"66 has a visitor," reported Hank.
The Duke took his feet from the mantel-shelf and reached for his
tobacco.
A spell of silence had fallen upon him that morning, that had been
broken only by a brief encounter with the butcher on the quality of a
leg of mutton, supplied on the day previous.
"Has she?" he said absently.
"I said '66,' which is of neither sex," said Hank. "This fellow----"
"Oh, it's a man, is it?" said the Duke--brightening up; "what sort of a
man, who is he?"
Hank touched a bell and the grave man servant appeared.
"Who is the visitor next door?" demanded the Duke.
"A Captain Tanneur, m'lord; militia; and the son of Sir Harry Tanneur
who is related to No. 66."
"You've been gossiping with the servants," accused the Duke.
"Yes, m'lord," said the man without hesitation.
"Quite right," said the duke approvingly. When the servant was gone he
asked--
"Do you ever pine for the wilds, Hank, the limitless spread of the
prairies, and the twinkling stars at night?"
"Come off, Pegasus," begged Hank.
"The fierce floods of white sunlight and the quivering skyline ahead,"
mused the Duke dreamily, "the innocent days and the dreamless nights."
"No fierce floods in mine," said Hank decisively; "me for the flesh pots
of Egypt, the sinful life."
"Do you ever----"
"Take a walk--_you_," said Hank rudely. "Say your love-sick piece to the
shop windows. What are you going to do about Captain Tanneur--the bold
militia man?"
"I suppose," said his grace, "he's been sent for to protect the innocent
girl from the unwelcome addresses of the wicked duke. I'll have a talk
with him."
He strolled into the garden, dragging the step ladder with him. He
planted it against the wall this time, and mounting slowly surveyed the
next garden.
His luck was in, for the object of his search sat in a big basket chair
reading the _Sporting Life_.
"Hullo," said the Duke.
Hal looked up and scowled. So this was the persecutor.
"Hullo," said the Duke again.
"What the devil do you want?" demanded Hal with studied ferocity.
"What have you got?" asked the Duke obligingly.
"Look here, my friend," said Hal, rising and fixing his eye-glass with a
terrible calm, "I'm not in the habit of receiving visitors over the
garden wall----"
"Talking about the militia," said the Duke easily, "how is this
Territorial scheme going to affect you?"
"My friend----" began Hal.
"He calls me his friend," the young man on the wall meditated aloud, "he
is ominously polite: he rises from his chair: he is going to
begin--help!"
He raised his voice and kept his eye on the conservatory door of 66.
"What's wrong?" inquired Hank's voice from the house.
"Come quickly!" called the Duke extravagantly nervous, "here's a young
gentleman, a stout young gentleman in the military line of business, who
is taking off his coat to me."
"Don't talk such utter damn nonsense," said the angry Hal, "I've done
nothing yet."
"Help!" cried the lounging figure at the top of the wall. "He's done
nothing _yet_--but----!"
"Will you be quiet, sir," roared Hal desperately red in the face;
"you'll alarm the neighbourhood and make yourself a laughing stock----"
The Duke had seen the flutter of a white dress coming through the little
glass house, and as the girl with an alarmed face ran into the garden he
made his appeal to her.
"Miss Terrill," he said brokenly, "as one human being to another, I beg
you to save me from this savage and I fear reckless young man. Call him
off! Chain him up! Let him turn from me the basilisk fires of his
vengeful eyes."
"I thought--I thought," faltered the girl.
"Not yet," said the Duke cheerfully, "you have arrived in the nick of
time to save one who is your ever grateful servant, from a terrible and,
I cannot help thinking, untimely end."
She turned with an angry stamp of her foot to her cousin.
"Will you please take me into the house, Hal," she said ignoring the
young man on the wall, and his exaggerated expression of relief.