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"I haven't any jewels, you meddlesome young duffer," said Lord Yalding quite crossly; and taking his hands out of his pockets, he began to walk away. "I mean the ones in the panelled room with the stars in the ceiling," Jimmy insisted, following him. "There aren't any," said Lord Yalding shortly; "and if this is some more ring-nonsense I advise you to be careful, young man.
"Perhaps you'll believe in the ring now," said Jimmy to Lord Yalding, whom he met later on in the picture-gallery; "it's all our doing that Mr. Jefferson saw the ghost. He told us he'd take the house if he saw a ghost, so of course we took care he did see one." "Oh, you did, did you?" said Lord Yalding in rather an odd voice. "I'm very much obliged, I'm sure."
He said he did see and asked to see more. "Well, don't you ask any questions, then. I'll tell you all it's good for you to know. Last night about eleven I was at Yalding Towers. No it doesn't matter how I got there or what I got there for and there was a window open and I got in, and there was a light. And it was in the strong-room, and there were three men, putting silver in a bag."
This being settled, Mabel's aunt was found to be desirous of Mabel's company, so the others went home. It was when they were at supper that Lord Yalding suddenly appeared, and said: "Mr. Jefferson Conway wants you boys to spend the night with him in the state chamber. I've had beds put up. You don't mind, do you? He seems to think you've got some idea of playing ghost-tricks on him."
"Yes," said Mabel, a solitary-looking figure plodding along the high-road. "I do hope auntie won't be very furious." "Have another bun," suggested Gerald kindly, and a sociable munching followed. It was the aunt herself who opened to a very pale and trembling Mabel the door which is appointed for the entrances and exits of the domestic staff at Yalding Towers.
Then Lord Yalding said something very impatient indeed, and then Gerald suddenly became angry and said: "Well, I'm sure I wish it would come off," and of course instantly, "slick as butter" , as he later pointed out, off it came. "Thank you," said Lord Yalding.
Then Lord Yalding came to see her. The meeting took place in the drawing-room; the children with deep discreetness remained shut in the school-room till Gerald, going up to his room for a pencil, surprised Eliza with her ear glued to the drawing-room key-hole. After that Gerald sat on the top stair with a book.
The earnest protests of Mabel and Jimmy died away presently in a silence made painful by the hotness of one's ears, the discomfort of not liking to meet anyone's eyes, and the resentful feeling that the spring was not behaving in at all a sportsmanlike way, and that, in a word, this was not cricket. "You see!" said Lord Yalding severely.
"We've brought a friend home to dinner," said Kathleen, when Eliza opened the door. "Where's Mademoiselle?" "Gone to see Yalding Towers. Today's show day, you know. An just you hurry over your dinners. It's my afternoon out, and my gentleman friend don't like it if he's kept waiting." "All right, we'll eat like lightning," Gerald promised. "Set another place, there's an angel."
"Oh, aren't there!" said Mabel, who had followed Mademoiselle. "You just come and see," "Let us see what they will to show us," cried Mademoiselle, for Lord Yalding did not move; "it should at least be amusing." "It is," said Jimmy. So they went, Mabel and Jimmy leading, while Mademoiselle and Lord Yalding followed, hand in hand.
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