In Honour's Cause Part 72

"No, no; pray don't move. It's too risky; I don't want to be caught. I must be with those who are going to rescue my father and yours to-morrow.--Think that you are shaking hands with me. Now, there's my hand, old lad. That's right. Yes, I can believe we have hold again.

Perhaps I shall never see you again, Franky; perhaps I shall be taken.

If I am, please think that I always looked upon you as a brother, and upon Lady Gowan as if I were her son."

"Yes, Drew, yes, Drew," whispered Frank in a choking voice, as he bent over his open book.

"Give my love to dear Lady Gowan, and tell her how I feel for her in her great trouble."

"Yes, yes, I will," whispered Frank, as he shaded away vigorously at his sketch, but making some curious hatchings.

"Tell her that there'll be a hundred good, true men making an effort to save Sir Robert to-morrow, and we'll do it. I'd like you to come and help, but you mustn't. It would be too mad."

"No. I'll come," whispered the boy excitedly.

"No, you will not come," said Drew. "You can't, for you don't know when and where it will be."

"Then tell me," whispered Frank, with his face very close to his paper.

"I'd die first, old lad," came back. "Lady Gowan has suffered enough from what has happened. She shan't have another trouble through me. I tried to get you away; but I'm sorry now, for her sake. You stop and take care of her. Your father said--"

"Yes, what did he say?"

"He told me it was his only comfort in his troubles to feel that his son was at his mother's side."

"Ah!" sighed Frank; and then he uttered a warning, "Hist! Some one coming;" and he gazed across the water and went on sketching, for he had suddenly become aware of some one coming from his left over the gra.s.s, and he trembled lest his words should have been heard, for every one now seemed likely to be a spy.

It was hard work to keep from looking up, and to appear engrossed with his task; but he mastered the desire, even when he was conscious of the fresh-comer being close at hand, his shadow cast over the paper, and he knew that he was pa.s.sing between him and the clump of shrubs.

Then whoever it was paused, and Frank felt that he was looking down at the drawing, while the boy's heart went on thumping heavily.

"He must have heard me speaking," he thought; and then he gave a violent start and looked up, for a voice said:

"Well done, young gentleman. Quite an artist, I see."

The speaker's face was strange, and he had keen, searching eyes, which seemed as if they were reading the boy's inmost thoughts as he faltered:

"Oh no, only a little bit of a sketch."

Then he started again, for there was the sound of a blow delivered by a stick, a sharp cry, a scuffle, and Drew bounded out from the bushes, followed by Frank's old enemy whom he had trapped at the house. But Drew would have escaped if it had not been for the stranger, who, acting in collusion with Bagot, caught the lad by the arm and held him.

Frank had sprung to his feet, to stand white and trembling, and drew sword ready to interfere on behalf of his old companion, who, however, began to act his part admirably.

"Don't you hit me," he whined; "don't you hit me."

"You young whelp!" cried Bagot. "What are you doing here?"

"I dunno," whined Drew. "Must go somewheres. Only came to lie down and have a snooze."

"A lie, sir, a lie. I've had my eye upon you for hours. I saw you here last night."

"That you didn't, sir. It was too cold, and I went away 'fore eight o'clock."

"Lucky for you that you did, or you'd have found yourself in the round house."

"Don't you hit me; don't you hit me," cried Drew, writhing.

"I'll cut you to pieces," snarled Bagot. "I watched him," he continued to the man who held the lad in a firm grip in spite of his struggles to get away. "He was sneaking up to this young gentleman, begging and trying to pick his pocket."

"That I wasn't," whined Drew. "I was orfle 'ungry, and he was pitching away cake things to the ducks. I only arksed for a bit because I was so 'ungry--didn't I, sir?"

"Yes," said Frank hoa.r.s.ely. "I gave him a biscuit."

"Then what's this?" said the man who held him, wrenching open Drew's hand, in spite of a great show of resistance, and seizing a shilling.

"You managed to rob him, then."

"No, no," said Frank. "I gave him the money."

That disarmed suspicion.

"But he'd sneaked round behind you. I watched him, and found him here where he had crawled, and lay pretending to be asleep. I wager you had not seen him."

"No," said Frank sharply. "I had not seen him since he came up to beg;"

and the boy drew a breath of relief, for he had shivered with the dread that the man was going to ask him if he knew that Drew was there.

"Better take your shilling back, sir," said the man.

"I? No," said Frank proudly. "Let the poor, shivering wretch go. He wants it badly enough."

"Then thank your stars the young gentleman speaks for you," said Bagot sharply. "Off with you, and don't you show your face this way again."

"Don't you hit me then," whimpered Drew. "Don't you hit me;" and he limped off, repeating the words as he went, while Frank stood looking after him, feeling as if he could not stir a step.

"That was a clever trick of yours, young gentleman," said Bagot, with a broad grin. "But I don't bear any malice. King's service, sir. You see, I can take care of you as well as watch."

"Yes. Thank you," said Frank coldly; and with a sigh of relief he tore the leaf bearing the sketch out of his pocket-book, and then turned cold, for he felt that he had made a false move. The other man was watching him.

"Spoiled my sketch," he said, with a half laugh. "Made me start so that my pencil went right across it."

Fortunately this was quite true, and it carried conviction.

"Don't tear it up, sir," said the second man respectfully. "I should like to take that home to please my little girl. She'd know the place.

She often comes to feed the ducks."

The man was human, then, after all, even if he was a spy, and Frank's heart softened to him a little as he gave him the sketch.

"Thank ye, sir," said the man, who looked pleased; and the lad stopped and listened to him, feeling that it was giving Drew time to get away.

"I can tell her I saw a young gentleman drawing it. She's quite clever with her pencil, sir; but she can't, of course, touch this."

Frank hesitated for a few moments as to which way he should go, inclination drawing him after his friend; but wisdom suggested the other direction, and he strolled off without looking back till he could do so in safety, making the excuse of throwing in the remains of the biscuit Drew had returned to the ducks.