STORY TWO, CHAPTER FIVE.
JAMES BURDON SMELLS FIRE.
Mr Barclay followed me out, and as soon as we were in the hall,"Burdon," he says, "you have a bunch of small keys, haven't you?"
"Yes, Master Barclay, down in my pantry."
"Lend them to me: I want to try if one of them will fit a lock of mine."
He followed me down; and I was just handing them to him, when there wasa double knock and a ring, and I saw him turn as red as a boy of sixteenfound out at some trick.
I hurried up to open the door, leaving him there, and found that it wasMiss Adela Mimpriss.
"Will you show me in to Sir John?" she says, smiling; and I did so,leaving them together; and going down-stairs, to see Mr Barclaystanding before the fire and looking very strange and stern. He did notsay anything, but walked up-stairs again; and I could hear him pacing upand down the hall for quite a quarter of an hour before the bell rang;and then I got up-stairs to find him talking very earnestly to MissAdela Mimpriss, and she all the time shaking her head and trying to pullaway her hand.
I pretended not to see, and went into the dining-room slowly, to findMiss Virginia down on her knees before Sir John, and him with his twohands lying upon her bent head, while she seemed to be sobbing.
"I did not ring, Burdon," he said huskily.
"Beg pardon, Sir John; the bell rang."
"Ah, yes. I forgot--only to show that lady out."
I left the room; and as I did so, I found the front door open, and MrBarclay on the step, looking across at Miss Adela Mimpriss, who was justtripping up the steps of the house opposite; and I saw her use alatchkey, open the door, and look round as she was going in, to give MrBarclay a laughing look; and then the door was closed, and my youngmaster shut ours.
That day and the next passed quietly enough; but I could see veryplainly that there was something wrong, for there was a cold way ofspeaking among our people in the dining-room, the dinner going offterribly quiet, and Sir John afterwards not seeming to enjoy his wine;while Miss Virginia sat alone in the drawing-room over her tea; and MrBarclay, after giving me back my keys, went up-stairs, and I know he waslooking out, for Miss Adela Mimpriss was sitting at the window opposite,and I saw her peep up twice.
This troubled me a deal, for, after all those years, I never felt like aservant, but as if I was one of them; and it made me so upset, that, asI lay in my bed in the pantry that night wondering whether Mr Barclaywould go away and forget all about the young lady opposite, and comeback in a year and be forgiven, and marry Miss Virginia, I suddenlythought of my keys.
"That's it," I said. "It was to try the lock of his portmanteau. Hemeans to go, and it will be all right, after all."
But somehow, I couldn't sleep, but lay there pondering, till at last Ibegan to sniff, and then started up in bed, thinking of Edward Gunning.
"There's something wrong somewhere," I said to myself, for quite plainlyI could smell burning--the oily smell as of a lamp, a thing I knew wellenough, having trimmed hundreds.
At first I thought I must be mistaken; but no--there it was, strong; andjumping out of bed, I got a light; and to show that I was not wrong,there was my cat Tom looking excited and strange, and trotting about thepantry in a way not usual unless he had heard a rat.
I dressed as quickly as I could, and went out into the passage. Alldark and silent, and the smell very faint. I went up-stairs and lookedall about; but everything was as I left it; and at last I went downagain to the pantry, thinking and wondering, with Tom at my heels, tofind that the smell had passed away. So I sat and thought for a bit,and then went to bed again; but I didn't sleep a wink, and somehow allthis seemed to me to be very strange.