I had often noticed a curious hostility in Maureen towards Miss Champion, and had wondered at it, since she was so devoted to us all.

“She tell the story, indeed!” she went on with bitterness.  “If she tells it she’d better keep back nothing.  Why did she send him to get consolation from other ladies?  He was always true-hearted from a child.  And if Miss Cardew had a fancy for him, who should blame her?”

Now, I had heard dimly of Miss Cardew who was an heiress, and of how Sir Jasper Tuite had tried to abduct her, but somehow I had never heard the whole of the story.  People had dropped talking about it as soon as they had discovered my presence.  And I had had no idea at all that it had to do with Uncle Luke.

CHAPTER VI

ONE SIDE OF A STORY

“Tell me now, Maureen,” I said, “since you have told me so much.  It was Sir Jasper Tuite, was it not, that waylaid Miss Cardew on her way from Kilmany Church, and was killed in the struggle?  And what had Uncle Luke to do with it?”

“Ah, that is what only he himself could tell.  For the poor young lady, who was never over-strong, went clean out of her wits afterwards:  and to be sure Sir Jasper Tuite was dead and cold when they found him.  The horses that drew the carriage had taken flight and galloped off home with Miss Cardew, and her cowardly coachman had run away and never came back till the whole thing was over.  Miss Cardew, poor thing, never could tell what happened, rightly.  And Sir Jasper, if he was dead, he hadn’t died of the pistol-shot, but of an old trouble of the heart.  The bullet was in the fleshy part of his shoulder, and the doctors would have got it out as easy as possible.  And, sure, if he’d lived he’d have been sent to prison.  It used to be life for runnin’ away with a lady against her will in the old days.  Master Luke’s pistol was found just as he’d thrown it down, and his name on it.  He must have thought he’d killed Sir Jasper.  Small wrong, some people say, if he had, for Sir Jasper was bad as many a poor girl knew to her cost.”

“Uncle Luke should not have gone away,” I said.

“Well, you see, dearie, he thought it the kindest thing to do.  And then—­there were stories.  I never believed them myself.  People asked how it was that Master Luke came to be armed.  There was reason enough, for the country was disturbed at the time.”

“Stories,” I repeated after her—­“what stories?”

“Why, there were some bad enough to say that it was Master Luke was tryin’ to abduct the lady, and that it was Sir Jasper was hinderin’ him.  I couldn’t believe it myself.  He cared for none but Miss Mary, although she’d been hard to him.  And Miss Irene Cardew would have gone with Master Luke willin’ enough.  A pretty delicate little lady she was, and ’ud jump if she caught sight of her own shadow.  Sure, Master Luke could have nothing but pity for her.”