"It will be some concern of yours, my lord."
Mr. Caryll interposed. "The knave is right," said he. "It were to implicate your lordship. It were to give color to his silly suspicions. Let him make his search. But be so good as to summon my valet. He shall hand you my garments that you may do your will upon them. But unless you justify yourself by finding the letter you are seeking, you shall have to reckon with the consequences of discomposing a gentleman for nothing. Now, sir! Is it a bargain?" Mr. Green looked him over, and if he was shaken by the calm assurance of Mr. Caryll's tone and manner, he concealed it very effectively.
"We'll make no bargains," said he. "I have my duty to do."He signed to one of the bailiffs. "Fetch the gentleman's servant," said he.
"So be it," said Mr. Caryll. "But you take too much upon yourself, sir. Your duty, I think, would have been to arrest me and carry me to Lord Carteret's, there to be searched if his lordship considered it necessary.""I have no cause to arrest you until I find it," Mr. Green snapped impatiently.
"Your logic is faultless."
"I am following my Lord Carteret's orders to the letter. I am to effect no arrest until I have positive evidence.""Yet you are detaining me. What does this amount to but an arrest?"Mr. Green disdained to answer. Leduc entered, and Mr. Caryll turned to Lord Ostermore.
"There is no reason why I should detain your lordship," said he, "and these operations - The lady - " He waved an expressive hand, bent an expressive eye upon the earl.
Lord Ostermore seemed to waver. He was not - he had never been - a man to think for others. But Hortensia cut in before he could reply.
"We will wait," she said. "Since you are travelling to town, I am sure his lordship will be glad of your company, sir."Mr. Caryll looked deep into those great brown eyes, and bowed his thanks. "If it will not discompose your lordship - ""No, no," said Ostermore, gruff of voice and manner. "We will wait. I shall be honored, sir, if you will journey with us afterwards."Mr. Caryll bowed again, and went to hold the door for them, Mr. Green's eyes keenly alert for an attempt at evasion. But there was none. When his lordship and his ward had departed, Mr. Caryll turned to Rotherby, who had taken a chair, his man Gaskell behind him. He looked from the viscount to Mr. Green.
"Do we require this gentleman?" he asked the spy.
A smile broke over Rotherby's swam face. "By your leave, sir, I'll remain to see fair play. You may find me useful, Mr. Green. I have no cause to wish this marplot well," he explained.
Mr. Caryll turned his back upon him, took off his coat and waistcoat. He sat down while Mr. Green spread the garments upon the table, emptied out the pockets, turned down the cuffs, ripped up the satin linings. He did it in a consummate fashion, very thoroughly. Yet, though he parted the linings from the cloth, he did so in such a manner as to leave the garments easily repairable.
Mr. Caryll watched him with interest and appreciation, and what time he watched he was wondering might it not be better straightway to place the spy in possession of the letter, and thus destroy himself and Lord Ostermore, at the same time -and have done with the task on which he was come to England.
It seemed almost an easy way out of the affair. His betrayal of the earl would be less ugly if he, himself, were to share the consequences of that betrayal.
Then he checked his thoughts. What manner of mood was this?
Besides, his inclination was all to become better acquainted with this odd family upon which he had stumbled in so extraordinary a manner. Down in his heart of hearts he had a feeling that the thing he was come to do would never be done -leastways, not by him. It was in vain that he might attempt to steel himself to the task. It repelled him. It went not with a nature such as his.
He thought of Everard, afire with the idea of vengence and to such an extent that he had succeeded in infecting Justin himself with a spark of it. He thought of him with pity almost; pity that a man should obsess his life by such a phantasm as this same vengeance must have been to him. Was it worth while? Was anything worth while, he wondered.
Lord Rotherby approached the table, and took up the garments upon which Mr. Green had finished. He turned them over and supplemented Mr. Green's search.
