creature’s face.  One hideous yell—­and neither of them knew what was occurring till they saw the tail of the panther disappearing over the six-foot wall that separated the cages from the stableyard.  Tom fled at once for the stair leading up to the stone-court, while the groom, whose training had given him a better courage, now supplemented by the horror of possible consequences, ran to warn the stablemen and get help to recapture the animal.

The uproariest tumult of maddest barking which immediately arose from the chained dogs, entered the ears of all in the castle, at least every one possessed of dog-sympathies, and penetrated even those of the rather deaf host of the White Horse in Raglan village.  Dorothy, sitting in her room, of course, heard it, and hearing it, equally of course, hurried to see what was the matter.  The marquis heard it where he sat in his study, but was in no such young haste as Dorothy:  it was only after a little, when he found the noise increase, and certain other sounds mingle with it, that he rose in some anxiety and went to discover the cause.

Halfway across the stone court, Dorothy met Tom running, and the moment she saw his face, knew that something serious had happened.

‘Get indoors, mistress,’ he said, almost rudely, ’the devil is to pay down in the yard.’ and ran on.  ‘Shut your door, master cook,’ she heard him cry as he ran.  ‘The Great Mogul is out.’

And as she ran too, she heard the door of the kitchen close with a great bang.

But Dorothy was not running after the fool, or making for any door but that at the bottom of the library tower; for the first terror that crossed her mind was the possible fate of Dick, and the first comfort that followed, the thought of Marquis; so she was running straight for the stable-yard, where the dogs, to judge by the way they tore their throats with barking, seemed frantic with rage.

No doubt the panther, when he cleared the wall, hoped exultant to find himself in the savage forest, instead of which he came down on the top of a pump, fell on the stones, and the same instant was caught in a hurricane of canine hate.  A little hurt and a good deal frightened, for he had not endured such long captivity without debasement, he glared around him with sneaking enquiry.  But the walls were lofty and he saw no gate, and feeling unequal at the moment to the necessary spring, he crept almost like a snake under what covert seemed readiest, and disappeared—­just as the groom entering by a door in one of the walls began to look about for him in a style wherein caution predominated.  Seeing no trace of him, and concluding that, as he had expected, the clamour of the dogs had driven him further, he went on, crossing the yard to find the men, whose voices he heard on the green at the back of the rick-yard, when suddenly he found that his arm was both broken and torn.  The sight of the blood completed the mischief, and he fell down in a swoon.