The Eagle's Shadow

  XVII

  "By gad!" said Colonel Hugonin, very grimly, "anybody would thinkyou'd just lost a fortune instead of inheriting one! Wish you joy ofit, Billy. I ain't saying, you know, we shan't miss it, my daughterand I--no, begad, for it's a nice pot of money, and we'll miss itdamnably. But since somebody had to have it, I'd much rather it wasyou, my boy, than a set of infernal, hypocritical, philanthropicsharks, and I'm damn' glad Frederick has done the square thing byyou--yes, begad!"

  The old gentleman was standing beside Mr. Woods in the vestibule ofSelwoode, some distance from the other members of the house-party,and was speaking in confidence. He was sincere; I don't say thatthe thought of facing the world at sixty-five with practicallyno resources save his half-pay--I think I have told you that theColonel's diversions had drunk up his wife's fortune and his own likea glass of water--I don't say that this thought moved him to hilarity.Over it, indeed, he pulled a frankly grave face.

  But he cared a deal for Billy; and even now there was balm--soothing,priceless balm--to be had of the reflection that this change inhis prospects affected materially the prospects of those cultured,broad-minded, philanthropic persons who had aforetime set his daughterto requiring of him a perusal of Herbert Spencer.

  Billy was pretty well aware how monetary matters stood with the oldwastrel; and the sincerity of the man affected him far more than themost disinterested sentiments would have done. Mr. Woods accordinglyshook hands, with entirely unnecessary violence.

  "You're a trump, that's what you are!" he declared; "oh, yes, you are,Colonel! You're an incorrigible, incurable old ace of trumps--thevery best there is in the pack--and it's entirely useless for you toattempt to conceal it."

  "Gad----!" said the Colonel.

  "And don't you worry about that will," Mr. Woods advised. "I--I can'texplain things just now, but it's all right. You just wait--just waittill I've seen Peggy," Billy urged, in desperation, "and I'll explaineverything."

  "By gad----!" said the Colonel. But Mr. Woods was half-way out of thevestibule.

  Mr. Woods was in an unenviable state of perturbation.

  He could not quite believe that Peggy had destroyed the will; thething out-Heroded Herod, out-Margareted Margaret. But if she had,it struck him as a high-handed proceeding, entailing certainvague penalties made and provided by the law to cover just suchcases--penalties of whose nature he was entirely ignorant and didn'tcare to think. Heavens! for all he knew, that angel might have letherself in for a jail sentence.

  Billy pictured that queen among women! that paragon! with her glorioushair cropped and her pink-tipped little hands set to beating hemp--hehad a shadowy notion that the lives of all female convicts weredevoted to this pursuit--and groaned in horror.

  "In the name of Heaven!" Mr. Woods demanded of his soul, "what_possible_ reason could she have had for this new insanity? And in thename of Heaven, why couldn't she have put off her _tete-a-tete_ withKennaston long enough to explain? And in the name of Heaven, what doesshe see to admire in that putty-faced, grimacing ass, any way! And inthe name of Heaven, what am I to say to this poor, old man here? Ican't explain that his daughter isn't in any danger of being poor, butmerely of being locked up in jail! And in the name of Heaven, howlong does that outrageous angel expect me to remain in this state ofsuspense!"

  Billy groaned again and paced the vestibule. Then he retraced hissteps, shook hands with Colonel Hugonin once more, and, Kennaston orno Kennaston, set out to find her.