‘You seem to know pretty much about it, sir,’ remarked the host, with an inquisitive look. ‘I ain’t going to deny the fact; it did happen on that night. But excuse me being so bold, sir; you must have been quite a young chap at that time; you can’t recollect it, surely?’
‘I remember nothing about the matter myself,’ replied Ainslie, ‘nor have I been in this part before. But Sir Carnaby’s attempted escape, and the fatal result, were officially reported to the government and to his friends. You think that this scrap of writing belonged to Sir Carnaby Vincent?’
‘Yes, sir; though I didn’t know his name till I learned it from the soldiers, after all was over.’
‘Why did you not deliver this up to them, when you discovered it on the stairs?’
‘Well, you see, sir, it was like this,’ replied old Hobb unwillingly. ‘I was sorry for the poor gentleman, besides being angry with the soldiers. But little they cared about that. So I thought as how I’d just keep it to myself, in case the man-servant who got off should venture here again. Thinks I: “I’ll give it up to him, and disappoint the other parties a bit for what they’ve done in my house.”—I hope your honour won’t inform against me!’ suddenly exclaimed the old man, who began to have an idea that he was disclosing somewhat more than was prudent to a total stranger.
‘My intentions are quite the opposite, I assure you,’ said Reginald, eager to set his informant’s mind at rest. ‘Go on; pray, do not stop.’
‘Well, sir,’ resumed Dipping, ‘as I said, I kept the paper, thinking that I might chance to drop across the man-servant. But though one of the labourers spoke to him that morning, I never see him again; and here I have been keeping this bit of writin’ over fifteen year without being able to make out what it means or anything about it. I should ha’ burnt it soon, I fancy.’
‘Burnt it!’ exclaimed Reginald. ‘What madness!’
‘Can you read it, sir?’ inquired old Hobb in a curious tone.
‘Read it! No, I cannot; worse luck. Chinese looks quite easy compared with the jumble of letters which are set down upon this scrap of paper.—Has any one seen it besides myself?’