quietly, "go to the Hall myself, andbring Diogenes back."
"Well, I rather wonder you didn't do that before."
Mr Musgrave wondered also. The idea had not, as a matter of fact,presented itself to him until the delicacy of entrusting the mission toa third person had been pointed out. Now that it had presented itselfit occurred to him not only as the proper course to pursue, but the moreagreeable. He therefore scattered the fragments of his note to thewinds of heaven, and set forth on his walk to the Hall.
It was dusk when he started; when he arrived at the gates and passedthrough, the dusk appeared to deepen perceptibly, and as he pursued hisway, as Robert had done, along the avenue beneath the green archway ofinterlacing boughs, it seemed to him that night descended abruptly anddispersed the last lingering gleams of departing day.
Mr Musgrave was not superstitious, and his thoughts, unlike hisfootsteps, did not follow in the direction which Robert's had taken.Nothing was farther from his mind at the moment than ghosts; thereforewhen an ungainly-looking object pounded towards him in the gloom,instead of his imagination playing him tricks, he recognised immediatelythe clumsy, familiar figure of Diogenes, even before Diogenes rushed athim with a joyous bark of welcome. Mr Musgrave's thought on the spurof the moment was to secure Diogenes and take him home; but, as thoughsuspicious of his motives in grabbing at his collar, Diogenes broke awayfrom the controlling hand, and dived hastily for cover, making for somebushes of rhododendrons, into which Mr Musgrave plunged recklessly inpursuit, so intent on the capture of his elusive trust that he failed tonote the figure of a man, which, bearing in sight as he broke into thebushes, hurried forward in hot pursuit, and, following close upon hisheels, seized him with a pair of strong arms and dragged him, chokingand amazed, into the open path.
"Musgrave!" said Mr Chadwick. He released Mr Musgrave's collar, andstood back and stared at his captive. "What, in the name of fortune,are you up to?"
Mr Musgrave inserted two fingers inside his collar, felt his throattenderly, and coughed.
"You need not have been so rough," he complained.
"Upon my word, I mistook you for a tramp," Mr Chadwick explained,laughing. "What on earth were you playing hide-and-seek in the bushesfor? I begin to believe this path must be bewitched, by theextraordinary manner in which people using it behave. Have you beenseeing ghosts too?"
"I saw my dog," Mr Musgrave explained with dignity. "I was followinghim."
"Oh, that's it, is it? Well, you had better come on to the house. Iexpect we shall find Diogenes there. He was, before you arrived, takinga stroll with me. Seems to be pretty much at home here. Why can't youkeep him at your place?"
"He is--" Mr Musgrave coughed again, as though his throat stilltroubled him--"very much attached to Miss Annersley."
"Rather sudden in his attachments, isn't he?" Mr Chadwick suggested.
"Miss Annersley takes considerable notice of him," Mr Musgrave replied."I have been thinking that, subject to your permission, I would like tomake her a present of the dog."
"I am at least gratified to find that you realise I have a right to asay in the matter," Diogenes' lawful owner remarked with irony. "Ishould like to ask you a question, Musgrave. Possession beingnine-tenths of the law, should you say that constituted the right togive away what doesn't, in the strict sense of the word, belong to you?"
Mr Musgrave, experiencing further difficulty with his throat, wasthereby prevented from replying to this question. His interlocutortapped him lightly on the chest.
"There is another inquiry I would like to put while we are on thesubject," he said. "Don't you think you might offer to pay for thecollar?"
John Musgrave regained his voice and his composure at the same time.
"No," he said; "I don't. If there has been any ill-practice over thistransaction, my conscience at least is clear."
Abruptly Will Chadwick put out a hand and grasped the speaker's.
"Come along to the house," he said, "and make your offering to Peggy."
When they were within full view of the house Mr Musgrave becamesuddenly aware of two significant facts; these, in their order, beingthe presence of Peggy walking on the terrace companioned by Diogenes,and the disturbing knowledge that the sight of her pacing leisurelyamong the shadows beyond the lighted windows filled him with a strange,almost overwhelming shyness, an emotion at once so unaccountable and soimpossible to subdue that, had it not been for the restraining influenceof Mr Chadwick's presence at his elbow, he would in all probabilityhave beaten a retreat.
Arrived below the terrace he halted, and Peggy, having advanced to meetthem as they approached, leaned down over the low stone parapet and gavehim her hand.
"You!" she said softly.
This greeting struck Mr Chadwick as peculiar. He was conscious of animmense curiosity to hear Mr Musgrave's response; he was also consciousof feeling _de trop_. Plainly he and Diogenes had no place in thisconspiracy. They had both been hoodwinked.
"You must not blame me," Mr Musgrave said. "It is Diogenes who hasgiven us away. I fear the secret is out."
"You don't flatter my intelligence," Mr Chadwick interposed, "bysuggesting there was any secret to come out. If it hadn't been forimplicating my niece I would have run you in for dog-stealing. A finefigure you'd cut in court, Musgrave."
Peggy laughed quietly.
"Don't take any notice of uncle, Mr Musgrave," she said. "He is reallyobliged to you. So am I," she added, and the grey eyes, lookingstraight into John Musgrave's, were very kind. "Come up here and talkto me," she said.
John Musgrave ascended the steps, and, since the invitation had notseemed to include himself, Mr Chadwick turned on his heel and continuedthe stroll which Mr Musgrave's arrival had interrupted. Peggy and JohnMusgrave paced the terrace slowly side by side; and Mrs Chadwick,reading a novel in solitary enjoyment in the drawing-room, listened tothe low hum of their voices as they passed and re-passed the windows,and wondered between the diversion of her story who Peggy was talkingwith.
"You came to fetch Diogenes?" Peggy said.
"Not altogether," Mr Musgrave replied. "I wanted... to see you... Youhaven't been down for some days."
"No," Peggy admitted, and blushed in the darkness.
"Why?" he asked.
The blush deepened. Had it been light enough to see her face MrMusgrave must have observed how shy she looked at his question. Sinceit was impossible to explain that those visits, once so light-heartedlymade to Diogenes in Mr Musgrave's stable-yard, had become anembarrassment for reasons too subtle to analyse, she remained silent, inher self-conscious agitation playing with a rose in her belt withnervous, inconsequent fingers.
"I believe," Mr Musgrave continued, "that Diogenes has felt neglected."
"He is forgiving," she answered. "He came to find me."
John Musgrave looked at her steadily.
"Do you think it is altogether kind--to Diogenes," he asked, "to stayaway so long? Don't you think that perhaps he misses you--badly?"
Peggy smiled faintly.
"I think it is better he should forget," she replied.
"It isn't always possible to forget," he returned slowly. "I am so surehe will never forget that I am glad our secret is exposed. I am goingto return you your pet, Miss Annersley."
Peggy turned to him quickly in protest, and put out a small hand andlaid it on his sleeve.
"No," she cried, "no. You have more right to him than anyone. You arefond of him too. You must keep him. I _want_ you to keep him."
John Musgrave looked at the hand on his sleeve. He had seen it thereonce before, and the sight of it had caused him embarrassment. It didnot cause him embarrassment now; he enjoyed the feel of the slightpressure on his arm. Suddenly, without pausing to consider, he put hisown hand over it, and kept it there.
"I want you to have him, and I want to keep him too," he said. "How arewe going to get over that?"
Peggy laughed nervously.
"I don't know
," she replied. "I don't see how that can be."
"I hoped you would see," he returned gravely, and halted and imprisonedher other hand, and stood facing her. "There is a way, if only I wasn'tso old and dull for your bright youth." He released her hands gently."I suppose you are right, and it isn't possible."
"You don't appear old or dull to me," she said softly. "I--didn't meanthat."
He went closer to her and remained gazing earnestly into the downcastface, his own tense features and motionless pose not more still than
Coelebs: The Love Story of a Bachelor Page 37
