“Well, look here, Eben, the wind, don’t you see, is blowing down to Gravesend, and, as I want to look round Tilbury way, to find out when a certain ship enters the Thames, I shall presently move in that direction to watch what comes in, and also what comes down that way from aloft; for I may as well tell you, that as Goodall served me out by his masterly rescue of that lady, I mean to give him a Roland for an Oliver by spoiling his beauty, so that he cannot present himself at Wedwell. You follow me, Eben, don’t you?”
“I do, and will gladly consent to do as you propose.”
“That’s settled then; I need say no more on that head.”
“But supposing that you do mar and cripple the hobbyist and his hobby, what is your special object for taking on such a risky performance?”
“Why, you short-sighted man, to have the heiress, Miss D., all to myself, of course. I don’t want, between ourselves, such a man as Harry Goodall to even show his face at Wedwell Park—either as a young merchant or in any other capacity; for we must have two strings to our bow, in case our work on board the Neptune fails to pay. We did our stroke of business on the other side of the world, and the owner of the Neptune is—”
“Hold on, Mr F.; let’s have no more reminders of that sort, if you please. But, by-the-bye, how about the will?”
“Not proven, at present, Eben; but didn’t I manage that finely, and the life assurances in Sydney as well. They, you remember, preceded the starting of my financial scheme, which the squire is nibbling at, and I will give him something else to nibble at,—namely, a novel mode of flight.”
“Ay, ay, nibbling is all very well in its way, and so is flying, but will the squire bolt the bait as you are preparing it?”
“I think so, Eben, but you must hear the rest of my plan. Now listen, on the left, well under us, is the balloon, and on our right, almost directly beneath us, is Goodall’s workroom, through the top of which we can see everything, as there is no screen there—”
“Ah! now I begin to grasp what you wish to do.”