"Who's that?" Mr. Baggs' voice queried immediately.
"The Copies, Sir, which you ordered," I replied in a firm voice. "I have finished them."
"Come in! come in!" then broke in Lord Douglas impatiently. "I have waited in this accursed hole quite long enough."
The whole thing went off splendidly, and even Mr. Baggs did subsequently compliment me on my clever Ruse. Lord Douglas never suspected the fact that I had not been out of the Parlour for a moment, but had heard from the safe shelter of the window-recess everything that had been going on.
3
When, a few moments later, I returned to the Parlour, eager to have a few minutes' speech with Mr. Betterton, I saw that he had gone. Anon, Kathleen, the maid, brought in the candles and closed the shutters. I once more took my place at my desk, but this time made no use of the screen. After awhile, Lord Douglas came in, followed by the ever-obsequious Mr. Baggs, and almost directly after that, my Lord Stour came back.
His clothes were very wet and he shook the rain out from the brim of his hat.
"What a time You have been!" Lord Douglas said to him. "I was for going away without seeing You."
"I wanted to find out what had happened in here," my Lord Stour gave reply, speaking in a whisper.
"What do you mean?"