Quicksilver Part 96

"Papa thinks he would like a little supper, Maria, as we dined early to-day. Bring up a tray. There is a cold chicken, I think!"

"Yes, 'm," said Maria, and disappeared, but was back in a few minutes.

"If you please, 'm, Mrs Millett says there is no cold chicken, 'm."

"Indeed?" said Helen wonderingly. "Very well, then, the cold veal pie."

"Yes, 'm."

Maria disappeared, and came back again. "Please, 'm, Mrs Millett says there is no veal pie."

"Then tell her to make an omelette."

"Yes, 'm." Maria left the room and came back. "Please, 'm, Mrs Millett says there's no eggs, and it's too late to get any more."

"Ask Mrs Millett to come here," said Helen; and the old lady came up, looking very red.

"Why, Millett," said Helen, "this is very strange. I don't like to find fault, but surely there ought to have been a chicken left."

"I'm very glad you have found fault, Miss," said Mrs Millett, "for it's given me a chance to speak. Yes; there ought to have been a chicken, and the veal pie too; but I'm very sorry to say, Miss, they're gone."

"Gone?"

"Yes, Miss. I don't know how to account for it, but the things have begun to go in the most dreadful way. Bread, b.u.t.ter, milk, eggs, meat, everything goes, and we've all been trying to find out how, but it's no good."

"This is very strange, Millett. Have you no idea how it is they go?"

"No, Miss; but Dan'l fancies it must be that rough boy who led Master Dexter away. He says he's sure he caught sight of him in the dark last night. Somebody must take the things, and he seems to be the most likely, knowing the place as he does."

"This must be seen to," said Helen; and she told the doctor.

Consequently a watch was kept by the gardener and the groom, but they found nothing, and the contents of the larder continued to disappear.

"If it were a man," said the doctor, on being told of what was going on, "I'd set the police to work, but I hate anything of that kind with a boy. Wait a bit, and he will get more impudent from obtaining these things with impunity, and then he will be more easily caught."

"And then, papa?" said Helen.

"Then, my dear? Do you know that thin Malacca cane in the hall? Yes, you do. Well, my dear, the law says it is an a.s.sault to thrash a boy, and that he ought to be left to the law to punish, which means prison and degradation. I'm going to take that cane, my dear, and defy the law."

But somehow or another Master Bob Dimsted seemed to be as slippery as an eel. He saw Peter one day and grinned at him from the other side of the river. Two days later he was seen by Dan'l, who shook his fist at him, and Bob said--

"Yah!"

"Have you heard from Master Dexter, Miss!" said Mrs Millett one morning.

"No, Millett, and I am rather surprised. He promised so faithfully to write."

"Ah, yes, Miss," said the old lady; "and he meant it, poor boy, when he promised, but boys are such one's to forget."

Helen went into the library where she found the doctor biting the end of his pen, and gazing up into a corner of the room.

"I don't seem to be getting on as I could wish, my dear. By the way, we haven't heard from that young dog lately. He promised me faithfully to write regularly."

Helen thought of Mrs Millett's words, but said nothing, and at that moment Maria entered with the letters.

"From Dexter?" said Helen eagerly.

"Humph! No! But from Longspruce! I see: from Mr Mastrum."

The doctor read the letter and frowned.

Helen read it, and the tears stood in her eyes.

"The young scoun--"

"Stop, papa!" said Helen earnestly. "Do not condemn him unheard."

"Then I shall have to go on without condemning him, for we've seen the last of him, I suppose."

"O papa!"

"Well, it looks like it, my dear; and I'm afraid I've made a great mistake, but I don't like to own it."

"Wait, papa, wait!" said Helen.

"What does he say? Been gone a fortnight, and would not write till he had had the country round thoroughly searched. Humph! Afraid he has got to Portsmouth, and gone to sea."

Helen sighed.

"'Sorry to give so bad an account of him,'" muttered the doctor, reading bits of the letter--"'treated him as his own son--seemed to have an undercurrent of evil in his nature, impossible to eradicate--tried everything, but all in vain--was beginning to despair, but still hopeful that patience might overcome the difficulty--patience combined with affectionate treatment, but it was in vain--after trying to persuade his fellow-pupils one by one, and failing, he threatened them savagely if they dared to betray him, and then he escaped from the grounds, and has not been seen since.'"

There was a painful silence in the doctor's library for a few minutes.

"'Patience combined with affectionate treatment,'" read the doctor again. "Helen, I believe that man has beaten and ill-used poor Dexter till he could bear it no longer, and has run away."

"I'm sure of it, papa," cried Helen excitedly. "Do you think he will come back!"

"I don't know," said the doctor. "Yes, I do. No; he would be afraid.

I'd give something to know how to go to work to find him."

"If you please, sir, may I come in?" said a pleasant soft voice.

"Yes, yes, Millett, of course. What is it?"

"Dan'l has been to say, sir, that he caught sight of that boy, Bob Dimsted, crawling in the garden last night when it was dark, and chased him, but the boy climbed one of the trained pear-trees, got on the wall, and escaped."

"Confound the young rascal!" cried the doctor.

"And I'm sorry to say, sir, that two blankets have been stolen off Master Dexter's bed."