That startled me. Bad as he is, Dan never lies.
“Chasing niggers!” I cried. “Is there more of ’em?”
“I counted no less than five,” he growled, strutting about in great style, and rather alarming the mongoose. I assure you his news so upset me that I paid no attention to what Minkie and Mam were saying until I heard Minkie mention Jack’s name.
“I wish you could persuade Dad to see Captain Stanhope,” she said. “The merest little note would bring him here to-morrow, and there can be no doubt he would give Dad some very useful information.”
“Ah, my dear, if I had my way things would be different,” sighed Mam; then, feeling that discussion would do no good, she bustled out, bidding Minkie turn the gas low and come to the drawing-room.
Dan was bursting to get Minkie outside and let her know about the suspicious characters who were prowling round our house, but she wouldn’t listen to him.
“Oh, be quiet,” she commanded. “I want to do a sum.”
First, she took the crisp note out of her pocket and looked to see if it was really fifty pounds.
“Let me reckon up,” she said then. “I began yesterday with a crooked sixpence. I gave the porter a shilling out of Schwartz’s fiver for telling me Jack arrived by the 4.20. So now I have fifty-four pounds, nineteen shillings and sixpence. Good old ju-ju! Keep it going! I am pretty strong in arithmetic, but if you maintain that rate of increase until New Year’s Day, I shall lose count. Anyhow, they’ll want a bigger bank at Dale End. Now, Dan, I’m ready. What is it?”
But, before she crossed the hall, she rescued the ju-ju from its hiding-place at the back of the grandfathers clock.