The earl sank back to his former nonchalant position and fell for a
moment or two into deep musing; and then, as if the whole thing struck
him in a new and ludicrous light, he broke out into an immoderate fit of
laughter. Ormiston looked at him curiously.
"It is my turn to ask questions, now, my lord. Who is Count L'Estrange?"
"I know of no such person, Ormiston. I was thinking of something else!
Was it Leoline who told you that was her lover's name?"
"No; I heard it by mere accident from another person. I am sure, if
Leoline is not a personage in disguise, he is."
"And why do you think so?"
"An inward conviction, my lord. So you will not tell me who he is?"
"Have I not told you I know of no such person as Count L'Estrange? You
ought to believe me. Oh, here it comes."
This last was addressed to a great drop of rain, which splashed
heavily on his upturned face, followed by another and another in quick
succession.
"The storm is upon us," said the earl, sitting up and wrapping his cloak
closer around him, "and I am for Whitehall. Shall we land you, Ormiston,
or take you there, too?"
"I must land," said Ormiston. "I have a pressing engagement for the next
half-hour. Here it is, in a perfect deluge; the fires will be out in
five minutes."
The barge touched the stairs, and Ormiston sprang out, with "Good-night"
to the earl. The rain was rushing along, now, in torrents, and he ran
upstairs and darted into an archway of the bridge, to seek the shelter.
Some one else had come there before him, in search of the same thing;
for he saw two dark figures standing within it as he entered.
"A sudden storm," was Ormiston's salutation, "and a furious one. There
go the fires--hiss and splutter. I knew how it would be."
"Then Saul and Mr. Ormiston are among the prophets?"
Ormiston had heard that voice before; it was associated in his mind with
a slouched hat and shadowy cloak; and by the fast-fading flicker of the
firelight, he saw that both were here. The speaker wan Count L'Estrange;
the figure beside him, slender and boyish, was unknown.
"You have the advantage of me, sir," he said affecting ignorance. "May I
ask who you are?"
"Certainly. A gentlemen, by courtesy and the grace of God."
"And your name?"
"Count L'Estrange, at your service."
Ormiston lifted his cap and bowed, with a feeling somehow, that the
count was a man in authority.
"Mr. Ormiston assisted in doing a good deed, tonight, for a friend of
mine," said the count.
"Will he add to that obligation by telling me if he has not discovered
her again, and brought her back?"