Happy Pollyooly: The Rich Little Poor Girl
of the earliness of the hour, with excited animation, awo
she c
Queek! Coom to ze win
he detective stood on the lawn regarding the house g
laughed
st eat your breakfast queek, and be ready to
ock that she might be less visible in the thickets. Then s
when Eglantine, on the w
er! You must fly
ut gentleman, conferring with the detective and smiling triumphantly and rubbing his hands at the news of her presence in the house. She smiled t
at are we to do?"
I could get out of?" s
" cried Eglantine, ru
saw that to get to the little gate into the wood she would have to pass the detective. But on her left, in the fence of the wood, was a gap which had been filled by a post and rails. Though it would bring her in sight of the lawyer at the front door, that seemed the safer way, since he was stouter,
ne a good thirty yards into it. He rushed for the post and rails, and climbed them with his eyes nearly starting out of his head in his anxiety t
had learned that Pollyooly had taken to the woods, and was himself over the fence, many valuable seconds had been lost
dergrowth. It grew fainter and fainter, for they plunged on straight ahead of them; and then it died quite away. She
but drawing nearer. She moved along before it, and came to a gate opening into a leafy lane.
ood with a lawyer and a detective. Then she cast one look back into the green depths of the wood, slipped over the gate, and bolted down the lane as hard as she could run. Her only task had been to keep the lawyer and the detectiv
detective ranged the wo
he entered into conversation with her. She was very affable with him, but not wholly open; for after a while she left him under the impression that, so far from being an orph
repine, but walked along to the end of it, watching the bathers and the playing children, in a great content. Then she went down the path beyond the esplanade, between the sea and ma
the detective ranged the
hoes and stockings and came back to the esplanade. She soon learned that a bathing-dress and a bathing-machin
the detective ranged the
s, drying her beautiful red hair in the sun. The church clock struck twelve;
the detective ranged the
she sought the mouth of the Otter. There, hunting among the rocks, paddling, watching the sea-gulls on the red cliffs be
mitted. Moreover, the lawyer was not of sleuth-hound build, and the chase had reddened his face almost to the colour of the carapa
nto the town to get the food he needed so badly and to bring back lunch for the lawyer. The lawyer sat on a ben
of Pollyooly. It is difficult to be sure how these things happened. But both of them were lonely; Pollyooly was of far too s
house at three o'clock, was detained by Edward and the sea till half-past four. She was not loth to be detained; she was ind
ith the lunch of the raging lawyer. From half-past three till four they prowled gently about the wood; at four they
urdered Lady Marion Ricksborough in the wood. It took them nearly twenty minutes to persuade her
went picked flowers to adorn the Honourable John Ruffin's chambers. When she did come into the garden, her eyes fell at once on the lawyer and the detective. They slept
: They slept
by her delay. Though in the end persuaded that she had not been murdered by the lawyer and the detective, she had begun to fear lest she were lost in th
or of the market-garden, when they were both startled by a loud snort at the window. The lawyer and the detective were looking in upon them, their faces beaming with
e caught your ladysh
bit in the part of Lady Marion Ricksborough to give hers
ve missed the las
y smiled
e said grumpily. "If I left your ladyship here,
and Eglantine burst into
eep in the house-in h
out further and louder protests from Eglantine; but in the end he got it. She packed the little kit-bag for Pollyooly with clothes of Lady Marion. The detective carried it. As they were starting
med Pollyoo
secure her welfare, and dwelling on the pleasure she must be feeling at the prospect of being re-united with her affectionate father, the duke. No such prospect lay before her; and she displayed no interest in the matter. But when the lawyer, with a fatherly
at she was moving from it to an hotel where, in her ignorance of provincial England, she supposed that she would fare luxuriously. She was much less pleased
or a moment of putting her into the care of the detective. Indeed, in spite of his greater experience
hether she disliked the smell of tobacco smoke before taking her into the smoking-room, where he made a light meal on whiske
sea-front. It was exceedingly gratifying to him to be seen walking hand in hand with the daughter of a duke. But his
-to-day," she said firmly,
emed no likelihood of his recovering the hand, in
's assurance that you w
yooly haughtily; and sh
e, and my responsibility ends," said Mr.
e would be with his grace on th
drowsily eloquent about the inestimable privilege she was about to enjoy of once more sharing her father's ducal home. But since the
d the manager of what he believed to be her rank and romantic history, during the meal she enjoyed a
terest to her. In view of the fact that she had so lately eaten that noble tea, the earlier courses could hardly be expected to interest her; but the sweets
se how much their deference to his opinions, drawn from that morning's Daily Mail, which both of them had read, was due to her presence beside him. After dinner they returned to the bench on the esplanade; and Pollyool
e hotel; and when she went to bed Mr.
n view of the rank she was enjoying, it also seemed to her that she might very well have her way in the matter. She dressed quic
lyooly hammered on the door yet more loudly than before with the heels of her two stout shoes. The chambermaid summoned the manager; both of them betook themselves to Mr. Wilkinson, and anxiously informed him that her young ladyship was awaking the whole hotel. Mr. Wilk
llyooly to the sea. His gloom did not at all lessen Pollyooly's enjoyment of her bath and she
nson congratulated her on the healthiness of her appetite, with a somewhat envious air. It
the detective. Pollyooly had not forgotten the Honourable John Ruffin's urgent instruction that she should wire him the time of the arrival of their train at Water
bustled after her and found he
hree twenty-f
a little; and Mr
telegraph to
old me to," s
Wilkinson with a puzzled ai
e yesterday,"
with a pained air. He thought
gn it 'Pollyoo
my name," sa
oner, he would not have let her send the telegram; as it was he did. Half-way to the st
t when we get to London,
et no more
f a small bottle of champagne, the air of Mr. Wilkinson grew m
he detective clasped her left, and they walked down the platform. They had not
! How are you?" h
ladyship, and we're taking her to his grace. He will be
the Honourable John Ruffin w
ilkinson, drawing
ohn Ruffin, looking at Pollyoo
r. Wilkinson a
lyooly? I hope you had a pleasant time with Eglantine. But why
de me. He almost dragged me
apping, you know-high-handed kidnapping," said the Honourab
to the duke," sa
m my housekeeper, Wilkinson? On the last occasion, when he did the ki
Honourable John Ruffin's face to that
do you
you dragging my housekeeper, Mary Bride, along the platform of Wate
lkinson stormily. "And if you'll forgive my saying so,
by giving you in charge here and now for kidnapping my hous
n grew yet more puzzled a
e? Who is
her by the hand, Wilkinson? You should keep such tricks for maiden lad
rough!" cried Wilkinson; but
ledge of the world did not see at once that you were kidnapping the wrong pe
t was you who said so. I am Mr. Ruffin's housek
ll the t-t-t-time, and she never p-p-p-protested onc
-devilish bad-a man of your age kidnapping a child of twelve and frightening her to such an extent that she was afraid to tell you who sh
," said Mr. Wilkinson faintl
said the Honour
r quietly. We don't want to make any silly mi
"But you'd better come along to my chambers. I've got Mary Bride's little brother there and a woma
could not blame any one but himself-himself and nature. The more carefully he examined Pollyooly the more impressed he was by her likeness to Lady Marion Ricksborough. The detective was gloomy; he had lost a night
n, by definitely taking the side of the duchess in their quarrel; and he began to see plainly that the matter would never
more evidence than the warmth with which Pollyooly kissed and hugged her little brother;
ad been dismissed to the
unfortunate mistak
would have cost you hundreds. As it is, I shouldn't wonder if she would be content w
n groaned; t
istake, and I suppos
ve-pound note from his notebo
y; and dropped a curtsey, like
ould have roused the whole hotel to get
ter of a duke-by your appointment," s
of the room, and followed him. At th
er trust my
John Ruffin gently. "I think another ti