After this promising beginning he seemed to find it hard to continue, and for a moment or two sat staring into the fire, smoking, and frowning slightly. Mr. Babbacombe, his elegant form disposed as comfortably as a Windsor chair would permit, watched him through his lashes, but preserved a patient silence. John looked up at last, a rueful smile in his eyes. “It all came about by accident,” he said.
Mr. Babbacombe sighed. “I knew that,” he replied. “You’ve never been in a scrape yet but what it came about by accident. The thing is, no one else has these accidents. However, I ain’t going to argue about it! Why did you send your baggage to Edenhope, though? Been puzzling me!”
“I was coming to stay with you!” said the Captain indignantly.
“Well, what made you change your mind?” mildly enquired Mr. Babbacombe.
“I’ll tell you,” said the Captain obligingly; and settled down to give him a brief account of his present adventure. Certain aspects of it he chose to keep to himself, perhaps considering them to be irrelevant, and although the Squire’s name occurred frequently during his recital, the most glancing of references only were made to his granddaughter. But the rest of the story he told his friend without reservation.
Mr. Babbacombe, listening in astonishment, and with no more than an occasional interruption, learned with incredulity that the Captain had no immediate intention of divulging to Stogumber the whereabouts of the treasure. He was moved to protest, saying in deeply moved accents: “No, really, my dear fellow—! Only one thing to be done! Tell the Redbreast at once!”
“If you had paid the least heed to what I have been saying,” retorted John, “you would know that what I am trying to do is to keep young Stornaway’s name out of this!”
“Well, you can’t do it, and, damme, I don’t see why you should wish to! Sounds to me like a devilish loose fish!”
“Yes, a contemptible creature! But I promised his grandfather I would do my possible to keep his name clean!”
“So you may have—though I’ll be damned if I see why you should!—but you didn’t know then what kind of a business he was mixed up in! I tell you, this is serious, Jack! Good God, it’s a hanging matter!”