Mary thought so at first, said Colin. But it came alive.
Then they sat down under their tree all but Colin, who wanted to stand
while he told the story.
It was the strangest thing he had ever heard, Archibald Craven thought,
as it was poured forth in headlong boy fashion. Mystery and Magic and
wild creatures, the weird midnight meeting the coming of the spring the
passion of insulted pride which had dragged the young Rajah to his feet
to defy old Ben Weatherstaff to his face. The odd companionship, the
play acting, the great secret so carefully kept. The listener laughed
until tears came into his eyes and sometimes tears came into his eyes
when he was not laughing. The Athlete, the Lecturer, the Scientific
Discoverer was a laughable, lovable, healthy young human thing.
Now, he said at the end of the story, it need not be a secret any
more. I dare say it will frighten them nearly into fits when they see
me but I am never going to get into the chair again. I shall walk back
with you, Father to the house.
Ben Weatherstaff s duties rarely took him away from the gardens, but on
this occasion he made an excuse to carry some vegetables to the kitchen
and being invited into the servants hall by Mrs. Medlock to drink a
glass of beer he was on the spot as he had hoped to be when the most
dramatic event Misselthwaite Manor had seen during the present
generation actually took place.
One of the windows looking upon the courtyard gave also a glimpse of
the lawn. Mrs. Medlock, knowing Ben had come from the gardens, hoped
that he might have caught sight of his master and even by chance of his
meeting with Master Colin.
Did you see either of them, Weatherstaff? she asked.
Ben took his beer-mug from his mouth and wiped his lips with the back
of his hand.
Aye, that I did, he answered with a shrewdly significant air.
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