“You are not going to help them, are you, Nugent?” Margery asked, quickly and nervously.
“Yes, my darling. But don’t be afraid; I am, as schoolboys would say, a ‘big gun’ at wood-cutting—am I not, Marshall?”
“Indeed you are, my lord,” the gardener replied, solemnly.
“May I come and watch you?”
The earl hesitated.
“I should be afraid, darling, as the splinters fly about so rapidly; but perhaps I can place you in a safe corner. Run and put on some stronger shoes; the ground is damp down at that corner. You have good ropes, Marshall?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“I will follow you directly,” said Margery; then, as they turned, urged by an uncontrollable impulse, she called, “Nugent!”
The earl came back at once.
“You are sure there is no danger?”