Before old John had looked at the boiler quite twenty minutes, hegot his ideas into a focus, and brought them to bear upon SolomonDaisy"s story. The more he thought of it, the more impressed hebecame with a sense of his own wisdom, and a desire that MrHaredale should be impressed with it likewise. At length, to theend that he might sustain a principal and important character inthe affair; and might have the start of Solomon and his twofriends, through whose means he knew the adventure, with a varietyof exaggerations, would be known to at least a score of people, andmost likely to Mr Haredale himself, by breakfast-time to-morrow; hedetermined to repair to the Warren before going to bed.
"He"s my landlord," thought John, as he took a candle in his hand,and setting it down in a corner out of the wind"s way, opened acasement in the rear of the house, looking towards the stables.
"We haven"t met of late years so often as we used to do--changesare taking place in the family--it"s desirable that I should standas well with them, in point of dignity, as possible--the whisperingabout of this here tale will anger him--it"s good to haveconfidences with a gentleman of his natur", and set one"s-self right besides. Halloa there! Hugh--Hugh. Hal-loa!"
When he had repeated this shout a dozen times, and startled everypigeon from its slumbers, a door in one of the ruinous oldbuildings opened, and a rough voice demanded what was amiss now,that a man couldn"t even have his sleep in quiet.
"What! Haven"t you sleep enough, growler, that you"re not to beknocked up for once?" said John.
"No," replied the voice, as the speaker yawned and shook himself.
"Not half enough."
"I don"t know how you CAN sleep, with the wind a bellowsing androaring about you, ****** the tiles fly like a pack of cards," saidJohn; "but no matter for that. Wrap yourself up in something oranother, and come here, for you must go as far as the Warren withme. And look sharp about it."
Hugh, with much low growling and muttering, went back into hislair; and presently reappeared, carrying a lantern and a cudgel,and enveloped from head to foot in an old, frowzy, slouching horse-cloth. Mr Willet received this figure at the back-door, and ushered him into the bar, while he wrapped himself in sundrygreatcoats and capes, and so tied and knotted his face in shawlsand handkerchiefs, that how he breathed was a mystery.
"You don"t take a man out of doors at near midnight in such weather,without putting some heart into him, do you, master?" said Hugh.
"Yes I do, sir," returned Mr Willet. "I put the heart (as you callit) into him when he has brought me safe home again, and hisstanding steady on his legs an"t of so much consequence. So holdthat light up, if you please, and go on a step or two before, toshow the way."
Hugh obeyed with a very indifferent grace, and a longing glance atthe bottles. Old John, laying strict injunctions on his cook tokeep the doors locked in his absence, and to open to nobody buthimself on pain of dismissal, followed him into the blusteringdarkness out of doors.
The way was wet and dismal, and the night so black, that if MrWillet had been his own pilot, he would have walked into a deephorsepond within a few hundred yards of his own house, and wouldcertainly have terminated his career in that ignoble sphere of action. But Hugh, who had a sight as keen as any hawk"s, and,apart from that endowment, could have found his way blindfold toany place within a dozen miles, dragged old John along, quite deafto his remonstrances, and took his own course without the slightestreference to, or notice of, his master. So they made head againstthe wind as they best could; Hugh crushing the wet grass beneathhis heavy tread, and stalking on after his ordinary savagefashion; John Willet following at arm"s length, picking hissteps, and looking about him, now for bogs and ditches, and nowfor such stray ghosts as might be wandering abroad, with looks ofas much dismay and uneasiness as his immovable face was capable ofexpressing.
At length they stood upon the broad gravel-walk before the Warren-house. The building was profoundly dark, and none were moving nearit save themselves. From one solitary turret-chamber, however,there shone a ray of light; and towards this speck of comfort inthe cold, cheerless, silent scene, Mr Willet bade his pilot leadhim.
"The old room," said John, looking timidly upward; "Mr Reuben"s ownapartment, God be with us! I wonder his brother likes to sitthere, so late at night--on this night too."
"Why, where else should he sit?" asked Hugh, holding the lantern tohis breast, to keep the candle from the wind, while he trimmed itwith his fingers. "It"s snug enough, an"t it?"
"Snug!" said John indignantly. "You have a comfortable idea ofsnugness, you have, sir. Do you know what was done in that room,you ruffian?"
"Why, what is it the worse for that!" cried Hugh, looking intoJohn"s fat face. "Does it keep out the rain, and snow, and wind,the less for that? Is it less warm or dry, because a man waskilled there? Ha, ha, ha! Never believe it, master. One man"s nosuch matter as that comes to."
Mr Willet fixed his dull eyes on his follower, and began--by aspecies of inspiration--to think it just barely possible that hewas something of a dangerous character, and that it might beadvisable to get rid of him one of these days. He was too prudentto say anything, with the journey home before him; and thereforeturned to the iron gate before which this brief dialogue hadpassed, and pulled the handle of the bell that hung beside it. Theturret in which the light appeared being at one corner of the building, and only divided from the path by one of the garden-walks, upon which this gate opened, Mr Haredale threw up thewindow directly, and demanded who was there.
