gone to
bed early, or perhaps old Joey may have frightened them."
For another moment Miles and the man stood looking into each other's
faces, and once more the meaning smile passed between them; then the
former uncocked his gun, and slung it over his shoulder.
"All right!" he answered.--"Come on, Sylvester; it's time we went back
to supper."
There was no hedge to the copse. We stepped out from among the trees
and underwood, and had not gone far when the man came running after us.
"Master Miles," he said, "if ever you want to go a-fishing, you can
come down to Rockymouth and have the boat, sir; and if you'll give me a
call, I'll go with you."
I hardly heard what he said, for glancing into the wood, something
caught my eye which immediately riveted my attention. Projecting from
behind a clump of bushes were a pair of heavy boots, and as I looked
one of them moved, which showed conclusively that they were not empty.
I waited till we had got some little distance beyond the copse, and
then seized my companion's arm.
"Miles," I whispered, "there's another man hiding in the wood."
"Is there?" he answered carelessly. "Some friend of old Lewis, I
suppose."
"Is that the old sailor you were talking about?" I asked. "What's he
doing in your wood at this time in the evening? Lying down, too,
concealed among the bushes. He must be poaching."
Miles only smiled, and shook his head.
"He's all right. The chap wouldn't harm a stick of our property; in
fact, he'd just about murder any one who did."
Though more mystified than ever with this explanation, it was the only
one I could get, and we walked on talking of other matters until we
came within a field of the house. The darkness had almost fallen by
this time, though back across the undulating country I could just see
the dark ridge where the tree tops rose above the side of the valley.
"I'm going to fire," said Miles; "it saves the bother of drawing the
charge."
The report of the piece rang out, and echoed over the quiet country,
and as though in answer to the sound there came out of the distance the
sharp bark of a dog. It was evident that the man Lewis was still
enjoying his evening stroll in the wood.
"Master Joe's getting out of training, I fancy," muttered Miles, as
though speaking to himself. "I say," he added aloud, "you needn't
mention anything to mother about our meeting those men in the wood.
They aren't up to any harm, but it might make her more nervous; she
gets frightened at anything now."
"But what are they doing?" I asked. "Surely they can't be loitering
out there for fun?"
Miles laughed.
"It's fun of a sort," he answered. "I'll tell you some day. Now come
on in to supper."
It was one of those hot, still nights when it seems impossible to
sleep, and tired though I was with my long ramble in the open air, I
lay tossing from side to side, now and again dozing off into an uneasy
slumber, only to once more suddenly find myself broad awake. At
length, feeling very thirsty, I got up and groped my way across to the
washstand for a drink of water. A delicious cool breeze had just begun
to come in at the window. I went over and leaned out. The sky was
gray and wan with the first pale light of dawn, and the country over
which I gazed looked ghostly and strange in the twilight. With my arms
folded on the sill, I remained for some time drawing in the fresh
morning air in deep breaths, and fascinated by the solemn silence which
still reigned over the sleeping world, when to my ear came suddenly an
unexpected sound--the clatter of a closing gate.
Wondering who could be about at that early hour, I gazed across the
neighbouring field, and so doing saw the figures of two men emerge from
the deep shadow of the farthest hedge. At a peculiar jog-trot they
crossed the open till a slope in the ground once more hid them from my
view. The light was not strong enough to allow of my making out
anything beyond the outline of their figures, but it seemed to me that
each carried on his back something which I thought resembled a
soldier's knapsack. It was impossible, I say, for me to recognize
their faces, but following close at the heels of the first I distinctly
saw a dog, and immediately decided in my own mind that the man must be
Lewis, whom I had seen a few hours before hiding in the wood. What the
men could be doing, or whither they were going, I had not the faintest
idea, but it struck me that they were up to no good, and that their
errand was one which they would not have performed in broad daylight.
No other person crossed the field, and at length, greatly perplexed, I
returned to bed.
I began to think there were other mysteries to be solved at Coverthorne
besides the whereabouts of the secret chamber.