Aline picked it up and turned it over. On it was written:--“From Mistress Mowbray.”
“A parcel from Mistress Mowbray; how strange!” and the little smooth white brow became slightly wrinkled.
Inside she found a note and a second wrapping. The note ran as follows,--
Finding that others are concerned about your garments I have made it my duty to let you have something really appropriate to your condition at Holwick and that will express the feelings with which I shall always regard you. I trust you will think of me when you wear the necklace, although the contents of the pendant are another’s gift.
“How does she regard me and what is appropriate to my condition?” queried Aline as she undid the second wrapper.
To her astonishment and amusement it contained an old potato-sack made into the shape of a camise. After what Mistress Mowbray had said about the coarse dowlas, Aline was half inclined to believe the gift was genuine. But, as she smiled, there fell out a red necklace made of small pieces of carrot with an enormous potato as a pendant.
“Now, whoever has done this?” she cried, breaking into a merry peal and looking at Audry and Elspeth.
She examined the potato and found that it had been scooped out and held a packet very tightly rolled up, within which was a piece of Walter’s choicest lace. On the packet was written, “To Somebody from Somebody’s enemy.”
“From whose enemy?”--said Aline,--“Mine?”
“‘Who chased whom round the walls of what?’” Audry observed. “I expect the two somebodies are not the same.”
At this moment Aline caught sight of the upper part of a head trying to peep round the door. It vanished instantly.
She paused for a moment and then gave chase down the newel-stairs. Round and round and round lightly flashed the little feet and she could hear great heavy footsteps at much longer intervals going down, apparently three steps at a time, some way below her.
She reached the bottom just in time to see the figure of Silas dash into the screens; but he vanished altogether before she had time to catch him and thank him for what was obviously his gift.
The next day after dinner Aline ran out gaily across the quadrangle, lightly reached the eighth step in two bounds, covering the remaining step and the terrace in two more, and was in the library ready to prosecute her search. She had a long hunt for the Latin Bible in which after much diligence she was successful.