Part 100 (2/2)
”Send for some of your men, my boy, and I will surrender.”
”Father!” cried Scarlett, in anguished tones.
”It is not fair to you to keep you shut up in this dreadful place. Let us give up, and--No, you can leave me safely in Fred Forrester's hands.
He will not hinder your escape.”
”No, father,” said Scarlett, sadly, ”he will not.”
”What do you mean, my boy?”
”You know, father.”
”Yes,” said Sir G.o.dfrey, after a pause; and his voice sounded sadly weak and broken. ”I have prayed to him to escape, Fred; but he would never leave me, and he will not go now.”
”No, father! I will not go now,” said Scarlett, turning away.
There was silence for a few minutes, and then Fred said slowly, and in a discontented way--
”I'm very sorry, Sir G.o.dfrey, but I'm too stupid to think of anything better. This is a terrible place; but I suppose you must be here till you grow strong enough to walk or ride. We shall have to bring you food and things as well as we can.”
”No, my boy,” said Sir G.o.dfrey, sadly; ”you must not compromise yourself by helping the enemy.”
”But, then, I don't feel as if you are an enemy, Sir G.o.dfrey. There, it's of no use; come what may, I will help you.”
”Don't want to speak without leave, Master Fred, sir,” said Samson, in his gruff tones; ”but I've been thinking about my brother here.”
”Yes, Samson; quite right,” said Fred.
”No, sir, it ain't quite right. He'll be no end of time getting well in a place like this.”
”I'm afraid so, Samson.”
”Well, sir, why not you and me and Master Scarlett there set to work first dark night, and get 'em away, one at a time, on old Dodder?”
”The pony?”
”Yes, sir.”
”But where to, man--where to?”
”Well, sir, I've been thinking about that, and I thought of the Manor, where they'd be comfortable; but that place wouldn't be safe, nor the barns nor stables, nor none of the cottages round.”
”No; it would be madness to attempt it.”
”But it wouldn't be, if we got 'em to the Rill caves.”
”Samson!” cried Fred; ”the very place.”
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