Part 52 (1/2)
”What in the name of Heaven is the meaning of all this?”
”You've been in that room!” cried Ashby, pointing up the pa.s.sage-way.
”Well, what if I have?”
”What if you have? You know what you went there for.”
Thus far Harry had been too much amazed to understand anything. But now he began to see what it all meant.
”Oh, ho!” said he; ”so that's it?”
”That's it! of course that's it!” cried Ashby. ”Isn't that enough?
sneaking after that girl, when you know that she is mine. What the devil have you got to say for yourself?”
At this Harry began to rouse himself. He didn't feel like defending his conduct; and now, as was natural, took refuge in a fight.
”Confound you!” he cried; ”what do you mean by such insults as these?
Who are you? What business is it of yours?”
”She's engaged to me. I took you into my confidence, and you've turned out a traitor and a sneak.”
Harry drew a long breath, and instantly recovered his usual coolness.
”My dear sir,” said he, ”you have a pretty talent for scolding.
Nature evidently intended you to be an old woman; but doesn't it strike you that this sort of thing isn't customary among gentlemen, and that you are making an infernal fool of yourself? Do you suppose I'm to ask your permission where to go in this castle? I found this pa.s.sage-way myself, and hope to find others also. And, by Jove!” he continued, as at this moment the thought of the lost parcel came to him, ”there's one matter I should like to settle with you before we go any farther.”
”We shall have to settle several matters.”
”I left a parcel in this place a short time ago. It was a very valuable one. I should like to ask you if you have it?”
”I? I, sir? I have your parcel?”
”I don't mean to say that you took it knowing it to be mine.”
”Oh! you don't, don't you?”
”Mr. Ashby, will you give me a frank answer to a fair question? Do you know anything about that parcel?”
”Parcel? Pooh!” said Ashby, who thought that this was some transparent trick of Harry's to account for his presence here.
”Confound you and your parcels! I know nothing about them. I--”
”I ask you, did you pick up that parcel?”
”And I say, confound your parcels!”
Harry was growing quite as furious as Ashby. He now felt certain that Ashby had found it and had it in his possession. He considered Ashby's answers as palpable evasions of a direct question.
”Well, then,” he said, ”I say that if you still keep that parcel after I claim it, that you are keeping property that is not yours, and you know what that means!”