“i am sorry to have discovered your true nature, philip, but at least i have the satisfaction , such as it is, of discovering it in time to prevent a complete disaster for myself and my distinguished lineage. i hope you will not make things difficult by any pathetic attempt to excuse yourself.”
“no, jessica, i know when the game is up. i bid you farewell, and will not trouble you, or your solicitors, again.”
“thank you. if you will, please leave by the french window behind you. i would not have you being seen by any of the guests, who might ask awkward questions. when you have crossed the lawn and passed the gazebo, you will find a path which will lead you to the king’s highway, and from there you can walk to the town, or across the moors, whichever you prefer.”
philip bowed, and left by the french window, as instructed.
it was a calm night, with a full moon. philip walked across the lawn, which did not seem quite so broad as he remembered it, and quickly came to the highway.
what now? he had staked everything on marrying jessica and her fortune, and had lost. all his old pals would either have forgotten him, or felt that he had betrayed them.
he had not gone ten yards down the road before he came to a tree.
the tree had a single long limb about twenty feet from the ground and the limb had a rope wth an expertly knotted noose hanging from it. the noose was about ten feet from the ground.
a footstool had been thoughtfully placed under the noose. all this was clearly visible in the bright moonlight.
philip considered the tree, the rope, the noose, the footstool, and the moon.
just then he saw a light on the moor. it seemed to be from a small fire.
philip dedided to approach the fire, and struck across the moor.
he found what was indeed a small fire, with a whitehaired tramp, with a small pipe in his mouth, seated in front of it. a battered knapsack lat at his feet.
a little dog was seated beside the tramp. it gave a perfunctory little bark at philip, but dd not move.
“does that dog do tricks?” philip asked the tramp.
“it will do such tricks as it can be taught,” the tramp replied, without taking the pipe from his mouth.
“how much do you want for him?” philip asked.
“five shillings.”
philip happened to have ten shillings in his pocket. he handed five of them to the tramp, and the dog, who seemed to understand what was being transacted, got up and followed philip back to the road.
if philip had looked back, which he did not, he would have seen that the tramp had been transformed into a beautiful darkhaired young woman, wearing a red ballroom dress with puffed sleeves.
as the philip and the dog reached the highway, the young woman took a small ebony-backed hand mirror out of the knapsack.
philip and the dog headed to the town.
“what is your name?” philip asked the dog. “a dog who can do good tricks needs a good name.”
jessica married lord f________, and they lived together for forty years, without scandal or incident.
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