“We shan’t know ourselves,” Joe cried as he began to put on the finer garments.
“No, an’ it’s all due to that happy thought of yours regarding the iron cross. What do you s’pose she’d say if she knew our Ira wasn’t her Ira?”
“Hush!” his comrade cautioned. “Some one is goin’ down the hall, an’ might hear you. But I do feel a little ’shamed to impose on so fine a woman as Mistress Le Geyt seems to be.”
“I don’t know ’bout that,” was the low reply. “One enemy robs us; another makes it good. Sort of evens up things, it ’pears to me. Though I confess I wish it was Master Le Geyt we were imposin’ on, instead of his wife.”
A bell now rang loudly at the foot of the stairs, and, taking it for the signal to come to breakfast, the young scouts hastened down to the lower hall where they found their hostess waiting. She led them into a large dining-room, saying:
“Sit down, and Matilda will wait on you. I shall have to ask you to excuse me for a while, as I have some household duties that must be attended to.”
After thus speaking she left the apartment by another door, and in another moment a negress came in to attend to their needs.
Fried chicken, vegetables, bread, pie, cheese, and coffee were furnished them in abundance by the waitress, who seemed delighted at their enormous appetites.
“Ye makes me think of Master Ira,” she declared. “He’s always mighty hungry when he’s been on a long tramp.”
At length they could eat no more, and arose to leave the table, when the hall door was suddenly thrown open, and David Daggett strode in, followed by four stout negroes.