Page 11 (1/2)

Late afternoon&039;s shadows had fallen across Manhattan, painting the wooded hills deep green and gold

Weary but still determined, Matthew covered what he feltwilderness road, and then he recognized the waist-high rock wall of the DeKonty estate through the trees ahead a pair of closed iron gates guarded the trail leading up to the house, which couldn&039;t be seen for all the foliage He guided Suvie off the road and into the forest, thankful that he&039;d found her chewing apples in an orchard about a half-mile from the point where she&039;d been ruraciously accepted hi so rudely treated

Now there was a score to be settled

He said quietly, "Whoa, girl," and reined her in Then he climbed off and walked her deeper into the woods, where she couldn&039;t be seen froave her one of the apples he&039;d put into his saddlebag, and then he was ready to go

Best not to enter through the gates, he decided Possibly they were locked anyway, and he wished to find his own route in He walked along the wall, re that the DeKonty house was set well back froardens that had been Mrs DeKonty&039;s pride

after a fewhis best suit, but then he was over and into so that if Mr Hudson Greathouse kept a uard the place his suit would be the least thing mauled today But there was no bark and roar of one of those beasts rushing to break his bones and so he rose up-carefully, cautiously-and walked through a little grassy paradise where butterflies swaravel led off beside a fieldstone well It was a ht, and then he ca and he sa the grass was so evenly trimmed

Up past the sheep, the trail that led from the road curved up toward the e oaks and as he recalled overlooked the river on the far side It was a structure obviously built by a wealthy merchant in the quarry business, for it o levels ray slate roof at the apex stood a brown-painted cupola topped by a brass weathervane in the shape of a rooster The front door was a big slab of tea-colored ith a knocker the size of the highwaye-house back behind the , and also on the riverfront side there was another garden where the party had been held Over there as ere glass-paned doors that led into a study where Mr DeKonty had gone on at length about the various grades of lumber a place of education then had become of interest now, and as Matthew headed around toward the back of the house to make a circuitous path to his destination he heard the distant clang of ates

He had to hurry now He walked quickly past a hitching-post in the shade of a green-oing to do anysuch as this, for his heels were rubbed raw

On the river side, the water shih slope and the forest unbroken beyond, Matthew found the double doors he knew to be there Closed, yes But locked, no The brass handles gave as he carefully turned them a set of dark red drapes was drawn across the entrance He couldn&039;t see beyond into the room, but he would have to risk the chance that it was not empty He opened the doors, parted the drapes, stepped into an empty study, and closed the doors behind hi desk with quills and inkpot, a chair at the desk, and two other chairs across the back of one chair he saw hung in a leather scabbard a rapier with a bone-white grip and an undecorated ht Made for use instead of threat aon a wallhook across the roo froht it wise to retreat behind the drapes and stay as still and quiet as mind over nerves would allow

"unfortunate, really," said a ave it away so" and here the door opened and the voice became clear "easily He practically showed me where it was"

"and hoas thati" a worin just a bit It seemed that Mrs Herrald would not be at the Dock House Inn at seven o&039;clock

"He touched his coat pocket," said the highwayman, whose voice had become lish gentle the motion for Mrs Herrald "Furthermore, as I took the envelope he told ether lost his nerve"

Matthew decided to say Better than losing rand entrance He pushed aside the drapes, stepped forwardand two things happened in a blur

Mrs Herrald, who had reave a startled cry In the next instant the supposed highwaye man no matter his masquerade,react in his life There was a hissing sound of leather spitting steel, a bright spark of sunlight leaped in an arc across the walls, and very suddenly Matthew had the sharp tip at the end of thirty inches of rapier up under his throat where all the life flowed

Matthew froze The swordsman also became a statue, as did Mrs Herrald, but the weapon did not waver a nose-hair

"I surrender," Matthew said, and slowly lifted his hands pallass in the door panes "are you insanei I alh!"

"I thank you for your hesitation in that regard" Matthew tried to s and found his adam&039;s-apple in jeopardy "I have a delivery for a Mr Hudson Greathouse"

"a deliveryi What are you-"

"Mr Greathouse," said Mrs Herrald quietly, "please lower your sword from our courier&039;s throat" Her face was still blanched but soht that even by what the man Greathouse had told her, she knew his trick

The sword dropped, but Greathouse kept it at his side unsheathed Matthew felt it was a coed, hawk-nosed face bore the rather dazed and confused expression Matthew had seen on six-ered onto the dock encountering long-forgotten stability

"May I deliver the envelopei" Matthew asked

"I already took it," growled Greathouse

"Yes sir, butno, sir You did take an envelope, yes But the right one, no" Matthew shrugged off his coat, reached back underneath his waistcoat, and retrieved the envelope where it was lodged between shirt and breeches-band "I apologize," he said as he handed it over "It&039;s a little sweat-damp"

Greathouse turned the envelope to look at the red wax seal with its embossed H "This can&039;t be! I broke the seal on the envelope I took from his pocket!"

"That envelope did have a wax seal, yes sir The color of red used on the real envelope is probably a shade or two lighter than that used in Magistrate Powers&039; office, where I did the work before I left But I didn&039;t believe it would be a probleht your envelopes from the same source as does City Hall, namely Mr Ellery&039;s Stationer&039;s Shop on Queen Street If not, the envelopes are nearly the same in size" He looked back and forth between Mrs Herrald and Hudson Greathouse "I couldn&039;t duplicate the correct seal, of course," he said, enjoying their silence, "so I had to divert the highwayman&039;su it too closely before it was broken Then again, if he&039;d seen it was not embossed with an H and he&039;d shown any reaction, he would&039;ve given hinatures on a blank piece of paper"

"Reallyi" Mrs Herrald&039;s eyes sparkled, as she was obviously relishing the display

"Yes, ht have been far enough to keepwritten on the paper, but I already knew there wasn&039;t" That part had been comical to Matthew, and he&039;d had to put his hand over his hwayer "friends in Boston" They had to be quite so

"and how did you knoasn&039;t a real highwaymani" Greathouse asked "How did you know that when I saw a blank piece of paper I wouldn&039;t just cave your head ini"

Matthew shrugged "I didn&039;t But you had et so upset over nothingi"

Mrs Herrald nodded "Prior preparation, using the envelope and wax Very clever Misdirection, with your hand over your pocket again, clever, but Mr Greathouse should have been aware of that old trick anything elsei"

"Yeswas very clear Mr Greathouse threw the torn envelope down onto the road as a signal to let you know the game had been played out, in case I walked so far to find my horse that you missed me on my supposed trip back to town"

"True all true But for one s man Mr Greathouse, would you open your deliveryi"

Greathouse broke the seal and opened the envelope a ses of his mouth "Oh," he said "I see the amendments to the deed came" He held up an official parch half-a-dozen fat-fingered signatures

"It arrived by ship&039;s post, two hours beforewith Mr Corbett," Mrs Herrald said, still speaking to Greathouse "I was unfortunately unable to tell you in ti a real, and very valuable, document"

Matthew looked down at the floor&039;s oak boards and tasted a little sour ren it nohile it&039;s in front of me" Mrs Herrald took the parchment, sat down at the desk, dabbed quill into ink, and wrote her name in stately script below the other names

"This is your housei" Matthew asked

"Yes Oh, there&039;s a s, but this settles it once it&039;s back in London" She smiled up at him "I&039;ll take it to the post myself"

"You smacked me, boy!" hollered Greathouse, who slapped Matthew on the back so hard Matthew thought he rinned with square white teeth that looked cut frootten all the wind back in his lungs and could speak again, he said, "Pardon, Mrs Herrald, butif your plan was for me to be waylaid on the road and the envelope taken, then as the point of all thisi"

She spent athe parchht he saw a new appreciation Or respect, as the case ht be She said, "I know your history fro that situation in Fount Royal, and I know your desire for success What I didn&039;t knoas how you would deal with failure"

She stood up, now regarding hiency, you will do your best to succeed, but in spite of that, many times you will fail That is the nature of the world, and the truth of life But when you find your horse again, will you go back, or will you go forwardi That hat I had to know

"Welcome," she said, and she offered her hand

Matthew realized he stood at an iotiated If dealing with a false highwayht today&039;s incident was likely a frivolity, considering the danger of this line of work Yet, for the chance to use his istrate Woodward had begun by re of himself in this rowdy and riotous world, wasn&039;t it worth at least a tryi

It was, he decided, though he knew he&039;d decided this when he&039;d left town by the Post Road

It was

He took Mrs Herrald&039;s hand, and right away received another slap on the back from Hudson Greathouse that ratulations