‘I shall see the authorities—then Philip; I have no fear of his refusing: all that a man hath will he give for his life, Carrie.’
‘Will it be very bad, sir?’ asked Carrie.
‘Well, I’ll scarce guarantee him a pleasant hour,’ laughed Sebastian. ‘The last I had under my hands from Newgate made noise enough to deafen one; the one before that had made himself as drunk as a lord, which was wiser in him for certain.’ Poor Carrie, treated to these details—for it was a robust age,—shivered and felt sick with horror.
‘Sir, sir, be quiet!’ she cried, with her fingers in her ears, and Sebastian laughed.
‘Send your coach home, Carrie, and stay with me,’ he said; ‘where else would you stay, now you are in trouble?’
‘Will you have me, sir?’
‘Till brighter days return, my daughter.’
CHAPTER XXXV
I never enter an old house without wishing it had a voice and could tell me all its stories and secrets; but the secrets of Newgate would be such as none of us would listen to willingly—I think we would stop our ears and hasten on were these stones to cry out! Nevertheless one of the Newgate cells could tell of a sunny morning long ago when Caroline Meadowes, Sebastian Shepley, and their friend, Dr. Munro, came together to aid at the release of Carrie’s husband. Philip needed all his light-heartedness that day, for though liberty was drawing near, he was to gain it by a dark enough entrance. As he stood beside the window and looked out into the sunshiny world where men walked free and happy, his thoughts were bitter enough; one man, at least, thought he, walked free that day who should not! Then the door was thrown open, and Carrie and her father came in, followed by Dr. Munro. Carrie was white as a lily, her blue eyes shone like stars; she ran towards her husband and clasped his hands—she could not speak, poor child. Sebastian wore his usual air of decision and cheerfulness; Munro looked with some curiosity at the three people brought together for such a strange purpose. Philip was the first to speak, coming forward with his graceful address to greet Sebastian, as though no disagreement had ever been between them.
‘My dear sir,’ he said, ‘I have no words in which to express my indebtedness to you.’