CHAPTER XXIII

At supper that evening Doctor Chord amplified some of his views "A few
staunch retainers could quickly aid you to scale the walls of the
castle," said he. "But I have forgotten," he added blankly. "'Tis not
a castle. 'Tis a house."

"If you would take some of these ancient ideas and bury them in the
garden," said I, "they might grow in time to be some kind of turnip or
other valuable food. But at the present moment they do not seem to me
to serve much purpose. Supposing that the house is not a castle? What
of that?"

"Castles--" said he. "Castles lend themselves--"

"Castles!" I cried. "Have done with castles! All castles may be Jews,
as you say. But this is a house."

"I remarked that it was a house," he answered gently. "It was that
point that I was making."

"Very good," said I. "We will now proceed to define matters. Do you
know if Lady Mary walks in the garden? It is absolutely necessary that
Lady Mary should walk in the garden."

"She does," he replied at once. "At this season of the year Lady Mary
walks in the garden on every fine day at ten of the clock."

"Then," I cried, smiting the table, "our course is clear; I feel
elate. My only regret is that my father is not here to give me a word
now and then, for 'tis a game he would know down to the ground."

"Although I am not your father," said Doctor Chord modestly, "I may be
able to suggest some expedient way of gaining entrance to the castle."

"House," said I.

"House," said he.

"However," said I, "we must lower ourselves to extremely practical
matters. Can you climb a tree?"

"A tree?" said he. "Climb a tree? Strap me!"

"'Tis all very well to strap yourself in this fashion," said I rather
warmly; "but the climbing of trees appears here as an important
matter. In my part of Ireland there are few trees, and so climbing
trees did not enter into my education. However, I am willing to
attempt the climbing of a tree for the sake of my true love, and if I
fall--how high is this wall? Do you remember?"

"'Twas at least ten feet," answered the Doctor. "And there is a
murderous row of spikes at the top. But," he added, "the more spikes
and all that make them the more convinced that the garden is perfectly
safe from intrusion."

"That's a world of sense out of you," I cried. "The spikes convince
them the garden is safe from intrusion, and so they give over their
watchfulness. So now in the morning we will go there, and I will