asif he did not like to injure their tender fibres.
"Master Samson won't be happy till I've given him stick enough to makehis bones sore. Hah! we shall have to get it over somehow. Samsonwon't be content till we've had it out."
The supper of those days was ready when the boys entered the greatdining-room, Fred having declared himself ravenous while upstairs inScarlett's bedroom, where, the lads being much of a size, he had beenaccommodated with a complete change, even to dry shoes.
Sir Godfrey and Lady Markham were waiting, the former looking veryserious, and his countenance becoming more grave as he saw Fred enter.
"You bad boys," whispered Scarlett's sister, as she ran up to them, withher dark hair tossed about her shoulders. "Father was beginning toscold."
"How do, Lady Markham?" said Fred, and her ladyship looked troubled asshe took the boy's hand. "How do, sir? It was so late, and I am sohungry, that I thought you would not mind my stopping to supper withScar."
"Ahem! No, my boy," said Sir Godfrey, trying to be cordial, butspeaking coldly. "Sit down. Been out with Scarlett?"
"Yes, sir. All the afternoon in the woods," replied Fred, looking atthe baronet wonderingly, for he had never heard him speak in such a tonebefore.
Ever since he could remember he had been in and out of the Hall atmeal-times, even sleeping there often, and Scarlett's visits to theManor had been of the same character. To all intents and purposes thelife of the boys had been that of brothers, while that of their fathershad been much the same.
It was a genuine old-fashioned Coombeshire repast to which the hungryboys sat down, eating away as boys of fifteen or sixteen can eat, andbread and butter, ham, cake, junket and cream, disappeared at amarvellous rate.
"Is your father poorly?" whispered Fred, after satisfying his hunger tosome extent. "I don't know. Don't speak so loud."
"Wasn't speaking so loud," said Fred, kicking Scarlett under the table."What's the matter with him?"
"I don't know. Heard some bad news, perhaps."
"Shall we tell him about the secret way? He'd like to hear, I daresay."
"No, no; let's keep it to ourselves for the present."
That something was troubling Sir Godfrey was evident, for his supper washardly tasted, and twice over, when Lady Markham spoke to him, andpressed him to eat, he declined in an irritable way.
"I shall have to join them, if these things go on, Margaret."
"Godfrey!"
"Yes; I feel it is a duty to one's self and country. If we countrygentlemen are not staunch now, and do not rally round his majesty, whatare we to come to?"
Lady Markham shook her head, and softly applied her handkerchief to hereyes, ending by rising and going to where Sir Godfrey sat and, layingher hand upon his shoulder, she bent down and whispered a few words tohim, which seemed to have a calming effect, for he took her hand fromwhere it lay, raised it to his lips, and looked up in his wife's eyesfor a few moments before she returned to her place.
All this seemed very strange to the lads, who, feeling uncomfortable,began chatting to Lil, but a complete damp was thrown over what wasgenerally a pleasant, sociable meal, and it was with quite a sense ofrelief that Fred rose at a hint from Scarlett, and they went out intothe hall to walk up and down,--talking for a few minutes before Scarlettran up the stairs and down once or twice to make sure that all was rightby the topmost balusters.
"Glad I did not make up my mind to tell father," he said, as he stoodonce more by the open door.
"What's the matter?"
"I don't know. Father has had letters, I suppose, that have upset him."
"But he said something about the king--and rallying round him."
"Yes."
"Well, never mind that. Shall we get the boat out to-morrow morning,and have a hunt along the side of the lake? We must find that archway."
"Yes, of course."
"What time shall I come--directly after breakfast?"
"Yes, and I'll have the boat baled out. She's half full of water. Jobfor Nat."
"Then I'll run home now. Good night.--Good night."
The second good night came from half-way to the west end of the lake, asFred ran on down to the narrow track which skirted the water-side.
"He will not go and hunt for it by himself," said Scarlett,thoughtfully, as he turned to go in, little thinking what a shadow wasfalling over his home. "No," he added laconically, "too dark;" and,after a glance toward the woodlands at the east end of the gate, heentered the house whistling merrily.
CHAPTER TEN.
CAPTAIN MILES.
Fred's way across the fields to the Manor was among sweet autumn scents,and with moth and bird taking his attention at almost every step.
The white owl was out, with its peculiar grating cry; so was the tawnyowl, breaking forth into its loud hail--_hoi-hoi-hoi_! Skimming aboutthe oak-trees he saw the nightjars again, every swoop meaning death tosome unfortunate moth or beetle.
But all these objects were too familiar to call for more than a passingglance as the boy hurried on. Down in the hollows the mists weregathering and floating a little way above the ground, as if there were afire near, while far away in the east a bright planet burned like silveropposite to the warm glow left in the west.
"Hurrah! there we are," cried Fred, as he topped the last hill, andlooked down at the lights which showed where home lay; and he was notlong in getting over the ground, almost quicker than he was satisfiedwith, for he was making his plans for the next morning respecting thediscovery of the entrance to the passage.
For the whole of the incidents in connection with the secret chamber hadthoroughly excited him, and he felt as if he could not rest till he hadfound out everything about the place.
To his great surprise, as he entered the house, he found that supper wasnot begun.
"Been waiting for me, mother?" he cried to the calm, sweet-faced ladyseated working by the light of rather a dim candle.
"No, Fred," she said, smiling gravely, as she drew him down and kissedhis brow.
"Because I had mine with Scar. Where's father?"
"In the library. He has a gentleman with him."
"Gentleman?"
"Yes; he has come from Bristol to see your father on business."
"Oh!" said Fred, carelessly; and he sat down and rested his head uponhis hand.
"Does your head ache, my boy?" asked his mother.
"Head? No, mother. I was only thinking," said the boy, as his mother'swords brought him back from wandering in the water-floored passage.
"Thinking of your studies?"
Fred started a little, for his studies had been rather neglected oflate.
"No, mother, only of a hunt Scar and I had in the Hall woods to-day."
It was in the boy's heart to tell his mother all that had passed, andtheir discovery from beginning to end, but he argued, "If I do, it willnot be a secret any longer."
There was a pause.
"Father said that a well-intentioned boy would have no secrets from hisfather and mother, and that they should be always looked upon as hisbest friends. But it isn't mine altogether," argued Fred, after anothervery long pause; "and I've no business to tell Scar's secret to any onetill he has told it to his own father and mother; and, besides, as it'sa private place, they would not like any one to know about it, and--"
"Yes, Forrester, we may throw away all compunction now," said a loud,firm voice; and Fred rose from his seat as his father entered in companywith a tall, broad-shouldered man, whose grizzled, slightly curly hairwas cut very close to his head, and whose eyes seemed to pierce the boy,as he gave him a sternly searching look. He had a stiff, militarybearing, and he did not walk down the long low room, but seemed to marchrather awkwardly, as if he had been riding a great deal.
He nodded familiarly to Mistress Forrester, who looked at him in rathera troubled way, as he marched straight to Fred, slapped him sharply onthe shoulder, and gripped it so hard as to give him acute pain. But theboy did
not flinch, only set his teeth hard, knit his brow, and gazedresentfully in the visitor's dark eyes, which seemed full of malice andenjoyment in the pain he was giving.
"So this is Fred, is it?" he said in a harsh voice, which sounded as ifhe was ordering Colonel Forrester to answer.
"Yes, sir," said Mistress Forrester, with dignity, "this is our son;"and she looked wonderfully like her boy in the resentful glance shedarted at her guest, for she could read Fred's suffering.
"Hah! made of the right stuff, like his father, Mistress Forrester. Didthat hurt you, my boy?"
"Of course it did," said Fred,