or it will be the worse for you." Both started, and Rashly turned livid and trembled. "I thank you, sir," said Molly, "for interfering." Then thrusting Rashly aside, I cried; "Molly! I am your uncle, do you
not know me?" trying to disguise my voice all the while, which was
rather a difficult matter, boiling with passion as I was then. "I do not know you, sir, though I believe your intentions to be good,"
said Molly. Then seizing Molly by the hand, I whispered in her ear; "Silence!--not
a word--I am Jack risen from the grave." A piercing shriek, and Molly fell fainting against a tree. "Who are you, you vagabond?" cried Rashly, now for the first time
recovering from his surprise. "She does not know you. What have you been
saying to the poor girl to frighten her so? You are an impostor, sir. Be
off and mind your own business!" "Impostor! eh?--vagabond, eh? I'll show you who is a vagabond, you
scoundrel!" said I, and lifting my cane, I laid it about him with all my
might and main like a cavalryman cutting down his foe. Rashly at first attempted to defend himself, and flew at me like a
tiger; he tried to snatch the cane from my hand, but I hit him so
severely across the knuckles that I made him howl out in spite of
himself. I cut him right and left over head, shoulders, arms and legs,
hacking and slashing with the force of an infuriated madman,
accompanying each blow with such epithets as "scoundrel," "blackguard,"
till he burst out in a piteous cry and took refuge in flight. He never
troubled Molly again. The doctor's gold-headed cane had been broken with the force of the
blows I had dealt my rival, for which afterwards I had to pay, but to
return to Molly. She gradually recovered her senses, and gazed at me
wonderingly and full of fear. "Be calm, Molly," I said in my natural voice, "it is I--Jack, risen
from the grave, but still in the flesh and no spirit." Then taking off
my spectacles and wig, I said, "Molly, do you not recognise these eyes
and these locks, in spite of the rest of my disguise?" She still looked fearful and distrustingly at me, but at length
convinced that it was myself--and no one else--by my voice, she flew to
my arms crying, "Oh, Jack, Jack!--is it really you?" Of course, she wanted an instant explanation of my resurrection, which I
by degrees gave; and having given it, I began to unfold to her my plan,
thus. "Molly," I said, "what I have told you and am about to tell you now must
remain a secret between ourselves, otherwise my plan will fail. Well
then, in the first place you must get me acquainted with your aunt, and
give out that I am an elderly gentleman you have known some time, and
that you have met me quite unexpectedly here. You must invite me to call
at the house. I shall adopt the name of Dr. Crow. You must feign illness
and send for me. Thus we shall be able to see a good deal of each other. I will also persuade your aunt that she is ill, so that we shall see
still more of each other. I'll worm myself into her good graces and
after about a fortnight or so, I shall ask your aunt's consent to our
marriage. I shall tell her that I am a doctor in good practice, and
shall be able to keep you well, and when I once get the right side of
her, I doubt not that I shall obtain her consent. She will then write to
your father, who will hardly say anything against a match so
advantageous, although our ages may be apparently unequal. "It is not likely that he will trouble himself to come down here to have
a look at me, as he is at present laid up with the gout. He will in all
probability write his consent. That once obtained, I shall make all
necessary preparations for the marriage, and as for obtaining my
father's consent--leave that to me." "Oh, but, Jack! if your plan should fail--if your disguise should be
seen through," began Molly. "Leave all to me," said I. "So far I have been successful, for I have
not been recognised yet. Fortune seems on my side. You must aid me in
every possible way to carry out my plan." "I will, Jack!" said she. "Well, then," said I, "you must go home now to your aunt, and say you
have met an old friend of yours quite by chance here--a certain Dr.
Crow. Say also that I should like to call and make her acquaintance. Meet me again to-morrow in the wood, and invite me to the house. In
time, I've no doubt, all will go well." Molly promised to follow my instructions, and we parted. It was then late in the afternoon, so I returned to my inn. There I
found a snug little parlour, with a bookcase, so I beguiled the time as
well as I could by reading until the clock struck the dinner hour. After
a comfortable meal, I smoked a pipe of tobacco, strolled about the
streets a little in the twilight, and turned into bed. Next morning, after breakfast, I strolled out again into the wood. I
walked about for an hour, perhaps, without meeting anyone, casting
anxious glances all the while towards the house where Molly lived. At length she made her appearance; not alone this time, but with another
female. This must be the aunt, I thought--so much the better. Feeling
the necessity of an excuse for hovering about so near the house, I
feigned to be gathering wild flowers. "Oh, aunt!" I heard Molly say as she came up, "here is Dr. Crow, the
gentleman that I spoke to you about yesterday." "Ah, Miss Sykes!" said I, lifting my hat in the most polite manner, "I
hope I see you well this morning." Molly gave me her hand, and introduced me to her aunt, who curtseyed and
smiled. I said that I had come down here for a change of air, and that I was
amusing myself with botanising. "Oh, indeed!" said the aunt. "So that is your hobby, is it, Dr.
Crow--well, and a very delightful one, too. I am very fond of flowers
myself, and only wish I knew more about them. I do envy you scientific
men. You always seem so happy and contented." "Well, madam," said I, "there is nothing like having a hobby in life. It
fills up many a weary hour and makes us forget the din and the bustle of
the busy world around us. For my part, when I have no patients to attend
to, I am always occupied in some way or other." "Dear me," said the aunt. "How very delightful!" We walked on together, conversing agreeably as we went, and afterwards I
was invited into the house. Need I say that I praised to the utmost the
good taste of everything I saw there, her paperhangings, her worsted
work, her crochet, etc. I was then shown some specimens of ferns and
wild flowers that she had dried in a book, and she begged of me to write
their classical names under them. This was indeed a trial, as I had never learnt a single word of Latin,
but it would not do to back out, so I exerted all my ingenuity to invent
some crackjaw names. Among the rest I remember inscribing the words
"_Rodus sidus_," "_Stenchius obnoxious_," and "_Herbus unnonus_." These
names delighted Molly's aunt immensely, who believed she was already a
Latin scholar.