As he spoke, Sir Nathaniel's mouth hardened and his eyebrows came downtill they met. There was no doubting his concurrence in the resolution,or his readiness to help in carrying it out. But he was an elderly manwith much experience and knowledge of law and diplomacy. It seemed tohim to be a stern duty to prevent anything irrevocable taking place tillit had been thought out and all was ready. There were all sorts of legalcruxes to be thought out, not only regarding the taking of life, even ofa monstrosity in human form, but also of property. Lady Arabella, be shewoman or snake or devil, owned the ground she moved in, according toBritish law, and the law is jealous and swift to avenge wrongs donewithin its ken. All such difficulties should be--must be--avoided forMr. Salton's sake, for Adam's own sake, and, most of all, for MimiWatford's sake.
Before he spoke again, Sir Nathaniel had made up his mind that he musttry to postpone decisive action until the circumstances on which theydepended--which, after all, were only problematical--should have beentested satisfactorily, one way or another. When he did speak, Adam atfirst thought that his friend was wavering in his intention, or "funking"the responsibility. However, his respect for Sir Nathaniel was so greatthat he would not act, or even come to a conclusion on a vital point,without his sanction.
He came close and whispered in his ear:
"We will prepare our plans to combat and destroy this horrible menace,after we have cleared up some of the more baffling points. Meanwhile, wemust wait for the night--I hear my uncle's footsteps echoing down thehall."
Sir Nathaniel nodded his approval.
CHAPTER XXI--GREEN LIGHT
When old Mr. Salton had retired for the night, Adam and Sir Nathanielreturned to the study. Things went with great regularity at Lesser Hill,so they knew that there would be no interruption to their talk.
When their cigars were lighted, Sir Nathaniel began.
"I hope, Adam, that you do not think me either slack or changeable ofpurpose. I mean to go through this business to the bitter end--whateverit may be. Be satisfied that my first care is, and shall be, theprotection of Mimi Watford. To that I am pledged; my dear boy, we whoare interested are all in the same danger. That semi-human monster outof the pit hates and means to destroy us all--you and me certainly, andprobably your uncle. I wanted especially to talk with you to-night, forI cannot help thinking that the time is fast coming--if it has not comealready--when we must take your uncle into our confidence. It was onething when fancied evils threatened, but now he is probably marked fordeath, and it is only right that he should know all."
"I am with you, sir. Things have changed since we agreed to keep him outof the trouble. Now we dare not; consideration for his feelings mightcost his life. It is a duty--and no light or pleasant one, either. Ihave not a shadow of doubt that he will want to be one with us in this.But remember, we are his guests; his name, his honour, have to be thoughtof as well as his safety."
"All shall be as you wish, Adam. And now as to what we are to do? Wecannot murder Lady Arabella off-hand. Therefore we shall have to putthings in order for the killing, and in such a way that we cannot betaxed with a crime."
"It seems to me, sir, that we are in an exceedingly tight place. Ourfirst difficulty is to know where to begin. I never thought thisfighting an antediluvian monster would be such a complicated job. Thisone is a woman, with all a woman's wit, combined with the heartlessnessof a _cocotte_. She has the strength and impregnability of a diplodocus.We may be sure that in the fight that is before us there will be nosemblance of fair-play. Also that our unscrupulous opponent will notbetray herself!"
"That is so--but being feminine, she will probably over-reach herself.Now, Adam, it strikes me that, as we have to protect ourselves and othersagainst feminine nature, our strong game will be to play our masculineagainst her feminine. Perhaps we had better sleep on it. She is a thingof the night; and the night may give us some ideas."
So they both turned in.
Adam knocked at Sir Nathaniel's door in the grey of the morning, and, onbeing bidden, came into the room. He had several letters in his hand.Sir Nathaniel sat up in bed.
"Well!"
"I should like to read you a few letters, but, of course, I shall notsend them unless you approve. In fact"--with a smile and a blush--"thereare several things which I want to do; but I hold my hand and my tonguetill I have your approval."
"Go on!" said the other kindly. "Tell me all, and count at any rate onmy sympathy, and on my approval and help if I can see my way."
Accordingly Adam proceeded:
"When I told you the conclusions at which I had arrived, I put in theforeground that Mimi Watford should, for the sake of her own safety, beremoved--and that the monster which had wrought all the harm should bedestroyed."
"Yes, that is so."
"To carry this into practice, sir, one preliminary is required--unlessharm of another kind is to be faced. Mimi should have some protectorwhom all the world would recognise. The only form recognised byconvention is marriage!"
Sir Nathaniel smiled in a fatherly way.
"To marry, a husband is required. And that husband should be you."
"Yes, yes."
"And the marriage should be immediate and secret--or, at least, notspoken of outside ourselves. Would the young lady be agreeable to thatproceeding?"
"I do not know, sir!"
"Then how are we to proceed?"
"I suppose that we--or one of us--must ask her."
"Is this a sudden idea, Adam, a sudden resolution?"