"Three nights ago," he said, "on the evening of the gun-room affair, you went to bed early, and I sat in the hall and dozed. I awoke suddenly and saw Mr. Francis's face looking round the corner by the staircase."
"Oh, I was not dozing then. We talked for some time, and he told me why he had come with this secrecy. He also asked me not to tell you. But I don't mind."
"All day, he said, he had been haunted by a strong premonition of evil, and he had come to make sure you were safe."
"That's odd," said Harry. "On the day of the gun-room affair--well?"
"For one reason and another," continued Geoffrey, "I felt sure he had not come in by the front door. At any rate, I proved that he did not leave by it, for I put some stamp paper over the joining, and in the morning it was still untorn. And then, if you remember, I said I felt yew-hedgy, and found the passage."
Harry got up, and began pacing up and down the dining room.
"But how ridiculous!" he said. "Why couldn't he have told me? Was he ashamed of his premonition?"
"I won't have my house burglariously entered by anybody," he said, "Uncle Francis or another. I shall tell him so."
"As you will," said Geoffrey, inwardly anxious that he should not.
"Then I shall not tell him so," said Harry, "and I sha'n't tell him that I know about the secret passage. But next time he tries to use it, he shall find no candle there. I've a good mind to block the place up, Geoff."
"I shall do exactly as I damn please!" said Harry. "We'll be finding it full of kitchen maids next. No, I can't block it up before I've shown it Evie. But I shall go there every day and take away his candle if he puts fresh ones. Lord, I got quite heated about it!"
"That's right," said Geoffrey; "don't be sat upon by anybody."
"Anyhow you'd better not try," said Harry viciously.
He continued quarter-decking about the room for a few times in silence, and his annoyance subsided.
"And the old fellow really came down because he had a presentiment about me," he went on. "Geoff, that's an odd thing now. It looks as if the Luck touched more than me; it gave Uncle Francis a hint of what it was doing. You know the Luck's getting on; it is making more reasonable attempts on me. Do you think I've been encouraging it too much? Perhaps I have; we won't drink its health to-night."