“We have got it, Mr Castleton, we have got it,” cried Jacob, as several of the bystanders sprang forward to his assistance.
In another minute the whole house was in a blaze, and the rafters which supported the vault catching fire, the tall mill fell with a loud crash, and a huge fiery mass alone marked the spot where it had stood.
Enquiries were made for Dusty Dick. No one had seen him issue from the mill, and it was generally supposed that, following his master’s orders, he had set fire to it, and perished in his attempt to escape.
“If you will restrain your curiosity for a short time, Mr Castleton, we will have the chest carried up to Downside, and examine it there,” said Mr Shallard. “It will be a fitter spot than the open Downs.”
Plenty of bearers were found, and the old lawyer had some difficulty in keeping pace with them, as, followed by half the population of Hurlston, they bore it up to the Miss Pembertons’ cottage.
Chapter Fifty Six.
Sir Ranald Castleton.
Harry, as he galloped off from Texford with the dragoons, had left the party in the house in a state of considerable anxiety.