“And—my name is Nancy Brown.”
If anything could have been more captivating than herself, it was her name, and her eight cavaliers pressed about her in order to catch a glimpse of her pretty face under the pink-lined drooping brim of her hat.
As they strolled along, the young man named “Bixby” proceeded to enumerate the names of his seven friends to Nancy, who paused at the archway to get them straight. And of all the escort, she liked the handsomest best. His name was Edward Bacon.
“Jolly afternoon for boating,” remarked the handsome Edward, pointing to the pretty river below dotted with small craft. “Wouldn’t it be good sport, Miss Brown, to bring Peppercorn and your friends along for a row before supper? Would they like it, do you suppose?”
“Like it? They would love it,” cried Nancy. “That is what they expected to do anyway. Do hurry.”
It took some time, however, to find Timothy’s address and then locate his lodgings, which were indeed very much like those Nancy had mistaken for his. A neat-looking woman answered the bell this time, and curtseyed with an old-world politeness.
“Please, Miss, are you Miss Nancy Brown?” asked the woman respectfully.
“Yes.”
“The lady says as how they couldn’t wait for you any longer. You wuz to follow with the young man down High Street to Carfax Tower; then to Oxford Castle and His Majesty’s Prison.”
Nancy felt rather hurt. But of course she had no means of knowing that Billie and Edward had gone back to the hotel to find her before they had proceeded on their way to Carfax Tower and Oxford Castle. It was much too beautiful an afternoon to waste indoors, and not being especially uneasy about Nancy, remembering that she was with Feargus, they had concluded that she could not possibly miss the way, and so departed with easy consciences.