But by five minutes to six the Countess, a vision of gauze, lace, and plumes, took her seat at the dinner-table opposite her husband, and announced with a winning smile that she was not so very late after all. “And if it is G-Gluck, I d-don’t mind m-missing some of it,” she remarked. “But I m-must tell you about my adventure. Only fancy, M-Marcus, I have been held up by highwaymen!”
“Held up by highwaymen?” repeated the Earl, somewhat surprised.
Horatia, her mouth full of buttered crab, nodded vigorously.
“My dear child, when and where?”
“Oh, by the Half-way House when I was c-coming home from Laney’s. It was f-full daylight too and they t-took my purse. But there wasn’t much in it.”
“That was fortunate,” said the Earl. “But I don’t think I entirely understand. Was this daring robbery effected without any opposition being offered by my heroic servants?”
“ W-well, Jeffries had not brought his p-pistols, you see. The coachman explained it all to me afterwards.”
“Ah!” said the Earl. “Then no doubt he will carry his goodness far enough to explain it all to me as well.”
Horatia, who was in the act of serving herself from a dish of artichokes, looked up quickly at that, and said: “P-please don’t be disagreeable about it, Rule. It was m-my fault for staying so long with L-Laney. And I don’t think Jeffries could have d-done anything even with a b-blunderbuss because there were a n-number of them, and they all shot pistols!”
“Oh!” said Rule, his eyes narrowing a little. “How many, in fact?”