Brownsmith's Boy Part 75

"Now, then! What's the meaning of all this!"

I heard Philip give a gasp as I opened my lips to speak, but before I could say a word Courtenay cried out quickly:

"Phil and I heard them stealing the pears, and we came down to stop them--didn't we, Phil?"

"Yes: they pounced upon us in the dark."

"I am knocked about," cried Courtenay.

"What a wicked lie!" I exclaimed, as soon as I could get my breath.

"Lie, sir, lie!" cried Sir Francis fiercely, as he tightened his grasp upon my collar. "Why, I saw you come creeping along with that dark lantern, and watched you. You had no business down here, and yet I find you along with this fellow, who has no right to be in the garden now, a.s.saulting my sons."

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.

CIRc.u.mSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.

"Now, sir," cried Sir Francis angrily, "have the goodness to explain what you were doing there."

This was to Ike, who seemed stupid and confused. The excitement of the fight had roused him up for a few minutes; but as soon as that was over he yawned very loudly, and when Sir Francis turned fiercely upon him and asked him that question he said aloud:

"Eh?"

"Answer me, you scoundrel!" cried Sir Francis. "You heard what I said."

"Eh? Hah, yes. What had I been a-doing--heigh--ho--hum! Oh, how sleepy I am! What had I been a-doing here? What I been doing, Mars Grant?"

"You were asleep," I said on being appealed to; and I spoke angrily, for I was smarting under the accusation and suspicion of being a thief.

"Asleep!" cried Ike. "To be sure. That's it. Asleep I was under the bushes there. Dropped right off."

"You repeat your lesson well," said Sir Francis. "Pray, go up to the house--to the library, you boys--you, sir, follow me."

Courtenay and Philip went on in advance, Sir Francis followed, and we were bringing up the rear when Ike exclaimed in remonstrance:

"That ain't fair, master. You ought to sep'rate them two or a nyste bit of a tale they'll make up between them."

"You insolent scoundrel!" roared Sir Francis.

"All right, sir; scoundrel it is, just as you like. Wonder who'll tell the truth, and who won't?"

"Hold your tongue, Ike!" I said angrily.

_Plop_!

That strange sound was made by Ike, who struck his mouth with his hand as if to stop it up and prevent more words coming.

Meanwhile we were going up the garden, and came suddenly upon a spot of fire which kept glowing and fading, and resolved itself into Mr Solomon's evening pipe in the kitchen-garden middle walk.

"Hallo! young gentlemen!" he exclaimed; and then, seeing his master: "Anything the matter, Sir Francis?"

"Matter!" cried Sir Francis, who was in a great pa.s.sion. "Why are you, my head gardener, not protecting my place with the idle scoundrels I pay? Here am I and my sons obliged to turn out of an evening to keep thieves from the fruit."

"Thieves! What thieves?" cried Mr Solomon. "Why, Isaac, what are you doing here?"

"Me!" said Ike. "Don't quite know. Thought I'd been having a nap. The master says I've been stealing o' pears."

"Silence!" cried Sir Francis. "You, Brownsmith, see that those two fellows come straight up to the library. I hold you answerable for their appearance."

Sir Francis went on first and we followed, to find ourselves, about ten minutes later, in the big library, with Sir Francis seated behind a large table, and a lamp and some silver candlesticks on table and mantel-piece, trying to make the gloomy room light.

They did not succeed, but there was light enough to show Courtenay and Philip all the better for running up to their rooms and getting a wash and brush, while I was ragged, dirty and torn, bruised and bleeding, for I could not keep my nose from giving forth tokens of the fierce fight.

Courtenay was not perfect, though, for his mouth looked puffy and his eyes were swelling up in a curious way that seemed to promise to reduce them to a couple of slits.

I glanced at Mr Solomon, and saw that he was looking very anxious, and as our eyes met his lips moved, and he seemed to be saying to me: "How could you do such a disgraceful thing?" but I smiled at him and looked him full in the eyes without flinching, and he appeared to be more cheerful directly.

"Attention!" cried Sir Francis as if he were drilling his men; but there was no more fierceness. The officer and angry master had given place to the magistrate, and he cleared his throat and proceeded to try the case.

There was a little shuffling about, and Philip whispered to Courtenay.

"Silence!" cried Sir Francis. "Now, Courtenay, you are the elder: tell me what you were doing down the garden."

"We were up by the big conservatory door, papa," said Courtenay boldly--"Phil and I--and we were talking together about getting some bait for fishing, when all at once there came a whistle from down the garden, and directly after some one seemed to answer it; and then, sir--'what's that?' said 'Phil,' and I knew directly."

"How did you know?" cried Sir Francis.

"Well, I guessed it, sir, and I said it was someone after the fruit; and I asked Phil if he'd come with me and watch and see who it was."

"And he did?"

"Yes, sir; and we went down the garden and couldn't hear or see anything, and we went right to the bottom, and as we were coming back we heard the pear-trees being shaken."

"How did you know it was the pear-trees, sir?--it was dark."

"It sounded like pear-trees, sir, and you could hear the big pears tumbling on the ground."

"Well, sir?"

Courtenay spoke out boldly and well. He did not hesitate in the least; and I could not help feeling what a ragged dejected-looking object I seemed, and how much appearances were against me.

"I said to Phil that we ought to try and catch the thieves, and he said we would, so we crept up and charged them, and I had this boy, and I suppose Phil brought that man, but it was so dark I could not see what he did."

"Well, sir?"

"Well, papa, this boy knocked me about shamefully, and called me all sorts of names."