"Well done, my boy!
"Bring lights, please, gentlemen. Let us see what villain we have got here."
But, as he spoke, Charlie's head suddenly disappeared, and a sharp exclamation broke from him, as he felt his ankles grasped and his feet pulled from under him. He came down with such a crash that, for a moment, he was unable to rise. He heard a rustling in the bushes, and then his father leapt down beside him.
"Where are you, my boy? Has the scoundrel hurt you?"
"He has given me a shake," Charlie said as he sat up; "and, what is worse, I am afraid he has got away."
"Follow me, gentlemen, and scatter through the gardens," Sir Marmaduke roared. "The villain has escaped!"
For a few minutes, there was a hot pursuit through the shrubbery and gardens, but nothing was discovered. Charlie had been so shaken that he was unable to join the pursuit, but, having got on to his feet, remained leaning against the wall until his father came back.
"He has got away, Charlie. Have you any idea who he was?"
"It was Nicholson, father. At least, I am almost certain that it was him. It was too dark to see his face. I could see the outline of his head against the window, and he had on a cap with a cock's feather which I had noticed the man wore."
"But how came you here, Charlie?"