“You had better get into the carriage, Miss Theodora,” suggested Nell, coldly, ignoring the lady’s question.
“But I want an answer first, my dear. Never mind the snow. I only shiver because I am not used to the night air. You know I never go out after sundown, and not often before.”
But Nell would give her no answer. And Miss Theodora, when she was at last constrained to get into the carriage then, regretted to Mrs. Lansdowne that London had spoiled her dear little girl.
It was now past closing time at the inn, and George Claris, with great difficulty, was clearing his house of its crowd of customers. Those three of the sailors who had suffered most from cold and exposure were to spend the night under his roof, while the rest were taken to Stroan by new-found friends who offered them hospitality. George Claris locked up his house, having already sent his niece and Meg to bed; and, thoroughly tired out, went up to his own room.
He had had a very hard day, and he had finished up with an extra glass of rum and water. The consequence was that he fell off to sleep as soon as he sat down on the edge of his bed to take his boots off, and did not wake up until some hours later, when he sat up suddenly, and remembered, at the moment of waking, that he had forgotten to take the money, both his own takings, and the collection for the sailors, out of the till in the bar.
Opening the door of his room softly, in order not to disturb the sleepers, he went downstairs.
It was half-past five on the following morning when the nearest neighbors were startled by a loud knocking at their door, followed by the abrupt in-rush of Meg, the inn servant, in a state of frantic excitement.
“Oh, come, some of ye; do come! There’s been awful doings in our house!” she cried, scarcely articulate between her fright and want of breath. “There’s somebody hiding in the bar, and I can’t get him out; and Mr. Claris is nowhere to be found; and Miss Nell’s fainted when I told her; and, oh, dear, do come!”
The woman whom she was addressing was at first too much alarmed to come; but two men, who were not far off, hearing the commotion, offered to go back with Meg, and in a few minutes the whole party were at the inn.
There was somebody behind the bar, certainly—somebody down on the floor. The men stood hesitating at the door. The sounds which came to their ears from behind the bar were more like the gruntings and growlings of a beast than the voice of a man.