Part 65 (1/2)

”Ask Lee,” she said, and the next moment Mrs. Barker, the housekeeper, came bustling in with smelling salts, and so on, to minister to a mind diseased. And Mary was taken off to bed.

”What on earth can be the matter with her, cousin Tom?” said Charles when she was gone.

”She is out of sorts, and got hysterical; that's what it is,” said Tom.

”What odd things she said!”

”Women do when they are hysterical. It's nothing more than that.”

But Mrs. Barker came in with a different opinion. She said that Mary was very hot and restless, and had very little doubt that a fever was coming on. ”Terribly shaken she had been,” said Mrs. Barker, ”hoped nothing was wrong.”

”There's something decidedly wrong, if your mistress is going to have a fever,” said Tom. ”Charley, do you think Doctor Mulhaus is at Baroona or Garoopna?”

”Up at the Major's,” said Charles, ”Shall I ride over for him? There will be a good moon in an hour.”

”Yes,” said Tom, ”and fetch him over at once. Tell him we think it's a fever, and he will know what to bring. Ride like h----l, Charley.”

As soon as he was alone, he began thinking. ”What the DOOSE is the matter?” was his first exclamation, and, after half-an-hour's cogitation, only had arrived at the same point, ”What the DOOSE is the matter?” Then it flashed across him, what did she mean by ”ask Lee?”

Had she any meaning in it, or was it nonsense? There was an easy solution for it; namely, TO ask Lee. And so arising he went across the yard to the kitchen.

Lee was bending low over the fire, smoking. ”William,” said Tom, ”I want to see you in the parlour.”

”I was thinking of coming across myself,” said Lee; ”In fact I should have come when I had finished my pipe.”

”Bring your pipe across, then,” said Tom. ”Girl, take in some hot water and tumblers.”

”Now, Lee,” said Tom, as soon as Lee had gone through the ceremony of ”Well, here's my respex, sir,” ”Now Lee, you have heard how ill the mistress is.”

”I have indeed, sir,” said he; ”and very sorry I am, as I am partly the cause of it.”

”All that simplifies matters, Will, considerably,” said Tom. ”I must tell you that when I asked her what put her in that state, she said, 'ask Lee.'”

”Shows her sense, sir. What she means is, that you ought to hear what she and I have heard; and I mean to tell you more than I have her. If she knew everything, I am afraid it would kill her.”

”Ay! I know nothing as yet, you know.”

Lee in the first place put him in possession of what we already know--the fact of Hawker's reappearance, and his ident.i.ty with ”The Touan;” then he paused.

”This is very astonis.h.i.+ng, and very terrible, Lee,” said he. ”Is there anything further?”

”Yes, the worst. That man has followed us home!”

Tom had exhausted all his expressions of astonishment and dismay before this; so now he could only give a long whistle, and say, ”Followed us home?”

”Followed us home!” said Lee. ”As we were pa.s.sing the black swamp, not two miles from here, this very morning, I saw that man riding parallel with us through the bush.”

”Why did not you tell me before?”

”Because I had not made up my mind how to act. First I resolved to tell the mistress; that I did. Then after I had smoked a pipe, I resolved to tell you, and that I did, and now here we are, you see.”