He made two or three more feints of going, and each time the boy began to descend, but only to dart back as the gardener turned.
“Oh, that’s your game, is it!” said Dan’l. “Very well; come down, but you can’t get out of the garden if you do.”
The next time, after a few minutes’ thought, Dan’l turned and ran as hard as he could, with every appearance now of going right off for the ladder. But he had made his plans with no little calculation of probabilities; and his idea was now to go right on till he had given the boy time to descend, and make for one of the entrances, when he meant to return, run him down, and seize him, before the young scamp, as he called him, had time to clamber up any other place.
Dan’l ran on, and the boy watched him; and as soon as the gardener showed by his movements that he was evidently going away, began to descend.
Hardly, however, had he reached the ground than Dan’l turned, saw him, and made a fresh dash to capture him.
If the gardener had waited a couple more minutes he would have had a better chance. As it was, the boy had time to reach the dividing wall of the vinery wall again, but just as he was scrambling up, Dan’l was upon him, and was in the act of grasping one arm, when it was snatched away.
In the effort the boy lost his composure, and the steady easy-going confidence which had enabled him to trot along with such facility; and the consequence was that as he made a final bound to reach the back wall his right foot slipped, went through a pane of glass, and as this startled him more, he made another ill-judged attempt, and, slipping, went through the top of the vinery, only saving himself from dropping down inside by spreading his arms across the rafters, and hanging, caught as if in a trap.
“Here, just you come down!”
Directly after the doctor appeared in the study window, and, closely followed by Helen, hurried toward the front of the vinery, where the gardener stood.