"
Within an hour Bykes reappeared, accompanied by one of the gamekeepers
--an Englishman. The moment he heard the door open, Duncan caught
again at his broadsword.
"We want you, my young man," said the gamekeeper, standing on the
threshold, with Bykes peeping over his shoulder, in an attitude
indicating one foot already lifted to run.
"What for?"
"That's as may appear."
"Whaur's yer warrant?"
"There."
"Lay 't doon o' the table, an' gang back to the door, till I get
a sklent at it," said Malcolm. "Ye're an honest man, Wull--but I
wadna lippen a snuff mull 'at had mair nor ae pinch intill 't wi'
yon cooard cratur ahin' ye."
He was afraid of the possible consequences of his grandfather's
indignation.
The gamekeeper did at once as he was requested, evidently both amused
with the bearing of the two men and admiring it. Having glanced at
the paper, Malcolm put it in his pocket, and whispering a word to
his grandfather, walked away with his captors.
As they went to the House, Bykes was full of threats of which he
sought to enhance the awfulness by the indefiniteness; but Will
told Malcolm as much as he knew of the matter--namely, that the
head gamekeeper, having lost some dozen of his sitting pheasants,
had enjoined a strict watch; and that Bykes having caught sight
of Malcolm in the very act of getting over the wall, had gone and
given information against him.
No one about the premises except Bykes would have been capable of
harbouring suspicion of Malcolm; and the head gamekeeper had not
the slightest; but, knowing that his lordship found little enough
to amuse him, and anticipating some laughter from the confronting
of two such opposite characters, he had gone to the marquis with
Byke's report,--and this was the result.
Pages:
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155