Ethel Talbot

“ Your grandfather was proud of him, aye, and so were we all, servants too, but your grandfather was fonder of him, aye, perhaps than of either of the other two; pardon me, my dears, them being own father and mother to some of you. But so life is, sometimes. Master Derrick was like a Benjamin, so he was, to the Squire, coming late in life to him and all; he'd do anything for Master Derrick, would Squire. Gave the keeper's house to young Hooker, did he, young as Hooker was for to be keeper, just to please Master Derrick. ”

“ It was the death-blow to Squire, it was; but he died trusting in Master Derrick. Left him all his money too, did Squire; 'as a proof,' so Squire said. Yes, the Chase went to your father, the Major, Master Robin, him being eldest son, my dear, but the money's waiting for Master Derrick when he comes home."
The old woman's voice ceased, and there was silence. In the little room dusk had fallen while she had been speaking, for her story had been a long one. ”

“ Jan's voice sounded pretty near to tears.
"No cousins—or as bad as none; perhaps worse, for Mother'll be worked to death," continued Peter; "all our ripping preparations spoilt! No camp——!"
"Steady on!" called Robin; he could have grumbled a bit himself, easily enough, but he wasn't going to. He had been thinking hard instead, and he broke out suddenly: "I've got an idea. No, I won't say what it is till I know if it's needed. Don't give up hopes of the camp yet, and let's go meanwhile and ask Brownie about tea." ”

“ Peter stopped for a minute, "then Robin went off for Dr. Greig."
"That was right." Mrs. Vaughan looked up. "You ask me who he is, and about his confession. It is a long story, some of which you have heard before from Brownie, but you must know it. Does it make things any plainer to you if I tell you that the old man who is dying at the Cottage is called Mitchell?"
"Mitchell!" The boys looked at each other. "We've heard the name—didn't Brownie—?"
"It's the name of the gamekeeper before Hooker," exclaimed Jan suddenly. ”

“ There was little chance of signalling practice for the rest of that day, for rain came down in buckets as soon as breakfast was over and the mist quite blotted out the Chase from the Islanders. Night must be spent at Island Cottage, there was no doubt about that. "And I do hope it'll be fine to-morrow," said Peter, as the three boys undressed that night in the big attic upstairs. "Dad's to get here early in the morning, and it would be such a——"
Tap! tap! came at their door, and Jan's face appeared; her eyes were bright and her teeth were chattering. ”

“ The dixies were put away safely into the little hut, and the three set off in fairly good spirits for Island Cottage. After all, they had had a week's camping out already, and probably there were many more days and nights of it ahead for them; they would take one night's rest under a roof with as good a grace as they knew how.
But an afternoon's good hard work lay between them and any possibility of a good night. The upstairs attic was a perfect chaos of muddled lumber; "and has been, my dears, since we came here," said Brownie, "fifteen years ago, as I remember well." ”

“ But the old woman did not appear to hear the question; she made for the door. "You'll be wanting your teas after all the help that you're giving, my dears, and the kettle's not on," she announced, and disappeared down the creaking stair.
"There's certainly a mystery. A—choo!" Peter's voice began on an impressive note and finished up with a sneeze. "Begorra, what dust, Robin! What d'you think it means?"
"I—don't—know." Robin's voice sounded abstracted; he was gazing at a photograph that he held in his hand—an old, old faded snapshot of a young man fishing. ”

“ Mrs. Vaughan smiled. "I'm glad you all approve. I spoke to Brown, and he was sure Brownie would welcome another. If seems that you're all more of helps than hindrances, he says, to his wife, and I'm glad to hear it. So another Scout will be no trouble to the old folk, I hope. The attic where you boys sleep is so big that another trundle-bed can be rigged up there, if there's a wet night again."
"If! But I hope there won't be," said Peter, as they made their way back to camp. "I say—ripping, isn't it? We don't know him, but——"
"Well, we know that he's a Scout," said Robin. ”

“ Hardly was it over when the horn sounded on the other side of the water. "There's Mother. We'll tidy up the camp and make up to-day's arrangements when we've heard what she has to say," said Robin as they raced off.
The morning bulletin was good. Dick's attack was evidently slight—he had had a good night; and it seemed a very mild sort of scarlet fever, so the children's mother informed them. "He doesn't seem to have caught cold on the journey, for which I am thankful; but the queer thing is that Donald hasn't got it, evidently, after all. ”

“ The spell was broken at last by a little shiver from Jan, and Robin jumped up. "Here, it's time we fetched a rug or two, Peter, from the Cottage. And, Jan, Brownie will have your room ready by this time. We will take you home, and then we'll turn in ourselves."
Mrs. Brown was on the look-out for the three. "I've got Miss Jan's room ready," she announced, "but I suppose you young gentlemen are sleeping out? What with the lumber in that attic, my dears, I've not——!" ”

“ For the Vaughans were tremendously hard workers; Robin was entered for his first real exam.; Peter and Jan were each head of their forms at their respective schools, and "meant to keep head." Thus the Island certainly was left to the birds except in the holidays; but—a holiday camp was to be one of the tremendous pleasures ahead when the Lennoxes came.
"For they're Scouts, you see, like us, so they're sure to be keen," Robin had said, in appealing to his mother. ”

“ They may not want to camp out just at once, and——"
"It's queer, isn't it?" said Peter to the others as they made their way over to the Island, "to think that they've never yet seen the house, though Father is their uncle, and everything!"
"That's because they've always lived so far north," said Robin, "though it isn't as though the Chase is as it used to be, then—in the old days I mean. They'll understand that, though; they must have heard——" he sighed. "It must have been rippingly jolly," he said, "to live here in the old days."
"It is—now," said Jan loyally ”

“ After a flying visit to Island Cottage she returned with a saucepan, a jug of milk, and a loaf of bread, as well as three new-laid eggs. The milk was boiled in the saucepan, and the eggs were cooked in the dixie of hot water. Jan was trying her best to make three slices of rather smoky toast, and burning her cheeks badly in the endeavour, when the boys—their labours over for a time—approached the camp-fire.
Suppers are nearly always welcome ”

“ She was delighted to provide the campers with food and anything that they might need, and was overjoyed that there was a possibility of "Miss Jan" staying at the cottage. "And in bad weather, the young gentlemen too! Yes, ma'am, to be sure," said Brownie. "But—" her voice sounded a little fearful and dubious as she spoke—"there's only the attic, ma'am, with the sloping roof; they wouldn't be fr——"
"Of course not." Mrs. Vaughan's voice sounded almost impatient; she broke off hastily, and Brownie said no more. ”

“ The firelight lit up the white faces of the four listeners, but none of them spoke: even Peter for once had nothing to say. Jan slipped her hand into Robin's, and he held it fast. "Poor Uncle Derrick!" said the little girl in a quivering voice, after a few minutes had passed.
"And sure, why poor?" Brownie's voice was husky but it was firm still. "'Twas naught of wrong that he did; nor Hooker, neither, for we know. They'll be coming back, an' wrongful punishment cannot smirch the innocent, my dears. Please God, I shall see them, too; please God they'll come in my time ”

“ We'll need a jolly lot of bracken to thatch it across, so you and Jan had better both come along here and pull some. It'll be better than sleeping in the attic to spend the night under the stars."
Peter nodded again; then he spoke. "About that attic, Robin," he said, "didn't you twig from the way Brownie spoke, that there is something mysterious about the place?"
CHAPTER IV
"I never knew such a chap as you for getting ideas into your head," said Robin. "Mysterious! Why? you've got mysteries on the brain, it seems to me!" ”

“ Greig, and, in the meantime, you had better all three stay over on the Island for tea. Get Gardener's wife to give you some, and explain to her. I'm so sorry, dears, that all this has just happened when you had planned such a happy time."
"Sorry for us! It's you—and Dick, of course," said Robin. "Cheero, mother; let us help. Scouts know all about First Aid!"
"So do Guides," added Jan quickly.
"First Aid is not needed for scarlet fever. None of you have had it, you know; and there's your exam. ahead, Robin. You can't run risks. ”

“ Beyond that, the story was a mystery to him and Dick, as well as to the Vaughans. "Mother said we should know more some day," he told his cousins, "but I've never liked to ask."
"Oh, my dears," said old Brownie when they gave her the message, "tell you? Oh, my dears. But happen it's better not to keep the sad things hid, for they cut so deep, so deep! Your Uncle Derrick, my dears,—oh! he was the gayest, most open-handed that the sun shone on, handsome, kind and good to rich and poor. Aye, and true," the old woman nodded her head, "aye and true!
"Him and Hooker was the same age ”

“ Brownie's got that lumber-room crammed with stuff, and a lot of hard work's got to be done by somebody or other before you boys can sleep there. And you'll have to, to-night, just look at the sky. Suppose we heap up the dixies and everything into the new hut, and go straight to the Cottage and turn to. ”

“ Coiners were somewhere, and the evil couldn't be traced. Then scandal began to be afloat, though we heard naught of it till after; 'twas started, some said, by Mitchell, head keeper he'd been, and dismissed when Hooker took the job, and a grudge he'd always borne the lad. Folk spoke of the dear lads' inventions, and—well, my dears, to cut a long story short, the police from headquarters came down unexpected on this very cottage one night. ”

“ Vaughan told the children, "everything will be new and interesting to them. It is the first time they have been to the Chase, and the house will mean a good deal to them as belonging to their mother's family for so many generations. ”

“ Last night he was suddenly seized with a dreadful heart attack—for years he has been the victim of heart disease—and, not having strength to get through the passage to the other side of the river, he tried to make his way through into the Cottage for help, as he knew it was his last chance. He is dying and he has confessed; God will be merciful to him, and will help us to think mercifully of him too."
"Oh, Mother, and poor Uncle Derrick." Jan's voice shook.
"Listen," Mrs. Vaughan spoke again, "I have other news for you. Last night a letter came from Father ”

“ The boys were fast asleep already too. It hadn't taken long to cover the fire with ashes, and to collect a few logs in case a midnight stoking was required. Then they rolled themselves in their rugs and turned over, their feet towards the fire. ”