“I should be happy to do so,” he returned. “But I do not find her at all spirited. On the contrary, she appears to me to take an unnecessarily despondent view of her situation. There is really no need that I am aware of, Mrs. Cheviot, for you to put yourself in a fret.”
“Oh, she is not as chickenhearted as you would suppose, Ned!” Nicky said blithely.
Mrs. Cheviot, speech failing her, rose and took several agitated turns about the room. Carlyon went to her and took her hand. “Come!” he said reassuringly. “I should not leave you here, you know, if I thought you stood in any danger. To run away must be nonsensical. By remaining, like a sensible woman, you may be very helpful. I am persuaded you must see, in the light of what has happened, that my placing you in charge here was a very lucky chance.”
Elinor gazed at him. “A very lucky chance!” she echoed faintly. “My lord, when I first encountered you the suspicion crossed my mind that your intellect was disordered. I am now certain that this is so!”
Chapter X
An exhaustive search of Eustace Cheviot’s bedroom having brought to light nothing but some more crumpled bills and several irrelevant papers tucked into the pockets of various coats, it became apparent that if Eustace had indeed had in his possession any document destined for French eyes he had hidden it away in some place where it was unlikely papers would be looked for. Even Nicky, was a little daunted by the prospect of being obliged to search minutely a house crammed with chests, cupboards, commodes, drum tables, and old coffers. “And when we have ransacked every drawer in the place, ten to one it will be found poked up a chimney or stuffed into the lining of a chair!” he said pessimistically. “I do not know how we are to do!”
“I suppose,” said Elinor who, in spite of herself, had begun to take an interest in these proceedings, “that it was not upon his person?”
Carlyon shook his head. “I have everything that was in his pockets,” he replied.
“I wonder,” said Miss Beccles diffidently, “if he perhaps put it between the leaves of a book? I cannot help feeling that that would be a very good hiding place, and I noticed that there were a great many books in that room belowstairs. If you should like it, my lord, dear Mrs. Cheviot and I can busy ourselves tomorrow with taking them all out and dusting them at the same time.”
“A very excellent notion,” Carlyon said. “I am much obliged to you, ma’am.”