"Bigg," said I, "this is just a tight place. You've got to think, and lose no time about it. It's a race, Bigg, and the best man wins. He can't get up to the house in less than twenty minutes; you should be up in six. Cut for it, man; cut for it!"
I said this, and with the words on my lips, I whipped the mare round, and sent her flying up the road like a racehorse. I've handled some horses, but I never, to my way of thinking, put a beast along so fast as I put the mare that night. She was dripping wet when I drove her into the yard, and tossed the reins to William.
"William," said I, when he came out, "I've news for my master that won't wait. Keep the mare to. It won't be three minutes before I'm on the road again."
He opened his mouth at this, but I ran into the house, and bumping against the butler in the hall, I asked him where Sir Nicolas was.
"He's knocking the balls about in the billiard-room."
"And Mr. Oakley?"
"Oh, he's dressing!"
It couldn't have been luckier. I found Sir Nicolas bending over the billiard table; he laid his cue down when I burst in, and said:
"Well, what's fresh now?"
I told him in ten words.
"Good God!" said he; "and what are we to do?"
"Just this," said I, "get your hat and slip down to the bottom of the paddock. You can strike the road to Nottingham there. I shall be by in the cart in two minutes, and I'll pick you up."
"Is there no other course?" he stammered.
"Unless you wish to spend the night in jail," said I, "you must do what I say. You haven't ten seconds to choose—he's almost at the gate."
For a minute he stood to curse and stamp, while his face was as white as the paper I write on. Then he did as I told him; and when I had watched him cross the lawn, I slipped back into the hall and listened at the drawing-room door. The place was quite empty; of that I was sure, and there being no one about, for the others were dressing for dinner, I entered the room and looked round for the stuff.
"Gifts are gifts," said I, "and we've as much right to them as he has, especially to the shiners, which will go into my pocket. He may keep the plate, and welcome—but I don't leave those stones behind."
It doesn't take long for a man to fill his pockets with diamonds. I was all bulging out with what I'd got; and almost before I'd realized the whole thing, I was back in the dog-cart again.
"Do ye bring bad news?" cried old William, tossing me the reins.
"Precious bad," said I, "and likely to be worse before morning. I'm driving to the doctor's. Let her go, William."
He gave her a slap with his hand and we bounded down the drive; the last thing I saw of the White House being the pretty face of Janet Oakley as she stood before the glass in her dressing-room. I wonder to this day that I didn't cannon the lodge gates, so fast I went; but luck was with me, and directly I was out on the road I looked for Sir Nicolas. He was standing there all right, but I had another shiver when I saw that Heresford himself had just come up to the stile, and was getting ove'r it. The two men were face to face an instant after, and then Heresford turned on him.
"You hound!" said he; "so you've come to kennel here? Indeed, it's lucky for them that I heard of you, Sir Nicolas Steele."
He was going to say more, and Sir Nicolas, I think, was about to hit him, for the man had a hand at his collar. Then I thought it time to act. Raising my whip suddenly, I struck Heresford across the face with it, and he reeled back, half blinded, across the road. In the same moment my master made a spring for the step, and no sooner was he on it than I gave the mare a vicious cut, and she galloped like a wild thing down the road. But we could hear Heresford calling for help long after we had left him, and we never let the mare trot until dark had come down.
It was daylight next morning when the two of us walked into Nottingham, and so struck the Midland main line. We had left the cart a mile out of the town, turning the mare's head back toward Derbyshire, and letting her go where she pleased.
"Say what you like, sir," said I, "we've got to separate. You track north to Hull, where you'll get steamer to Southampton and so to Havre. I go direct to Paris, where we'll look to meet in a week."
"You think that they will follow us, then?"
"No. Oakley will hush it up for his daughter's sake."
"I could cut my throat every time I think of her," said he.
"You'll be better when you're on the sea, sir," said I; "and don't forget that the job's been worth a thousand to us."
"Will the stuff bring that?" he cried eagerly.
"Every penny of it," said I.
And with this I put him into the train for Hull.
CHAPTER IX
WE OPEN THE GOLDEN EGG
We had been back in Paris nearly two months when the strange business connected with the golden egg came about. There was a time when I was very glad that my master had something to occupy his mind; but that was at the beginning of it. By and by, I thought much as the rest of them did; and whether to laugh or whether to cry I really did not know.
For my part, I was not sorry to be in Paris. All said and done, it's a city for a gentleman to live in. High born or low, good man or bad, you may find your company there so long as the guineas rattle in your pocket. And when you've spent your bit, you'll still find your company. That's the way of it—either rich or poor, but no betweens; and no need to show your family Bible before you're on nodding terms with your neighbors.
"If you'll take my advice, sir," said I to Sir Nicolas, the week after the Oakley affair, "you'll stop here until it's time to move for Monaco. Folks will be coming back from the seaside in a month or so, and meanwhile we'll do no hurt to rest a bit."
"Indeed, and I believe you're right," cried he, "though what a man is to do in Paris these times I'd like to learn."
"You've more than a thousand pounds to spend, sir," said I, reminding him how well we had sold Janet Oakley's diamonds.
"That's so," said he, brightening up wonderfully; "there's a deal of spending in a thousand pounds. And I don't forget that Jack Ames is here. There should be fun while he stops, any way."
"Quite true, sir," replied I, "so long as you don't play billiards with him. Making bold to say it, he could beat you with his umbrella."
"No such thing!" exclaimed he. "I'll take fifteen in a hundred and play him for a monkey any day."
"I wouldn't, if I were you, sir," said I; "we've got to go steady a bit yet—don't forget that."
This made him serious, as any word about his position always did.
"Do you think they'll follow us?" he asked quickly, "or is it some news you've got in your head?"
"Neither the one nor the other. I've no news, and I don't think they'll follow us, sir. But this I do say, that I wouldn't let myself be heard of for a month or so, if you can help it. There's no telling what Heresford would do if it came to his ears that you were starring about."
"You're right there. I'm trusting that Oakley hushed the affair up. There's nothing about it in the English papers that I can see."
"And