"Oh, my goodness, miss, where is yer-a-goin' of? Don't less us run so fur from home dis lonesome, wicked, onlawful hour o' de night!" whimpered the distressed little darkey, fearing that her mistress was certainly crazed.
"Now, then, what are you afraid of?" asked Capitola, seeing her hold back.
"Lors, miss, you knows--eberybody knows--Brack Dunnel!"
"Patty, come close--listen to me--don't scream--Black Donald and his men are up there at the house--in my chamber, under the bed," whispered Capitola.
Pitapat could not scream, for though her mouth was wide open, her breath was quite gone. Shivering with fear, she kept close to her mistress's heels as Capitola scampered over the fields.
A run of a quarter of a mile brought them to the edge of the woods, where in its little garden stood the overseer's house.
Capitola opened the gate, hurried through the little front yard and rapped loudly at the door.
This startled the house dog into furious barking and brought old Mr. Ezy, with his night-capped head, to the window to see what was the matter.
"It is I--Capitola, Mr. Ezy--Black Donald and his men are lurking up at the house," said our young heroine, commencing in an eager and hurried voice, and giving the overseer an account of the manner in which she had discovered the presence of the robbers, and left the room without alarming them.
The old man heard with many cries of astonishment, ejaculations of prayer, and exclamations of thanksgiving. And all the while his head was bobbing in and out of the window, as he pulled on his pantaloons or buttoned his coat.
"And oh!" he said, at last, as he opened the door to Capitola, "how providential that Mr. Herbert Greyson is arrove!"
"Herbert Greyson! Herbert Greyson arrived! Where is he, then?" exclaimed Capitola, in surprise and joy.
"Yes, sartain! Mr. Herbert arrove about an hour ago, and thinking you all abed and asleep at the Hall, he just stopped in with us all night! I'll go and see--I doubt if he's gone to bed yet," said Mr. Ezy, withdrawing into the house.
"Oh, thank heaven! thank heaven!" exclaimed Capitola, just as the door opened and Herbert sprang forward to greet her with a--
"Dear Capitola! I am so glad to come to see you!"
"Dear Herbert, just fancy you have said that a hundred times over and that I have replied to the same words a hundred times--for we haven't a moment to spare," said Capitola, shaking his hands, and then, in an eager, vehement manner, recounting her discovery and escape from the robbers whom she had locked up in the house.