Here a faint squall, followed by a sound of suppressed giggling, was heard in the passage without.
"Holy Moses!" cried the Agapedomian, starting up, "if Mrs Hyams should happen to be there!"
"You may rely upon it she will very soon become accustomed to his Lordship's eccentricities. Why, you told me you admitted of no sort of bother or ceremony."
"Yes—but a joke maybe carried too far. As I live, he is pursuing one of the ladies down stairs into the courtyard!"
"Is he?" said I; "then you may be tolerably certain he will overtake her."
"Surely some of the servants will stop him!" cried Hyams, rushing to the window. "Yes—here comes one of them. Father Abraham! is it possible? He has knocked Adoniram down!"
"Nothing more likely," said I; "his Lordship had lessons from Mendoza."
"I must look to this myself," cried Hyams.
"Then I'll follow and see fair play," said I.
We rushed into the court; but by this time it was empty. The pursued and the pursuer—Daphne and Apollo—had taken flight into the garden. Thither we followed them, Hyams red with ire; but no trace was seen of the fugitives. At last in an acacia bower we heard murmurs. Hyams dashed on; I followed; and there, to my unutterable surprise, I beheld Rogers of ours kneeling at the feet of the Latchley!