“Shriek! shriek! scream!” now went the terrified Thom, seeing into whose hands he had fallen. “O you dom’d young rascal,” exclaimed Sir Moses, muffling him with his wrapper,—“I’ll draw and quarter you if you make any noise. Come this way, you young miscreant!” added he, seizing him by the worsted comforter and dragging him along past the front of the house to the private door in the wall, through which Sir Moses disappeared when he wanted to evade Mon s. Rougier’s requirements for his steeple-chase money.
That passed, they were in the stable-yard, now silent save the occasional stamp of the foot or roll of the halter of some horse that had not yet lain down. Sir Moses dragged his victim to the door in the corner leading to the whipper-in’s bedroom, which, being open, he proceeded to grope his way up stairs. “Harry! Joe! Joe! Harry!” holloaed he, kicking at the door.
Now, Harry was away, but Joe was in bed; indeed he was having a hunt in his sleep, and exclaimed as the door at length yielded to the pressure of Sir Moses’ foot. “‘Od rot it! Don’t ride so near the hounds, man!”
“Joe!” repeated Sir Moses, making up to the corner from whence the sound proceeded. “Joe! Joe!” roared he still louder.
“O, I beg your pardon! I’ll open the gate!” exclaimed Joe, now throwing off the bed-clothes and bounding vigorously on to the floor.
“Holloa!” exclaimed he, awaking and rubbing his eyes. “Holloa! who’s there?”
“Me,” said Sir Moses, “me,”—adding: “Don’t make a row, but strike a light as quick as you can; I’ve got a bag fox I want to show you.”
“Bag fox, have you?” replied Joe, now recognising his master’s voice, making for the mantel-piece and feeling for the box. “Bag fox, have you? Dreamt we were in the middle of a run from Ripley Coppice, and that I couldn’t get old Crusader over the brook at no price.” He then hit upon the box, and with a scrape of a lucifer the room was illuminated.
Having lit a mould candle that stood stuck in the usual pint-bottle neck, Joe came with it in his hand to receive the instructions of his master.
“Here’s a dom’d young scoundrel I’ve caught lurking about the house,” said Sir Moses, pushing Anthony Thom towards him “and I want you to give him a good hiding.”