Chapter XI: A Secret Compact

SIR RICHARD GIDLEY and his daughter were seated on one of the garden seats in front of the house when the three young folks came in sight. A look of indecision crossed Mrs. Compton's handsome countenance when she saw them, and she glanced at her father nervously, as though wondering how he would expect her to meet Dick; but he was not looking at her—his eyes were fixed on the approaching children.

Dick ran forward to speak to his grandfather, conscious of the proud-looking lady at his side, whilst Ruth and Lionel paused at a little distance, surprised that their cousin evidently felt no fear of Sir Richard.

"Well. Dick," said the old man quite genially, "so you and your cousins have made friends, eh? That's right! Now, I want to introduce you to your aunt. Arabella, this is Richard's boy. He is like your brother, is he not?"

"Yes," Mrs. Compton responded briefly, as she extended her hand to Dick.

He glanced up at her a trifle wistfully. There was something in his look which appealed to the mother's instinct in her heart, and forgetful of the keen old eyes watching her so intently, she put her arms around her nephew, and gave him a lingering kiss. He returned her embrace with great warmth, for he had not expected such a kindly welcome from his first glance at her face.

Sir Richard rose abruptly, and walked a few paces away, leaving aunt and nephew together; whilst Ruth and Lionel conversed in whispers, keeping watch on their grandfather the while to see he did not come upon them unawares.

"So you are Richard's boy," Mrs. Compton said, smiling at Dick; "I am very glad to see you, my dear, and I hope you will spend a lot of time at the Manor House whilst the children and I are here. Why, what a pale-faced little lad you are, and yet your grandfather says you are far better than when you arrived in England!"

"Indeed I am!" Dick assured her earnestly. "Uncle Theophilus has written and told father so; he'll be glad, because I'm going to be a soldier when I'm a man, if I'm strong enough. Feel the muscle in my arm! Uncle Theophilus says it's getting firmer every day!"

Mrs. Compton did as she was requested, laughing the while.

"I suppose Uncle Theophilus is Dr. Warren?" she asked. "I know him." She looked thoughtfully at Dick. "Yes, you are like the Gidleys," she said; "my father is right, I can see the resemblance to Paul Gidley."

"Does grandfather say I am like him?" Dick questioned, looking pleased and surprised. "Oh, I hope I am! I shall tell mother what you say; I'm quite sure she'll be glad!"

Mrs. Compton made no reply, for her attention had been attracted by her father, who was evidently watching her closely. She saw there was a decided look of approval on his face, and guessed he was pleased she had greeted Dick so warmly. Sir Richard now returned to her side, calling to Ruth and Lionel, who approached with apparent reluctance. Mrs. Compton could not but be struck with the difference between their embarrassed manner in their grandfather's presence, and her nephew's frank, fearless behaviour.

"What is that on your collar, Lionel?" said Sir Richard. "Why, it is blood! How did it come there?"

"I'm sure I don't know!" Lionel replied hastily, without the least hesitation.

"Nonsense! You must know! What have you been doing?" Sir Richard cried sharply. "Come, speak out!"

"I haven't been doing anything," Lionel declared in a sulky tone. "If there's blood on my collar I can't help it! I don't know how it came there!"

Dick was simply astounded to hear his cousin lie so glibly. The colour rushed to his face; and his grandfather, happening to glance at him at that moment, was struck by his guilty appearance.

"Perhaps you can throw some light on the matter, Dick?" he said enquiringly. "What has Lionel been doing?"

"It was my fault!" Dick cried distressfully. "I hit him, and made his nose bleed, and I suppose some of the blood got on his collar! It was very wrong of me; I know I ought not to have struck him; but we've made it up now, haven't we, Lionel?"

"Yes," Lionel acknowledged, wishing heartily his cousin had held his tongue.

"What made you lie to me?" demanded Sir Richard furiously, turning upon his elder grandson in a passion. "You know I hate a liar!"

"Oh, grandfather!" cried Dick pleadingly, "I think he told a story because he didn't wish to get me into a row!"

That had not been Lionel's reason, but he held his peace. The actual fact was he had feared to tell the truth lest his grandfather should seek to discover the cause of his quarrel with Dick, when he knew he would be blamed. Mrs. Compton looked from one to the other with a puzzled expression.

"What could you boys have had to fall out about?" she said plaintively, in the tone she usually adopted on the rare occasions when she rebuked her children, "and so early in your acquaintance too!"

"Oh, we shan't fall out again!" Dick told her earnestly. "I—I'm awfully ashamed of myself, I am indeed! Do please forgive me for hitting Lionel! He's not really hurt; but I'm afraid he won't be able to wear his collar again before it has been washed! I hope it was not a clean one!"

"Never mind that," Sir Richard broke in, a grim smile crossing his face. "Your aunt and I won't press you to explain your quarrel, Dick! I daresay the cause of it was not so very serious! Lionel, never tell me a deliberate lie again, even to shield another!"

"I will not, grandfather," Lionel responded in a low, shamed voice, hanging his head.

"Now, you children can run away and amuse yourselves till luncheon. Don't get into mischief, and try to agree."

Sir Richard watched the three young figures thoughtfully as they disappeared from sight around the corner of the house.

"I wonder what they could have quarrelled about, Arabella!" he exclaimed; then, as his daughter shook her head, he gave a short laugh, and added: "Dick has plenty of spirit! He is his father over again! The idea of his striking a boy so much bigger than himself! What do you think of your nephew, eh?"

"He seems a bright, attractive little fellow. I marvel more than ever how his mother could have parted with him!"

"He appears very fond of her; and she has evidently brought him up well."

Mrs. Compton was surprised to hear her father admit so much. She hesitated a moment, then said,—

"I met a gentleman the other day who knew Richard and his wife in India. He says she is a charming woman, and considers Richard a fortunate man. I daresay she has improved since her marriage, but she was always good-looking, was she not?"

"I never spoke to her but once in my life," Sir Richard returned thoughtfully, "and then she appeared merely a shy, pretty school-girl. I was not aware at that time that she would be my daughter-in-law!"

"It was such a pity Richard did not look higher for a wife," Mrs. Compton sighed, for she had been ambitious for her brother; "but, after all, her relations are respectable people. I am sure Dr. Warren is a clever man in his profession, and his sister looks very nice!"

She paused a trifle nervously, for she had never dared to speak a word in favour of her sister-in-law's relations before; but Sir Richard did not turn upon her in anger as she half feared he would; on the contrary, he nodded his head approvingly, and, much to her surprise, suggested that she should call on Miss Warren.

"I think it would be only polite, seeing Dick is living with her and her brother," he said. "As things stand we ought to show them some attention."

"Very well!" Mrs. Compton answered quietly, though she was much amazed at the turn matters were taking.

Meanwhile, Lionel had changed his soiled collar for a clean one, and had repaired to the yard at the back of the house, where he found his sister and cousin watching the grooming of the pair of horses Sir Richard drove in his carriage. Later, they climbed the steep ladder which led to the hay loft, and sat down, each on a bundle of sweet-smelling hay, to talk at their ease.

"It was awfully good of you to take all the blame of our shindy on yourself," Lionel said to Dick, with real gratitude in his tone. "I consider grandfather let us off easily; he seemed in a better temper than he was at breakfast-time!"

"I wish you hadn't told him a lie!" Dick exclaimed, looking quite distressed. "No wonder he was angry!"

"Oh, that's nothing!" Lionel answered airily. "Grandfather's always glad to have something to be angry about! He's an awful temper! It wasn't much of a lie any way!"

"But it's so wicked to tell lies," Dick objected, "and father says a liar is generally a coward. I don't think you look a coward, somehow!"

Lionel took the latter part of his cousin's sentence as a compliment. There was an appearance of gratification on his face as he replied,—

"I'm not a coward; but what's a fellow to do to get himself out of a scrape? I wouldn't tell a lie to injure anyone; I wouldn't be so mean as that!"

"Of course not!" exclaimed Ruth, who always stood by her brother. "You don't know how nasty grandfather is when he's angry, Dick, or you wouldn't think it wrong to tell him a little fib."

"Yes, I should!" Dick said quickly. "It's always wrong to tell a fib—a fib is the same as a lie!"

"I suppose it is," Ruth allowed; "but let's talk of something else!"

"If it hadn't been for you, Dick, we should have gone down to the beach to-day," Lionel said, gladly changing the conversation at his sister's request; "but grandfather wished us to stay at home to see you. It's fine by the sea; there's always something to amuse one, and—"

"Oh, yes!" Dick broke in eagerly. "I love the sea! I'll tell you what happened to me the other day!" and he gave them a graphic account of his morning on the beach when he had had Nero for a companion, and had fallen into the pool.

The others laughed heartily as they tried to picture the sorry figure he must have cut as he walked up the village street in his wet clothes.

"Who told you about the secret passage?" Lionel asked; for Dick had informed them he had been searching for the entrance to it.

"Grandfather. How I should like to find it, shouldn't you?"

"Rather!" Lionel cried, his blue eyes sparkling.

"Rather!" echoed Ruth.

"Oh, pooh!" said her brother, turning upon her scornfully. "What do you know about the secret passage; you are—"

"I know as much about it as you do!" she interrupted indignantly.

Lionel had no answer ready, so he inquired of Dick what Sir Richard had said. It was no more than the elder boy knew already, when all was told.

"I should not be surprised if there were great treasures hidden away in that passage," Lionel remarked seriously. "I would give anything to know! What do you say, Dick, shall we enter into a compact to try and find the secret passage? and if we succeed we shall have every right to share the treasures. Do you agree?"

"Oh, yes!" Dick exclaimed readily, his pale face glowing with excitement. "Oh, what fun! When shall we begin to search?"

"I'll help!" Ruth interposed eagerly.

"You'll do no such thing," her brother told her. "You're a girl, and you can't do anything to help us; you would only be in our way!"

Ruth looked grievously disappointed, for hitherto she had been her brother's sole companion during their summer holidays, and it seemed a little hard to be set aside for a newcomer. She pouted, and her eyes filled with tears. Dick felt so sorry for her that he spoke on her behalf, thereby earning her deep gratitude.

"Don't you think she might help us?" he asked Lionel. "There might be something she could do!"

"Well," was the relenting reply, "we'll see! But mind, Ruth, you must tell no one what we mean to do. Promise!"

"Oh, I promise! I promise!" Ruth cried delightedly.

"And you must do as we tell you," Lionel continued. "You mustn't want to go your own way as you generally do!"

"All right; I won't!" the little girl responded, ready to agree to anything.

"Now, we will all shake hands, and promise faithfully to stand by each other, and to do our very best to find the secret passage."

This was accordingly done with great solemnity. Then the young people put their heads together, and held a long discussion as to where and how the search should commence. They had not decided these points when they heard Susan Morecombe's voice calling to them to come and prepare for luncheon; so they scrambled down the ladder, left the stables, and went into the house by the back entrance.

Nero was stretched on the mat in front of the dining-room door. He gave Dick a warm welcome, much to the surprise of Ruth and Lionel, who were not on particularly cordial terms with him—the truth being that they had played tricks on him the previous summer, and he had too good a memory to forget their teasing ways.

Mrs. Compton was vexed during luncheon to see how her children abstained from conversation when Dick was so ready to talk and answer all her questions. Ruth and Lionel always showed at a disadvantage before their grandfather. Their mother never realised that the fact of her having brought them up to fear him was the cause of their doing so. It surprised her to hear her little nephew expressing his opinions; and she expected every moment that his grandfather would turn upon him with some cutting remark which would wound his feelings; but instead, Sir Richard encouraged the child to talk, and seemed amused with his conversation.

After luncheon the children were again left to their own devices, when they held another consultation as to the first steps to be taken in their search for the secret passage. Lionel suggested that the best plan would be to consult Granfer Cole, and obtain all the information they could from him. He volunteered to call upon the old man, and let Dick hear the result of his interview with him.

So it was arranged, much to the satisfaction of all three, and the great delight of the younger boy.

"Mind, it's a secret," Lionel said impressively. "No one must know what we mean to do!"

"All right!" Dick replied readily, filled with a sense of his own importance.

So the children parted on the best of terms, and Dick returned to No. 8 Fore Street in high spirits. He told his aunt and uncle that he liked his cousins; but he refrained from mentioning the fact that his acquaintance with them had commenced in rather a stormy manner. He did not like to tell Dr. Warren and his sister that Lionel had laughed at their names, and called the former a nobody; neither did he confess that he had lost his temper and hit his cousin, for that would have meant explaining the whole matter.

It was late before Dick fell asleep that night, his mind was so full of the compact he had entered into with Ruth and Lionel to try and find the secret passage. It was the first secret he had ever had to keep; and long after Aunt Mary Ann and Uncle Theophilus had retired to their respective bedrooms Dick lay awake thinking of ways and means to attain the end he and his cousins had in view, till at length drowsiness overcame him, and he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.