The Duke agreed to this somewhat mendaciously, and passed on.
When he was admitted into Captain Ware’s chambers, his cousin met him in the hall with a ribald demand to know whether he took his lodging for a receiving office.
The Duke smiled up at him engagingly. “Oh, I could think of nowhere else to have them sent!” he said. “You can have no notion how busy I have been!”
“But, Adolphus, has it come to this, that you are obliged to fetch your linen home from the washerwoman?” asked Gideon, pointing to the unwieldy bundle on the floor.
“So Francis contrived to smuggle it away! Good!” said the Duke, casting off his greatcoat. “Gideon, I have slipped my leash!”
“Capital!” approved his cousin. “Come and tell me the whole!”
The Duke followed him into his sitting-room, but said: “Well, no! I think I will not, if you do not mind it very much!”
“Then tell me nothing at all,” said Gideon, handing him a glass of sherry. “Not, believe me, Adolphus, that I would cast the least rub in your way!”
The Duke, with the nature of his adventure in mind, was not so sure of this. His big cousin could be depended upon to aid and abet him in kicking over his irksome traces, but let him catch but one whiff of Mr. Liversedge and his demands and he would without any doubt at all cast very much more than a rub in the way. So he smiled again, and sipped his sherry.
Gideon, who knew that sweet, abstracted smile, said accusingly: “Adolphus, you are brewing mischief!”