CHAPTER III.

Observer, Volume 6, Issue 149, 21 July 1883, Page 10

CHAPTER 111.

As I mused fpr a moment after my discomfiture, the singular construction .of the roof-- as they appeared fo> me on .my first view i>_ wioni, recur/ed to me. "The vevy thing!'' I lo ..__v.y. , " It will be very odd if I don';. m;m:._o f <•, got m'oc. that house again." '';,.. With me, to resolve was lv ac : .md "< immediately dived into the shrubbery, in ordei- to work my w;ay quietly; acd uns-.. en _';> me hack of tlie premises. It was well- tliat J did so ; for scarcely was I concealed by the i'ohage, when the 1 front door was again opened, and G-eorge Wintock and Bcnctti — the former bearing a light — stepped ,-out upon the gravel walk, and* commenced I making a circuit of the premises. Holding my breath, and crawling upon hands and knees into deeper shade, I contrived to avoid them. At length, apparently satisfied, after their scrutiny, that. I had made, ofB > .they retired into the house. I overheard enough of their conversation, however, to inform me that it was Benetti's hand which had struck me to the earth. I watched the window of George Wintock's bedroom till I saw by his shadow, on the windowblind that he had entered. . After, a while, the light was extinguished, ahd I concluded that he had retired to rest. I knew .that he, his father, and the Italian were heavy sleepers, as they were accustomed to indulge in deep potations at night. How it came about that Benetti had discovered aud frustrated my scheme, I never was able to fathom. lift, Having reached that part of the premises which I judged most convenient for 'my attempt — a low abutment, used as wood-house — I lost no time in cautiously climbing on to its roof, which I was able to do very easily, as its lowest edge was not more than seven feet from the ground. Fortunately, none of the rooms in which the inmates slept looked out upon that particular angle, so that I did not much fear detection ; if I could only make progress noiselessly, and attain the higher roof before daylight, I could then hide behind its high parapet. Dark as was the night, or rather morning, it was sufficiently light for me to see what I was about. Slowly and with some difficulty, I dragged myself from roof to roof till I reached a stack of chimneys that rose side by side a few "feet from the parapet, and which had been belted with an iron girdle, and fastened with thick iron rods to the wall just below it. By the aid of the rods, I managed to reach the parapet just as the dawn began to break. Here I was compelled, from sheer exhaustion, to lie down a short time and rest inthe leaden gutter inside. Truly, I was but in a sorry plight — niy apparel soiled from crawling in the shrubbery, and from clambering over the dirty roof 6, and saturated with the blood that had flowed freely from the blow I had received. I began also to feel extremely faint from exertion, loss of blood, and excitement. What would become of me, -If strength failed me ? I might lie and die and roi, on the summit of this old mansion, before auy one discovered me. Yet not for one moment did a thought cross my mind of showing the while feather and giving up the adventure : toy feeling.-, were indeed too overwrought for this, pftrtly by \ an almost blind infatuation for thf' h <_..e_. 75 fr-. Wintock, ancl partly by that longing 'Wye to [ j retaliate, which, whether right!-, or wrongly, is | generally felt by any- one who has been put hors- j de-combat at an unfair advantage. j A little rcs-t and the cool fresh n.or. .ing air I somewhat revived me, and' l commen.-.d eivy. - ing along the gutter. With my pocket-knife I | loosened the leaden frame of a pane in one of the garret windows and extracted the glass ; inserting t>_y hand, I was able to undo the catch and obtain ingress. Finding the coast clear, I glided } softly down to my room, locked myself in, bathed i my head and face, and' taking a pull ut my creature-comfort, laid myself down awhile to rest ;my weary bones and. aching, bead. £was much bruised, yet could not help inwardly chuckling at the. surprise the Wintocks and their swarthy coadjutor, would experience duringthe course of the day, when they found that, in . spite of his summary ejection ' Jack Meredith was once more the Man in Possession. And great indeed was the consternation, of Benetti, when, on waking about midday and feeling urgent need of refreshment, I walked down into the kitchen where he aud Martha were sittiug at dinner. Neither heard me approach, as I purposely trod softly. Martha had just helped the Italian to a slice of mutton, when, slipping in, I coolly took a chair and seated myself at the table. . Both of them started and stared as if I had been a ghost. "Very fine joint of mutton, indeed,. Martha — or.p-.tal ! .".cd so delightfully cooked — not overdone. T should so like a taste just where it's so ni. e!y browned on the under-side ;" pointing as I spoke. " Ah ! you haven't a third plate. Never mind ; I'll reach you one ;" oud I accordingly mse and handed her one froih the dresser. * Tbe Italian muttered something in his own language, which if translated would, I suspect, have been anything but complimentary. " Extremely happy to. see me at your social meal, ' no doubt you are, friend Benetti ! I reciprocate fli 0 P . .ffirnertt mnst warmly. Here's to your very good health "—taking up the ale jug from the table and filling myself a , glass. " Admirable. Right good tstuff "—smacking my lips. "Pray, Martha, don't let the mutton getcqldj" seeing that she fc&d not complied with my request. " There';, Welling in the world I dislike so much as cold mutton." •y.. 1- •«.*!__ ccc that feotfc wew lo? fche moment.

■. . thdnderstrubjk j; *a|i&^^^ (si<l Vv. '■'Held; ij^ imploringly,^M_u.tha7p'r^'ceeded. to^ut;in&;; ; j . the coveted slice. . 'V y. ; -y^Vf .} Ay f-fy-Af 7V • "Now, a couple of potatoes and a fewgreene^Vl with just a'das^o!; gravy^ Jhai^k .you, M^^;, , ; You are a good -.50u1... 't^tfiinkJnfn^re^wili..^ always take meals, with 'you . an^ Benetti,. y inste'dd.- df giving" you -fchV;fwutJle : 'd^-^a^g-upoil>i me upstairs. It <will..Baye. you a great mahvfc steps;, and be. .so' infcch . more..coiis<>j!t]ifeles i&tb&aA : all; for litis rather lonely,. Bitfciogt>;up ther^by^V oneself so much." y: :■■ >/*'■._.' -A My ifedmpanions werd at first disppsfed\to_r "be rather; glunipy ; but seeing thatj^l^eternsi^^ to be on good terms with and tbem, ifieWy at; tost gave-: in, vj2&r^<:. conversed kmicably^' though res.srvodiy. I could see,'" however, by.. . thaiv- occasional sly gin ryes at my .physiognfoihy, ■ that both, and especially Lhe Italian, derived con- V sidevable gratification in noting how severely I.V had beon punished. • Acting up to my promise, I did not, duringthe^ ' j -remainder of the time ' I' stayed at; B#ife.e}eigh. i ILiil. trouble Martha to. wait upon me, having ' one object in view, namely, the- discovery ,,of iMiss , Win bock's whereabouts. I did not think it pro- . bable:that she still-, occupied „the.. the. Saime roomabove my sleeping apartment, or she would have . . devised some method of giving me at least a hint •■ of it. Every night I was .-at my old post, the window. In vain I hummed and whistled every tune I was acquainted with. In vain I looked up to catch some slight token of her presence. I felt that -she was not there. She knew : her case . to be desperate,; and if the window werefastened, failing other means, would doubtless have shivered a pane of glass as a signal. Yet was I convinced that she was confined somewhere in the upper part of the mansion ; and for the following reasons. . Firstly, when I essayed to go up into the lumberroom on the following morning after I had effected my second entrance, I found the door at the top of the staircase locked, thus precluding all communication with the upper suite of apartments except by back or servants' staircase. It was nofe 30 on the previous morning, .when the. inmates thought me safely shut out, as I had passed through it on getting down to my chamber. Hence there must be a motive for endeavouring to prevent me exploring them. How I wished that. I had mad._». the circuit of the roof, and peeped into every attic through its window, before descending to my owia room ; and yet I felt that perhaps I had a_cfed for the best, as my strength would not have held/ out much longer. Secondly, I took occasion ..to observe that old Martha, when sho thought Herself unperceived, often put aside the best portions of her viands, as if for some other person. _ ' With these she would suddenly disappear, but always in the evening. I contrived to ascertain that she invariably made for the back stai -res. se ; and I arranged my plan, desperate as it was, accordingly.-' It was destined to be put into execution much earlier than I had anticipated. • ■■ „ : ' '• (To be coidinued-.J