Elinor found Nicky’s eyes fixed on her face with so much meaning in them that she felt the color rise to her cheeks, and got up out of her chair, murmuring that she Would tell Mrs. Barrow, Nicky at once followed her; saying hastily that he must take care Bouncer was safely inside the house. He carefully shut the parlor door behind him and said to Elinor in an urgent undervoice, “We must not leave him alone on any account, Cousin Elinor! By Jupiter, Ned was right! He has come here to find that paper, there can be no doubt! But we shall be a match for him! Did you ever see such frippery fellow?”
“Oh, Nicky, I own I cannot like him! He quite frightens me indeed! I wish you will persuade him to remove to the Hall!”
“Frightens you? What, a fellow that would screech if a mouse crossed his path? You cannot be serious! I am sure Ned would say we must allow him to remain here. Only fancy, Cousin, if he should know where Eustace hid that paper, and lead us to it! I should not at all wonder if it is in Eustace’s bedchamber, for you must have remarked his suggestion that he should have that room. Doing it rather too brown, I thought! I’ll tell you what! Do you lock up that room, and have the chamber next to mine prepared! Then if he tries any of his tricks during the night I must hear him. It would be beyond anything great if I should catch him red-handed, and before ever Ned hears of his being here!”
“Nicky, I shall go distracted! I wish you will send a message to your brother, informing him of this arrival! Not,” she added bitterly, “that he is likely to be of the least comfort to me, for he is as bad as you are and will very likely say it is a happy circumstance or something just as heartless!”
“Well, I should not wonder at it if he did. The only thing is that I shall be hard put to it to be civil to the fellow! Do you know he would have killed Bouncer with that swordstick of his if I had not been there? A fellow that likes cats above dogs! Cats! ”Nicky uttered, with awful scorn.
“He is like a cat himself. Oh, I wish he had not come here! Or I either!”
“Fudge! It is famous sport!” Nicky said, and went back into the parlor.
The guest, so far from searching the room, was still seated gracefully beside the fire, one slim, gray-swathed leg crossed over the other. He smiled sweetly at Nicky and made a gesture with his long-handled quizzing glass toward the silver tassels on his Hessians. “Observe!” he said. “I should not say so, for it is an inspiration of my own, but really I am quite lost in admiration. Silver tassels, dear boy, not gold, thus delicately preserving the mourning note. I shall wear black pantaloons for the ceremony, of course. I hesitated for long before I permitted Crawley to help me into these gray ones, for one would not wish to betray the least disrespect, but I think the relationship just remote enough to allow of my wearing them, do not you? I do flatter myself that my black neckcloth strikes precisely the correct note, however. Or do you think it makes me look like a military man?”
“No,” said Nicky frankly. “Nothing could!”
“Ah, how delightful of you, dear boy! Really, you have so much relieved my mind!” Francis said, beaming upon him. “Now, tell me! Must I look my last on Eustace’s face, or do I not indulge my optimism too much in trusting that his coffin is already nailed down?”