“I am satisfied, madam,” said I, “and as a matter of form Mr. Graves will accompany you alone to the other chambers and put the occupants to the same test.”
Graves went with the lady, while we waited in the hall, and when he returned he was almost dumb with amazement.
“There are sixteen women in this house, not counting the madam here, and not a ghost of a man! What does it mean? I feel as though I had been raiding a nunnery!”
We went downstairs accompanied by our fair friend, who, strange to say, now that our search was over, seemed uncommonly willing to talk, carefully evading our questions, however, when we endeavored to obtain some clue to this houseful of girls,—for most of them were evidently young women.
While I was apologizing as best I could for our ungallant and untimely visit, there was the report of a musket outside, and as we rushed to the porch a half dozen scattering shots were heard in the direction of the barn, while the hounds set up a dismal howl.
Mr. Watson came toward me in a great state of excitement.
“They have got away, sir!”
“Who have got away?”
“The men! There were a dozen of them in the barn and hearing us they quietly broke a board out at the back and got away in the woods. The last man of them made a noise and attracted our attention, and we tried to catch him; but he had the start of us and got away with the rest of them!”
It was even so; while we were searching the house and were being detained by the fluent young woman, her friends were escaping.