“Come, my girl,”—in a deprecating tone—said a voice, which I recognised as that of Angus. I hoped nobody else would.
“I’m not your girl, and I’ll not come unless I’ve a mind, neither!” cried I, loudly, trying to put in practice her Ladyship’s advice to be as vulgar as I could. “I’m not a-going to have fellows dangling at my heels as keeps me a-waiting—”
“Come, young woman, you just clear out,” said the warder Cartwright. “My word, lad, but she’s a spitfire! You be wise, and think better of it. Now then, be off, both of you!”
And he laid his hand on my shoulder, as if to push me through the door, which I pretended to resent very angrily, and Angus flung down the basket and began to strip up his sleeves, as if he meant to fight the warder.
“Now, we can’t do with that kind of thing here!” cried another man, coming forward, whom I took to be somewhat above the rest. “Be off at once—you must not offer to fight the King’s warders. Turn them out, Cartwright, and shut the door on them.”
Angus caught up the basket and dashed through the door, and I followed, making all the noise I could, and scolding everybody. We had only just got outside the gate when Ephraim came running up, and snatched the basket from Angus. There was a few minutes’ pretended struggle between them, and then Ephraim chased Angus into a side-street, and came back to me, whom he began to scold emphatically for encouraging such idle ne’er-do-wells as that rascal Clowes. I tried to give him as good as he brought; and so we went on, jangling as we walked, until nearly within sight of Mr Raymond’s door. Then, declaring that I would not speak to him if he could not behave better, and that I was not going to walk in his leading-strings, I marched on with my head held very high, and Ephraim trudged after me, looking as sulky as he knew how. We rapped on the back-door, and Mr Raymond’s servant let us in. In the parlour we found Mr Raymond and her Ladyship.
“I am thankful to see you safe back!” cried the former; and his manner suggested to me the idea that he had not felt at all sure of doing so. “Is all well accomplished?”
“Angus Drummond is out, and Keith is in,” replied Ephraim. “As to the rest, we must leave it for time to reveal. I am frightfully tired of quarrelling; I never did so much in my life before.”
“Has Miss Courtenay done her part well?” asked her Ladyship.