第39章

His brother laughed. "Good idea, Rob, let us hope so! At any rate we will do our best to get Cameron and his sister to come to us.

We want them, don't we?"

"We do that!" said the boy fervently; "only I'm sure something will happen! There," he exclaimed a moment later, in a tone of disappointment and disgust, "I just knew it! There is Miss Brodie and some one else; they will get after him, I know!"

"So it is," said Dunn, with a not altogether successful attempt at surprise.

"Aw! you knew!" said Rob reproachfully.

"Well! I kind of thought she might turn up!" said his brother, with an air of a convicted criminal. "You know she is quite a friend of Cameron's. But what is Sir Archibald here for?"

"They will just get him, I know," said Rob gloomily, as he followed his brother to meet Miss Brodie and her uncle.

"We're here!" cried that young lady, "to join in the demonstration to the hero! And, my uncle being somewhat conscience-stricken over his tardy and unwilling acceptance of our superior judgment in the recent famous case, has come to make such reparation as he can."

"What a piece of impertinence! Don't listen to her, Sir!" cried Sir Archibald, greeting Dunn warmly and with the respect due an International captain. "The truth is I have a letter here for him to a business friend in Montreal, which may be of service. Of course, I may say to you that I am more than delighted that this letter of Potts has quite cleared the young man, and that he goes to the new country with reputation unstained. I am greatly delighted! greatly delighted! and I wish the opportunity to say so."

"Indeed, we are all delighted," replied Dunn cordially, "though, of course, I never could bring myself to believe him guilty of crime."

"Well, on the strength of the judgment of yourself and, I must confess, of this young person here, I made my decision."

"Well," cried Miss Brodie, "I gave you my opinion because it was my opinion, but I confess at times I had my own doubts--"

Here she paused abruptly, arrested by the look on young Rob's face; it was a look of surprise, grief, and horror.

"That is to say," continued Miss Brodie hastily, answering the look, and recognising that her high place in Rob's regard was in peril, "the whole thing was a mystery--was impossible to solve--I mean," she continued, stumbling along, "his own attitude was so very uncertain and so unsatisfactory--if he had only been able to say clearly 'I am not guilty' it would have been different--I mean--of course, I don't believe him guilty. Don't look at me like that, Rob! I won't have it! But was it not clever of that dear Mr. Rae to extract that letter from the wretched Potts?"

"There's the train!" cried Dunn. "Here, Rob, you stay here with me! Where has the young rascal gone!"

"Look! Oh, look!" cried Miss Brodie, clutching at Dunn's arm, her eyes wide with terror. There before their horrified eyes was young Rob, hanging on to the window, out of which his friend Cameron was leaning, and racing madly with the swiftly moving train, in momentary danger of being dragged under its wheels. With a cry, Dunn rushed forward.

"Merciful heavens!" cried Miss Brodie. "Oh! he is gone!"