"The children are very noisy," she said, rising hastily; "I will go and tell them to be quieter."
"Nonsense!" Sir Richard exclaimed. "Let them be! Pray don't fuss, Arabella!"
Poor Mrs. Compton, who had been only anxious that her father should not be disturbed or irritated, sat down again, and proceeded with her work in silence. The sounds of laughter upstairs continued, Ruth's shrill treble mingling with the boys' deeper voices.
"I wonder what they are doing," said Sir Richard, a slight smile curving his stern lips; "shall we go and see?"
She agreed, though a trifle uneasily; and they accordingly went upstairs together.
The children were at the top of the house, where they had been ransacking the disused rooms. Lionel had shown Dick the "something" he and his sister had found, which proved to be a short old-fashioned gun with a large bore—like a cannon, as Dick said; and now they were in the midst of a most entrancing game of their own invention. Ruth, who had donned a faded yellow satin gown, which she had found amongst a lot of other garments in a big chest, was being hauled, shrieking and laughing, around the room by her brother, whilst Dick, armed with the short gun, was pretending to fire upon the little girl's assailant.
A sudden hush fell upon the young people as soon as they realised there was an audience to their game. Lionel dropped his hold of Ruth, allowing her to fall in a panting heap upon the floor, whilst Dick, still clasping his weapon, ran towards his aunt and grandfather.
"Oh!" he cried excitedly, "we're having such fun! Ruth's a grand lady going to a party, and I'm her coachman! Lionel's a highwayman—he's stopped our carriage, and demanded all Ruth's money and jewels! He's going to lock her up in a dungeon, and I'm trying to shoot him with this gun! Oh, Aunt Arabella! Oh, grandfather! You can't think what a jolly game it is, and we've made it up ourselves!"
"I'm afraid our coming has put a stop to it," Sir Richard remarked, his eyes resting kindly on Dick's countenance, which was flushed rosy red. He glanced from him to his other grandson, who was keeping in the background, and wondered why the elder boy always appeared struck dumb in his presence. "Why don't you go on with your game?" he continued; "it seems vastly exciting! Ruth could not have shrieked louder if she had actually been in the grasp of a highwayman!"
The little girl tried to rise, but her flowing skirts impeded her. It was Sir Richard who lifted her from the ground and set her on her feet. She thanked him in a low tone, looking shyly up into his face, but reading nothing except amusement there, she ventured a timid smile.