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Overnight, the great eye of the country turned like an unwinking searchlight upon the dingy town by the Hudson where happened to dwell Mrs. Elbert Carstairs and her only daughter, Mary.
At twelve the boys went out for an hour before their dinner, and Lord Carstairs asked him to play a game of rackets. "Not to-day, my Lord," he said. "Is anything wrong with you?" "Yes, something is very wrong." They had strolled out of the building, and were walking up and down the gravel terrace in front when this was said. "I knew something was wrong, because you called me my Lord."
The wording would be as follows: Mr. and Mrs. Carstairs request the pleasure of Captain and Mrs. Boyd's company at the Marriage of their Daughter Gladys with Mr. Sydney Boroughs, at S. John's, Beckenham, on Wednesday, April 17th, at 2 p.m., and afterwards at the Grange. Any friend who has sent a present before the invitations are out must be invited.
He threw off his impatience and irritability, and became interested and grave. "That's very strange, and uncommonly important, Lindsey!" he said. "I yes, I am certainly inclined to agree with you. Now, what do you make of it?" "If you want to know my precise idea," replied Mr. Lindsey, "it's just this Michael Carstairs and Martin Smeaton are one and the same man or, I should say, were!
The name stung him into instant recollection. He stood staring at her, and his face darkened. In the first staggering revelation of her look, his sub-conscious mind had leapt instantly to the conclusion that his cunning enemy, having found out his secret, had betrayed it to Miss. Carstairs. Her first words had disposed of that.
Believe me, my dear Lord Bracy, yours most faithfully. The Earl, when he read this, though there was not a word in it to which he could take exception, was not altogether pleased. "Of course it will be an engagement," he said to his wife. "Of course it will," said the Countess. "But then Carstairs is so very much in earnest. He would have done it for himself if you hadn't done it for him."
"I had hoped...." I did not catch the nature of his hope, for his voice dropped an octave or so and his sentence ended in whispers. "Jimmy Carstairs," I said to myself, "you've been eavesdropping and you know it. You mustn't be caught doing those kind of things. Get out of the way as fast as you can," and at that I twisted round on my heel and went back down the hall.
Carstairs, whose suggestions were sure to meet with attention from the Prince, recommended that, as soon as the landing had been effected, public thanks should be offered to God for the protection so conspicuously accorded to the great enterprise. This advice was taken, and with excellent effect.
As yet there was no sign visible from his far-horizoned home, except a filmy and changeful wreath of palest cloud with which Mount Carstairs was bedecked. Banneker decided for silence. Miss Van Arsdale was much better when he rode over in the morning, but Io looked piteously worn and tired. "You've had no rest," he accused her, away from the sick woman's hearing.
In his talk with Miss Carstairs before he knew her by name, he had failed to notice anything that suggested the spoiled and wilful child he had come to find. He could remember nothing she had said or done that helped him at all to think of her as his enemy. The fact was that it was all quite the other way.
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