“Plenty, my dear sir—plenty. I like to see them bringing home plenty of litter, as the servants call it.”
“Yes,” said the Doctor, “all’s education. I see Lady Ladelle fidgets about her boy, just as my wife does. They’ll be all right. They can’t go very far from home.”
“But I always dread some accident,” said Mrs Burnet.
“Yes, my dear, you are always inventing something, and have been ever since Vince broke his leg.”
“Through going into dangerous places,” said Mrs Burnet.
“Well, yes, that was from a cliff fall; but he might have done it from tumbling off a wall or over a chair.”
Just when this conversation was taking place the boys were slowly trudging home from their “retreat,” as they called it—coming by a circuitous way, for the fact was very evident that old Daygo did spend a good deal of time in watching the boys’ proceedings, and Vince was strongly of opinion that he suspected their discovery.
But Mike was as fully convinced to the contrary.
“He has no idea of it, I’m sure; but he is curious to know where we go. The old chap always talks as if the island belonged to him. He’d better not interfere with it if he does find out; but, I say, fancy old Daygo scrambling down through that passage. I should like to see him.”
“I shouldn’t,” said Vince, “especially after all we’ve done.”