Her Mother's Secret Part 48

Leonidas bowed and smiled.

Roland laughed, and, rising, gave her his own chair, and then stood up against the corner of the mantelpiece, since there was no other chair in the office.

She seated herself, with a look of determination to do her duty.

The squire took up the New Testament, and, handing it toward the old lady, said:

"Miss Bayard, will you take the usual oath, and then state what you know of this case?"

"No, I won't take no oath, because I won't break the command of Him who said, 'Swear not at all,' but I will make an afformation."

And she lifted her withered hand and made a most solemn affirmation that she would speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, to the best of her knowledge and belief, concerning them young tigers and the duel they were planning to fight.

And, having done this, she cleared her throat and began her story.

Leonidas arose from his chair, and went and stood by the side of Roland, and while their accuser gave in her evidence they nudged each other and laughed to themselves like a couple of schoolboys.

"Well, squire, it was yesterday afternoon, and me and Roland was in the house together, for he had just come home from Port Tobacco after going to send that telegram to that parson 'way out yonder and waiting to get an answer 'bout the marriage out there. You know, squire."

"Yes, I know. Proceed."

"Well, while we was talkin'--me and Roland--up rides that young panther there," she said, pointing to Le, who kissed his hand to her for the compliment.

"And my scamp--him there," pointing to Roland, who bowed and smiled, "saw the horse and rider through the window, and rushed out to meet the wisiter and shut the door after him; but he didn't shut it tight enough, and so it came ajar, and the draught come through on my back, and chilled me, and I'm so subject to lumbago that I can't stand a draught on my back. You know, squire."

Mr. Force merely nodded, and the witness continued:

"So I ups and goes to call them boys in out'n the cold, and to shut the door. And then I seen Mr. Le--him there--sitting in his saddle and bending down, talking werry fierce-like to Roland. And Roland--him there--listening as grim as a meat ax. And I says to myself, when two or three of them boys is gathered together, sez I, it ain't the Lord, but the devil, that's in the midst of them, sez I. And you know it, squire."

Mr. Force grunted, in a non-committal sort of way, and the witness continued:

"So I just off with the table cover, and wrapped it round my head and shoulders, and I listened through the little opening of the door. I couldn't hear much, 'cause the wind was bl.u.s.tering, and most of what I did hear was bad words--like--well, 'scown-der-awl,' and such. You know, squire."

Mr. Force nodded.

"But at last I heard something as pretty nigh made my hair rise right up and lift the table cover offen my head. And it certainly did make ice water trickle all down my backbone! And this is what I heard: 'To fight a duel, or to do a murder!' Yes, squire, that was what them two young hyenas was a-planning--them two there, standing by the mantelpiece!"

The two young men bowed to the compliment, and the witness went on:

"Them was the only connected words I heard. And I heard them, 'cause they was said in such a grim, gritty way there was no preventing me from hearing of 'em. But, still, I made out as Roland--him there, a-grinning like a tomfool--was to carry a challenge from Leonidas Force--him there, a-winking like a magpie as has just hid a thimble--to Col. Anglesea, at the Calvert House. And then Mr. Leonidas rode away, and Roland ran into the house so sudden he almost tumbled over me. Yes, you did, you young rhine-horse-o-rus!" she added, shaking her finger at Roland, who dropped his eyes and smote his breast in mock penitence.

"Well, squire, you may be sure as I never let on to my young gentleman as I knowed anything about what he was up to. It wouldn't have done no good, you see. But I watched him. He carried a folded paper in his hand, like a letter, and he put it on the mantelpiece, and went upstairs, a-saying as he was going out; that I mustn't wait tea for him, as he mightn't be home till late. And soon's ever he was gone, I ups and takes that letter. The hungwallop was stuck together werry slight, and I opened it easy, without tearing, and took out the sheet of note paper, and read it. Lord, if all my skin didn't go into goose flesh! Of all the b.l.o.o.d.y-minded, murderous notes as ever was wrote. But you saw it, squire. You know!"

"Yes," said Mr. Force, taking up a little piece of folded paper and holding it in readiness.

"Why, she intercepted the challenge! I remember I thought the letter felt rather thin when I took it from the mantelpiece, but I had not the faintest suspicion that it had been tampered with, and never gave the matter a second thought. Yet she had intercepted the challenge," said Roland, in a low tone.

But Miss Sibby overheard him, and answered:

"Yes, you young tiger, I did interslip it! And, if I hadn't interslipted it, there'd 'a' been murder done, and the constable would have slipted a pair of handcuffs on your wrists by this time--and both of you in jail for murder! Yes, I mean you two young wolves in sheep's clothing, a-standing up by the mantelpiece there and a-grinning like apes!"

"She'll exhaust the menagerie on us presently," said Le.

"Have you any more to tell us of this case?" inquired Mr. Force.

"Well, not much, squire. I tore off the challenge neat as anything, and folded up the blank leaf in its own folds and put it back in the hungwallop, and gummed it up all nice as wax, and nicer, too; and then my scamp come down in his Sunday clothes, and took it up quick and put it in his pocket, and off with him, without any suspicion that he was a-carrying away a blank and a-leaving the challenge in my hands!"

"If you had wished to stop the duel, why hadn't you thrown the whole letter into the fire?" demanded Roland.

"Because, my fine, young chanticleer, you'd a-gone right straight off to Greenbushes and got another one writ, and took it to the colonel right off. Whereas, my letting you go on a fool's errand give me time and chance to come to the squire and fetch the evidence along with me. And, as it was too late to start that night, and I knowed you couldn't fight the duel till to-day noways, I waited until this morning, and I got up and eat my breakfast by candlelight, and set off on my old mule for this place afore sunrise. And I made the complaint to the squire here, and give him the evidence, and called on him to make out a warrant and have you both took up and fetched here, to answer for your misdeeds, and to be dealt with according to law. And he did what I required on him, which was no more than his duty, if you had been his own dear sons. And here you are! Yes, you two there, standing agin' the mantelpiece! It is bad enough, the Lord knows, sez I. But it is not so bad as murder and hanging, sez I, nor yet the State prison, and working in chains! There, squire, I think that is all I have got to say about this, and may the Lord have mercy on their souls!"

"One moment," said the squire, handing over the intercepted challenge. "Is this the written paper that you took out from the envelope directed to Col. Anglesea and left by Mr. Bayard on your mantelpiece?"

"Why, to be sure it is!" said Miss Sibby, as she took it into her hand and examined it.

"That will do! Leonidas Force, come forward."

Le stepped up to the table.

"Are you the writer of this challenge, directed to Col. Anglesea, and bearing your signature?" queried Mr. Force, pa.s.sing over the doc.u.ment in question to the young man.

"Yes, sir, I am the author of that challenge," said Le, after a glance at the paper.

"You have heard the charge laid against you. What have you to say in defense?" questioned the squire.

"Nothing. The charge is substantially true, barring the bad names with which the witness has complimented me. I deny that I am a 'warmint,' a 'wild cat,' a 'wolf,' a 'tiger,' a 'panther' or a 'rhine-horse-o-rus,'"

said Le, laughing; "but I wrote the challenge, and I intended to fight the duel."

"You admit this?"

"Entirely."

"That will do. Sit down."

Le dropped into the only vacant chair, and awaited the next move.

"Roland Bayard, come forward," said the squire.

The young man came, and stood respectfully before the squire.

"You have heard the charges made against you?"

"Yes, sir."

"What have you to say in defense?"

"Nothing, except in some sort what my fellow prisoner there has said. In a word, I may be, as Darwin says, remotely descended from a monkey, but I certainly must decline ident.i.ty, or even relationship, to the wild beasts with which my good aunt has confounded me. But I did undertake to deliver a challenge from my friend Mr. Leonidas Force to that caitiff Angus Anglesea, and I did intend to be my friend's second in the duel."