"Oh, yes—yes."
"Well, then, Sir Richard Blunt told us that it would be the death of the poor lad if he should be in London and hear that Todd has escaped from Newgate. So we gladly agreed to take him with us, for he—more than any one—has suffered deeply from Todd's wickedness."
"Hilloa!" cried Mark, as he glanced from the window. "If here is not another coach at the door!"
"Oh, who is it?" said Mrs. Oakley. "It's Todd, of course, come to kill us all!"
"I hope it is," said Mark. "I'll soon set you all at rest about him. But only look! If it ain't the colonel, and Arabella, and Tobias. Well, if Todd wants to be down upon us all at once, now is his time certainly to do so."
In a few moments, the colonel and Arabella were shown into the room, and they were quite surprised to see the Oakleys there; but while Johanna and Arabella were embracing each other, Mark Ingestrie went up to the colonel, and pointing slightly to Tobias, he whispered—
"Does he know?"
"Oh, no—no."
"Very good; but he had better, I am convinced, for it will be sure to slip out in conversation, some time or another, and then the poor lad will think much more of it than as if it were told to him in a quiet manner by his friends, for he will think that there is more to conceal than there really is. I am convinced that such will be the case."
"Then we will take an opportunity of telling him, but not just now. I want to speak to Johanna."