Chapter Seven.
Digby finds that a Bad Adviser is the worst of Friends—More Mischief and its Inconveniences—Serious Consequences Threatened.
Julian and Digby would very much have liked to have been sent to Coventry, the morning after their cannon-firing, so that no disagreeable questions might have been asked them. They dressed slowly and tried to look over their lessons in their room, but got very little information out of their books. They felt very foolish when the bell rang, aid they had to make their appearance in the breakfast-room. Morning prayers were over, and they took their seats round the breakfast-table.
“Well, Julian, did you not hear the noise last night?” were the first words Marshall spoke.
“What noise?” asked Julian; “I sleep very soundly; it must have been a row to awake me.”
“Why, the guns of the old castle going off by themselves,” said Power.
“Not a sound,” said Julian, hoarsely.
Digby looked at him, and wondered if his friend had any conscience. What should he say? there was the difficulty. He had always scorned a lie; if so point blank a question were put to him, how could he answer and not betray their secret?
“And did you sleep through it too, Digby?” said his uncle.
“No, I heard the noise very clearly,” answered Digby, and he felt happier after he had said this, though Julian gave him a tremendous kick on the shins under the table.