“Faith and troth, Will,” said Frank Kifflin, as soon as they were out of Mr. Dangerfield’s hearing. “Only think of meeting Bob’s old father here. He seems a close acquaintance of yours, Mrs. St. Clare.”
“Oh, no. I happened upon him just after his coach had been held up and his horses stolen, and carried him the rest of the way.”
Will was indignant. “Lord, to see the effrontery of the highwaymen nowadays! I vow it’s barbarous! They’ll stop at nothing to gain their ends. And only to think of the scurvy rascals daring to attack a man of Mr. Dangerfield’s consequence!”
“Barbarous!” agreed Frank.
As Amber stood in her doorway bidding them goodbye, Wigglesworth, who had been studying her face carefully for some moments, suddenly gave a snap of his fingers. “I know who you are now, Mrs. St. Clare! You’re the player from His Majesty’s Theatre!”
“Of course! That’s who she is, Will! I knew all along we’d seen you before, madame. But why so modest, pray? Most actresses are—”
“An actress!” protested Amber. “Lord, whatever put that unlucky notion into your heads! It may be I resemble one of the wretches, but then it’s the practice of all of ’em to try to look like quality, they tell me. No, gentlemen, you’ve made a mistake. I assure you I’ve never been nearer the stage than the middle-box. And now, good-day.”
But she knew by the sly looks they exchanged and the smiles on their faces when they bowed, that she had not convinced them. When the door was shut Amber leaned back against it with a low whistle.
“Whew! Blast those two paper-skulled nuisances! I’ve got to find a way to be rid of
When they came that night and invited her to go with them to the gaming-house Amber’s first impulse was to refuse. But it occurred to her then that she might be able to catch them at something and scare them away from the Wells, and so she agreed. On the way Frank Kifflin suggested that they stop and ask Mr. Dangerfield to join them.
“Most likely the poor old gentleman’s lonely, and though gad knows I hate to play with an old man I can’t bear to think of Bob’s old father being lonely.”
But Amber did not intend to have Mr. Dangerfield told that she was an actress. “Mr. Dangerfield never plays cards, gentlemen. He hates the sight of ’em worse than a Quaker hates a parrot. You know these old Puritans.”
The men, obviously disappointed, agreed that they did.
There were not a score of persons gathered about the tables in the gaming-house, and of those some were obviously natives of the town playing for only a few pence or shillings. Amber and the two men watched for a while and finally Frank Kifflin suggested that they try their luck at raffle—a dice-game which they assured her was the most harmless in the world and depended upon nothing but a turn of the wrist. “Oh; heavens, gentlemen,” said Amber with an air of surprised innocence. “I can’t play. I only came along to watch and keep you company. I never carry money with me when I’m travelling.”
That seemed to please Mr. Kifflin. “Very wise, Mrs. St. Clare. Travel is full of too many hazards these days. But pray let me lend you ten or twenty pound—it’s but dull entertainment watching others play.”
Amber pretended to hesitate. “Well—I don’t know if I should or not—”
“Tush, madame! Why shouldn’t you? And let’s not speak a word of interest, I beg of you. Only a rook would accept interest from so fine a person as yourself.”
“What a courtier you are, Mr. Kifflin!” said Amber, thinking that if they did not want interest for their money they must have some other game.
Between them Mr. Kifflin and Mr. Wigglesworth produced a great many shiny shillings from their pockets and put them on the table before her. There was not a guinea or a penny or another coin in the pile, nothing but shillings. It was not very difficult to guess that they must be hired by some counterfeiter to pass his false money and get back true. Amber obligingly lost several pounds and when she quit said that she would send a note to her goldsmith immediately so that they could collect next time they were in London.
“But remember, Mrs. St. Clare,” said Wigglesworth the last thing before they parted. “We’ll accept not a penny in interest. Not a penny.”
Amber examined some of the coins and was sure that they were “black-dogs”—double-washed pewter discs; they looked and sounded exactly like those made by the counterfeiter who had lived on the third-floor at Mother Red-Cap’s. She tossed one of them up and caught it, laughing and giving a wink to Nan.
“I’ll take care of those two young fop-doodles, I warrant you. Send Jeremiah the first thing tomorrow morning to invite Mr. Dangerfield to take his dinner with me. Let’s see—I believe I’ll wear that black velvet gown with the white lace collar and cuffs—it gives me a maidenly air, don’t you think?”
“If anything could, mam.”
