From
here the keen eyes of Hildebrand Anne, Baron of Ardrochan, scanned
often the countryside, looking for travelling merchants or wandering
knights; while his gallant steed Black Rudolph, whose coat was drab and
dingy, waited saddled and bridled below, and Blazer the bloodhound
sniffed about the burn hard by. Blazer had a weakness for rats quite
uncommon in bloodhounds.
Tinker cherished but a faint hope that Fortune would ever send him a
prisoner, even a braw, shock-headed lad, or sonsie, savage lassie of
the country. But he did not do justice to that goddess's love of
mischief. It was she who inspired into Mr. Robert Lambert the desire
to shine in the Great World; and it was she who gave him the idea of
taking for the season Lord Hardacre's house and forest of Tullispaith,
in lieu of the cash which he would never get. Thither he invited
certain spirited young clients, who had practically only the choice of
being Mr. Lambert's guests at Tullispaith or King Edward's at Holloway.
Thither he came, a week beforehand, to make ready for them.
At once he set about becoming an accomplished deer-stalker. For three
days he rode, or tramped, about the forest of Tullispaith, in search of
red deer which, in quite foolish estimate of their peril, insisted
always on putting a hill between themselves and his rifle.
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