CHAPTER XXI
關燈
小
中
大
ingatherinhorrorfromit.
SoUncleWellingtonhadgotacar!AndhemusthavebeenspendingtheeveningupatMistawiswithCousinHerbert.Valancyalmostlaughedaloudattheexpressiononhisfaceasherecognisedher.Thepompous,bewhiskeredoldhumbug!
“CanyouletmehaveenoughgastotakemetoDeerwood?”Barneywasaskingpolitely.ButUncleWellingtonwasnotattendingtohim.
“Valancy,howcameyouhere!”hesaidsternly.
“BychanceorGod’sgrace,”saidValancy.
“Withthisjail-bird—atteno’clockatnight!”saidUncleWellington.
ValancyturnedtoBarney.Themoonhadescapedfromitsdragonandinitslighthereyeswerefullofdeviltry.
“Areyouajail-bird?”
“Doesitmatter?”saidBarney,gleamsoffuninhiseyes.
“Nottome.Ionlyaskedoutofcuriosity,”continuedValancy.
“ThenIwon’ttellyou.Ineversatisfycuriosity.”HeturnedtoUncleWellingtonandhisvoicechangedsubtly.
“Mr.Stirling,Iaskedyouifyoucouldletmehavesomegas.Ifyoucan,wellandgood.Ifnot,weareonlydelayingyouunnecessarily.”
UncleWellingtonwasinahorribledilemma.Togivegastothisshamelesspair!Butnottogiveittothem!TogoawayandleavethemthereintheMistawiswoods—untildaylight,likely.Itwasbettertogiveittothemandletthemgetoutofsightbeforeanyoneelsesawthem.
“Gotanythingtogetgasin?”hegruntedsurlily.
Barneyproducedatwo-gallonmeasurefromLadyJane.ThetwomenwenttotherearoftheStirlingcarandbeganmanipulatingthetap.ValancystoleslyglancesatOliveoverthecollarofBarney’scoat.Olivewassittinggrimlystaringstraightaheadwithanoutragedexpression.ShedidnotmeantotakeanynoticeofValancy.Olivehadherownsecretreasonsforfeelingoutraged.CecilhadbeeninDeerwoodlatelyandofcoursehadheardallaboutValancy.Heagreedthathermindwasderangedandwasexceedinglyanxioustofindoutwhencethederangementhadbeeninherited.Itwasaseriousthingtohaveinthefamily—averyseriousthing.Onehadtothinkofone’s—descendants.
“ShegotitfromtheWansbarras,”saidOlivepositively.“There’snothinglikethatintheStirlings—nothing!”
“Ihopenot—Icertainlyhopenot,”Cecilhadrespondeddubiously.“Butthen—togooutasaservant—forthatiswhatitpractica
