At a place called Short's Cross he caught sight of the Shorne Mills
carrier on his way to the station. But Drake did not guess that Nell
was sitting under the tilt cover, that by just turning his horse and
riding hard for a minute or two he could be beside her. He glanced at
the cart, thought of the day he had first seen it, and of all that had
happened since, and, gently touching his horse with his whip, rode on.
The sun was sinking as he crossed the moor, and the cliffs were dyed a
fiery red as he came in sight of them and The Cottage on the brow of the
hill. His heart beat fast during the few minutes spent in reaching the
garden gate. What would she say? Would she be much startled when she
learned that he was "Lord Selbie"? Would she understand that he had
never really loved Luce; that it was she--Nell--whom he wanted for his
wife, had wanted almost from the first day of his seeing her?
At the sound of the horse's hoofs Dick came out of The Cottage, and down
to the gate.
"Hallo!" he exclaimed. "Why, where on earth have you been?"
Drake explained as he got off the horse.
"I breakfasted at the Grange. I don't think I mentioned it last night,
did I? Then I rode into Shallop with Sir William, and he had a fit of
some sort--apoplexy, I fancy--and I had to come back and fetch Lady
Maltby. Then the poor old chap came to, and--well, he felt like wanting
company, and I couldn't leave him until he fell asleep."
"Poor old chap! I haven't heard a word of it," said Dick. "I say, come
in! Mamma will be delighted to hear news of that kind--no, no; I don't
mean--you know what I mean. Something exciting like that is like a
bottle of champagne to her."
"I'll take the horse in; he's had rather a hard day of it," said Drake.
"I've bucketed him up hill and down dale; obliged to, you know."
As he spoke, he looked beyond Dick and toward the open door of The
Cottage wistfully. Why didn't Nell come out? As a rule, it was she who
first heard the sound of his footsteps or his horse's.
"I'll take it. Oh, I say, Drake, how awfully kind of you
to--to----Bardsley & Bardsley, you know! Upon my word, I don't know how
to thank you! I don't, indeed!"
"That's all right," said Drake. "Hope it's what you want, Dick. If it
isn't, we must find something else. Anyway, you can try it."