Edgar Jepson

“ The Lady Noggs awoke early and in the highest possible spirits: her new friends charmed her; and she was eager for their society. She had never before come across any one so nearly after her own heart. When she had made her toilet, with Selina's help in the matter of her hair, she went down-stairs to find Tinker and Elsie attending to the motor-car. When they had done, they went to breakfast; and over it they discussed the details of the collection of the ransom of five hundred pounds in gold. Tinker would have liked to play a double part, to be not only Raisuli but Raisuli's envoy ”

“ In the middle of this sacrifice to accuracy, Elsie's maid Selina arrived: a middle-aged woman of a very rugged countenance. To the surprise of the Lady Noggs Tinker at once informed her of the fact that she had been kidnapped, and was being held to ransom. The Lady Noggs was even more surprised when Selina made no protest, but only said with patient glumness, "I expect there'll be a fine to do about it." ”

“ Tinker should come down to Stonorill in a horse drawn vehicle, and set about extricating her from whatever plight she might be in.
This final arrangement brought them to the end of breakfast, and they went out to the car. At the sight of it Tinker, meticulous in the matter of detail, became the prey to a sudden gloom: "You ought to go on a camel," he said, looking at it despitefully. ”

“ He read with no very great gusto for some time; then of a sudden he became aware that he was hungry. The discovery soon made him hungrier; and the improbability of satisfying that hunger was both plain and painful to him. He rose and went again to the window. The terrace was empty, and he scanned the surrounding country wistfully. He knew the Prime Minister too well to hope that he would have moved so soon in the matter of his rescue. Of a sudden he heard steps outside the door; and the key turned in the lock. Mr. Borrodaile strode hurriedly across the room resolved to be free. ”

“ Tinker and Elsie set about opening the shutters and the windows on the sides on which the sun was not shining; then they turned their hospitable attention to the Lady Noggs. She was very thirsty after her flight from the inquisitors, and they were much put about that they could only at the moment give her water to drink. Tinker fetched it; and then he said, "If you don't mind waiting here alone Elsie and I will make you some tea. We shall do it quicker together. We always keep tea and sugar, and things like that here, because if it is a very hot night we come up from the Court and sleep here. ”

“ The truth was that Selina had been the nurse of Tinker's babyhood, and was devoted to him. The penalty of this devotion was that she had to abet him in his operations under pain of his displeasure. If she failed him that displeasure took the form of banishing her for a week at a time from the light of his presence. She went to the kitchen to receive the provisions when they should come up from the Court, and to prepare their dinner. ”

“ IN THE BRIGAND'S LAIR ELSIE set the car going again, and turned down a side lane. About forty yards own it she steered the car on to the grass under the screen of the hedge, and stopped. They stood up while Tinker rummaged in the box under the cushion, and drew from it writing paper, none too clean, envelopes, and a pencil. He knelt down, and using the seat as a table, wrote, to all seeming with some pain, a letter which ran,
I have kidnaped your neece but she will not be hurt if you pay her randsome at once. ”

“ It is so much cooler."
But the Lady Noggs begged to be allowed to help them; and they all went to the kitchen. Elsie and Tinker got the fire lighted with the quickness of experts; and as soon as it was burning steadily. Tinker said, "Now, while the kettle's boiling I'll ride down to the Court and bring up some milk and cakes for tea; and I'll tell them to send up food for dinner and breakfast later; only we must keep a lookout for their coming, for it won't do for any one to see Noggs."
"You'd better cell Selina to come up and wait on us. She's quite safe," said Elsie. ”

“ It always is," said Sir Tancred patiently.
"We were out on the car, Elsie and I," Tinker went on. "And we found Lady Grandison and two boys, and there was some trouble. And we found she was going to sea; and that's a poor sort of thing to do, so we brought her here. She didn't seem to want to go back to Stonorill."
"I wouldn't go back to Stonorill!" broke in the Lady Noggs. "He's telling it all wrong. It was the Inquisition; and they were trying to lick me because I had run away with the kitten; and they'd have done it, if Tinker hadn't knocked them down and driven me away in the car. ”

“ Lady Felicia Grandison, and suggesting a ransom of five hundred pounds in gold. We met the envoy you sent to get the money at the appointed place, and captured her. I have come to propose an exchange of prisoners. We will surrender your envoy, if you will surrender Lady Grandison."
"Do you bear a token from my envoy to show that your story is true?" said Tinker in a very gruff voice.
"Token?" said Mr. Borrodaile a little blankly. "Oh, yes; here's her camel."
Tinker's face cleared somewhat at this concession to romance: "It is," he said gruffly. ”

“ And she paused for want of breath.
"Well, you see, it was no good Lady Grandison being here and doing nothing at all," said Tinker taking up the tale. "So I was Raisuli, and Elsie was my lieutenant; and Lady Grandison was Miss Perdicaris, our captive; and we had to ask a ransom for her because brigands do. Elsie went to Stonorill for the ransom; and Mr. Borrodaile captured her, and took our car and came here for Lady Grandison. He wanted to exchange prisoners; and of course the more prisoners there are to exchange the better, so he got locked up in the morning-room." ”

“ Borrodaile. And he stepped carelessly between Elsie and her mechanical camel.
She turned to him with knitted brow, and after a thoughtful pause said earnestly, "We haven't talked that over, Tinker and I, so I don't know quite. But Tinker would be sure to do what Raisuli generally does. He always likes to do things properly."
"Ah, he has a strong sense of the fitness of things, evidently," said Mr. Borrodaile. "Well, we're not going to pay any ransom. We're going to exchange prisoners instead. You're our prisoner; and we're going to exchange you for Lady Grandison." ”

“ It seems to me that had it not been for the intervention of my son, your niece would be leading a life on the ocean wave. I don't know of course if you proposed that career for her. It looks very much as if you owe her to him. ”