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Hesper sought Mary, and kissed her with some appearance of gratitude. She saw what a horrible suspicion, perhaps even accusation, she had saved her from. The behavior and disappearance of Sepia seemed to give her little trouble. Mr. Brett got enough out of Mewks to show the necessity of his dismissal, and the doctor sent from London a man fit to take his place.
Redmain's room unencountered, but just as she knocked at the door, Mewks came behind her from somewhere, and snatching the letter out of her hand, for she carried it ready to justify her entrance to the first glance of her irritable master, pushed her rudely away, and immediately went in. But as he did so he put the letter in his pocket. "Who took the note?" asked his master.
Another fact Mewks carried to his master namely, that, as Mary came near the door of the house, she was met by "a rough-looking man," who came walking slowly along, as if he had been going up and down waiting for her.
"Nobody does, miss, except the master and Miss Yolland." "Then," thought Mary, "the thing is worse than I had supposed." "I'll do what I can, miss," Jemima went on. "But he's so sharp! Mr. Mewks, I mean." After she was gone, Mary wished she had given her a verbal message; that she might have insisted on delivering in person. Jemima, with circumspection, managed to reach Mr.
She would have gone that same night, she said, but, as it was Saturday, she could not, because of country customers, close in time to go so far. "Give it into Mr. Redmain's own hand, if you can, Jemima," she said. "I will try; but I doubt if I can, miss," answered the girl. "Between ourselves, Jemima," said Mary, "I do not trust that man Mewks."
She stole again down the stair. Her cousin was in her own room safe with a novel, and there was Mewks fast asleep in an easy- chair in the study, with the doors of the dressing-room and chamber ajar! She crept into the sick-room. There was the tumbler with the medicine! and her fingers were on the vial in her pocket. The dying man slept. She drew near the table by the bed.
Redmain had given Mewks instructions he dared not disobey: his master had often ailed, and recovered again, and he must not venture too far! As soon as he had shown the visitor into the room he was dismissed, but not before he had satisfied himself that he was a lawyer. He carried the news at once to Sepia, and it wrought no little anxiety in the house.
But to her dismay she found the door already fast, and concluded the hour had arrived when the house was shut up for the night. She rang the bell, but there was no answer for there was Mewks himself standing close behind the door, grinning like his master an evil grin. As she knocked and rang in vain, the fact flashed upon her that she was intentionally excluded.
Mewks made his appearance, with the face of a ghost. His master told him to bring his breakfast. "And see, Mewks," he added, in a tone of gentleness that terrified the man, so unaccustomed was he to such from the mouth of his master "see that there is enough for Miss Marston as well. She has had nothing all night. Don't let my lady have any trouble with it.
"The girl at the lodge, sir." "Is she not come back yet?" "No, sir, not yet. She'll be in a minute, though. I saw her coming up the avenue." "Go and bring her here." "Yes, sir." Mewks went, and in two minutes returned with the letter, and the message that Miss Marston hadn't time to direct it. "You damned rascal! I told you to bring the messenger here."
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