At five o'clock we went indoors to tea. Those were the days of real, old-fashioned teas, not sham ones, as now. Hardly had we seated ourselves round the table, and Mrs. Jacob Chandler was inquiring who took sugar and who didn't, when one of the maids came in.
"If you please, Miss Preen, the gig is come for you," she said.
"The gig!" exclaimed Jane. "Come for me! You must be mistaken, Susan."
"It is at the gate, Miss Jane, and Sam's in it. He says that his master and missus have sent him to take you home immediate."
Jane, all astonishment, followed by some of us, went out to see what Sam could mean. Sam only repeated in a stolid kind of way the message he had given to Susan. His master and mistress had despatched him for Miss Jane and she must go home at once.
"Is anything the matter?--anyone ill?" asked Jane, turning pale.
Sam, looking more stolid than before, professed not to know anything; he either did not or would not. Miss Jane had to go, and as quick as she could, was all he would say.
Jane put on her things, said good-bye in haste, and went out again to the gig. Sam drove off at a tangent before she had well seated herself.
"Now, Sam, what's the matter?" she began.
Sam, in about three stolid words, protested, as before, he couldn't say _what_ was the matter; except that he had been sent off for Miss Jane.
Jane noticed, and thought it odd, that he did not look at her as he spoke, though he was frank and open by habit; he had never looked in any of their faces since coming to the door.
"Where's Mr. Oliver?" she asked. But Sam only muttered that he "couldn't say," and drove swiftly.
They went on in silence after that, Jane seeing it would be useless to inquire further, and were soon at Duck Brook. She felt very uneasy. What she feared was, that her father and Oliver might have quarrelled, and that the latter was about to be turned summarily out of doors.
"Why, there's Mr. Oliver!" she exclaimed. "Pull up, Sam."
They were passing the first Inlet. Oliver stood at the top of it, facing the road, evidently looking out for her, as Jane thought. His gaze was fixed, his face white as death.
"I told you to pull up, Sam; how dare you disobey me and drive on in that way?" cried Jane; for Sam had whipped up the horse instead of stopping. Jane, looking at his face saw it had gone white too.