Hollyhock lay like one dead, but the boys carried her straight back to the Annex, which was the nearest house, and there she could at once receive her aunt's most tender care and treatment.
CHAPTER XXVII.
ARDSHIEL TO THE RESCUE.
Wild indeed was the excitement when the facts of that terrible night were known; when the Duke of Ardshiel himself, who was to give away the prizes—the beautiful prizes with his Grace's crest—arrived on the scene and found no Hollyhock, but a distracted head-mistress and a lot of miserable-looking girls.
Now, as it happened, Ardshiel loved Hollyhock as he had never loved a girl since Viola Cameron, long ago, had disappointed him. He was often at another great castle of his, close to the Palace of the Kings, and on these occasions he frequently saw his little kinswoman riding on Lightning Speed beside her father, who looked very noble himself on his great black charger, which he called Ardshiel, after the Duke.
The Duke used to nod civilly enough to Lennox; but his eyes and his thoughts were all for Hollyhock, the black-eyed lass who rode so superbly. When she was with her father he never spoke to her; but on the occasions when she happened to be alone, he invariably drew up and had a 'crack' with the lass, admiring her sparkling eyes, her smart appearance, her wonderful life and love and bravery, all of which shone in her face. The Duke, alas! had no children, and whenever he saw Hollyhock he sighed at the thought of the joy which would have been his had he possessed so fine a lass.
Hollyhock had that sort of nature which thought nothing at all of rank for rank's sake, but she admired the dear old man, as she called the Duke, and flashed her bright, sparkling, naughty eyes into his face, and talked nonsense to him, which filled his Grace with delight. Little did Miss Delacour guess or Mrs Macintyre conceive that it was because of this brave lassie, and because of her alone, that the great Palace of the Kings had been turned into a school.
The Duke came to Ardshiel on this occasion with his heart beating a trifle loud for so old a man. He cared little or nothing for the other girls; but he would see his favourite, and secretly he had resolved that the diamonds in the locket which she was sure to win should be larger, finer, more brilliant than those which were presented to the other girls.
But, alack and alas, what horrible news met him! The head-mistress, Mrs Macintyre, came out with tears in her eyes to tell him what had occurred in the watches of the night. The Duke, a white-haired old man, looked very solemn as he listened. His heart was sick within him.