Tom meanwhile, joyous at heart, warm in temperature, and excited in mind, was groping on his knees on the damp grass outside the drawing-room window, fixing his two threepenny Roman candles in reversed flower pots, and planting his starlights, crackers, and Catherine-wheels in advantageous positions in the vicinity, casting now and again a delighted glance at the animated scene within, and wondering if he had ever spent a jollier evening anywhere.
It disturbed him to hear a vehicle rattle up the drive, and to argue therefrom that some belated guest had missed the feast. Never mind; he shouldn’t be quite out of it.
“Raffles,” called he, as he caught sight of that hardworking functionary through the dining-room window removing the débris of the banquet, “leave a few ‘goes’ out on the table for any chaps who come late, and then go and tell Jill I’m ready, and turn down the gas in the drawing-room.”
In due time Raffles delivered his momentous message.
“Oh, the fireworks!” cried Miss Jill, clapping her hands, “the fireworks are to begin. Aren’t you glad, duke? Do get a good seat before the gas is turned down.”
The company crowded into the big bay-window, and endured the extinction of the light with great good-humour. Indeed, a certain gentleman who entered the room at this particular juncture, seeing nothing, but hearing the laughter and talk, said to himself that this was as merry an occasion as it had been his lot to participate in.
The dim form of Tom might be seen hovering without, armed with a bull’s-eye lantern, at which he diligently kindling matches, which refused to stay in long enough to ignite the refractory fireworks.
“Never mind,” said he to himself, “they’ll like it when they do go off.”
So they did. After a quarter of an hour’s waiting one of the Roman candles went off with vast éclat, and after it two crackers simultaneously gave chase to the operator half-way round the lawn. One of the Catherine-wheels was also prevailed upon to give a few languid rotations on its axis, and some of the squibs, which had unfortunately got damp, condescended, after being inserted bodily into the lantern, to go off. Presently, however, the wind got into the lantern, and the matches being by this time exhausted, and the starlights refusing to depart from their usual abhorrence for spontaneous combustion, the judicious Tom deemed it prudent to pronounce this part of the entertainment at an end.
“All over!” he shouted through the window. “Turn up the light.”