Easter week passed. On the following Sunday the stranger went to
church; and, after the service began, took up a place whence he had
full view of the large square pew belonging to Eagles' Nest. On Easter
Sunday he had sat at the back of the church, out of sight. Charles,
Alice, and Frank were in the pew to-day, with the governess and little
Kate: Mrs. Raynor was at home with Frank's wife, then lying
dangerously ill; the major had not come. This was two days before they
received news of Dr. Raynor's death. Charles was rendered miserably
uncomfortable during the service by the presence of the Tiger opposite
to him--as might be read by any one in the secret of his fears, and
was read by Frank. Never did Charles raise his eyes but he saw those
of the Tiger fixed on him. In fact, the Tiger studied the faces in
Major Raynor's pew more attentively than he studied his book.
"He is taking toll of me that he may know me again: I don't suppose he
knew me before, or his work would have been done and over," thought
Charles. "What a precious idiot I was to come to church! Thank Heaven,
he can't touch me on a Sunday." And when the service was ended, the
Tiger coolly stood in the churchyard and watched the family pass him,
looking keenly at Charles.
He had in like manner watched them into church. From a shady nook in
the same churchyard, he had stood, himself unseen, looking at the
congregation as they filed in. When the bell had ceased, and the last
person seemed to have entered, then the Tiger followed, and put
himself in the best place for seeing the Raynors. It was, however, the
first and last time Charles was annoyed in a similar manner. On
subsequent Sundays, the Tiger, if he went to church at all, was lost
amidst the general congregation.
On this same Sunday evening, John Jetty found himself invited to take
a pipe with his lodger. They sat in the arbour in the back-garden,
amidst the herbs, the spring cabbages, and the early flowers. Jetty
never wanted any inducement to talk. He was not of a wary nature by
any means, and did not observe how skilfully and easily the thread of
his discourse was this evening turned on the Raynors and their
affairs. No man in the place could have supplied more correct
information to a stranger than he. He was often at work in the house,
was particularly intimate with Lamb the butler, who had lived with
Mrs. Atkinson; as had two or three of the other head servants; and
they had the family politics at their fingers' ends. Mrs. Raynor had
brought one servant from Spring Lawn; the nurse; the woman knew all
about her branch of the family, Frank included, and had no objection
to relate news for the new people's benefit, who in their turn
repeated it to Jetty. Consequently Jetty was as much at home in the
family archives as the Raynors were themselves.
"Is the estate entailed on the major's son?" questioned the Tiger, in
a pause of the conversation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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