"Well, well," said the young man, "if it must be he, so be it—but mind to have pen and ink to write it all down—that pen won't write. You know you tried it this morning."
"I will bring one with me," said Mr. Dixwell, rising eager to be gone on his good errand; but John Ayliffe stopped him, saying, "Stay, stay—remember you are not to tell him any thing about it till he is quite away from his own house. I don't choose to have all the people talking of it, and perhaps coming down to stare at me."
Mr. Dixwell was willing to make any terms in order to have what he wished accomplished, and giving Mrs. Best directions to let the patient have some port wine every half hour, he hurried away to the Court.
On inquiring for Sir Philip, the servant said that his master had ridden out.
"Do you know where he is gone, and how long he will be absent?" asked Mr. Dixwell.
"He is gone, I believe, to call at Doctor Juke's, to consult about my lady," replied the man; "and as that is hard upon twenty miles, he can't be back for two or three hours."
"That is most unfortunate," exclaimed the clergyman. "Is your lady up?"
The servant replied in the negative, adding the information that she was very ill.
"Then I must see Mistress Emily," said Mr. Dixwell, walking into the house. "Call her to me as quickly as you can."
The man obeyed, and Emily was with the clergyman in a few moments, while the servant remained in the hall looking out through the open door.