LISTENERS.
It was a somewhat singular coincidence, noted after the terrible event,
now looming in the distance, had taken place, and when people began to
weigh the various circumstances surrounding it, that Monday, the second
day fixed for the boat-race, should be another day of rain. As though
Heaven would have interposed to prevent it! said the thoughtful and
romantic.
A steady, pouring rain; putting a stop again to the race for that day.
The competitors might have been willing to face the elements themselves,
but could not subject the fair spectators to the infliction. There was
some inward discontent, and a great deal of outward grumbling; it did no
good, and the race was put off until the next day.
Val Elster still retained his liberty. Very chary indeed had he been of
showing himself outside the door on Saturday, once he was safely within
it. Neither had any misfortune befallen Lord Hartledon. That unconscious
victim must have contrived, in all innocence, to "dodge" the gentleman
who was looking out for him, for they did not meet.
On the Sunday it happened that neither of the brothers went to church.
Lord Hartledon, on awaking in the morning, found he had a sore throat,
and would not get up. Val did not dare show himself out of doors. Not
from fear of arrest that day, but lest any officious meddler should point
him out as the real Simon Pure, Percival Elster. But for these
circumstances, the man with the writ could hardly have remained
under the delusion, as he appeared at church himself.
"Which is Lord Hartledon?" he whispered to his neighbour on the free
benches, when the party from the great house had entered, and settled
themselves in their pews.
"I don't see him. He has not come to-day."
"Which is Mr. Elster?"
"He has not come, either." So for that day recognition was escaped.
It was not to be so on the next. The rain, as I have said, came down,
putting off the boat-race, and keeping Hartledon's guests indoors all the
morning; but late in the afternoon some unlucky star put it into Lord
Hartledon's head to go down to the Rectory. His throat was better--almost
well again; and he was not a man to coddle himself unnecessarily.
He paid his visit, stayed talking a considerable time with Mrs. Ashton,
whose company he liked, and took his departure about six o'clock. "You
and Anne might almost walk up with me," he remarked to the doctor as he
shook hands; for the Rector and Miss Ashton were to dine at Hartledon
that day. It was to have been the crowning festival to the boat-race--the
race which now had not taken place.
Lord Hartledon looked up at the skies, and found he had no occasion to
open his umbrella, for the rain had ceased. Sundry bright rays in the
west seemed to give hope that the morrow would be fair; and, rejoicing in
this cheering prospect, he crossed the broad Rectory lawn. As he went
through the gate some one laid a hand upon his shoulder.
"The Honourable Percival Elster, I believe?"
Lord Hartledon looked at the intruder. A seedy man, with a long coat and
red whiskers, who held out something to him.
"Who are you?" he asked, releasing his shoulder by a sharp movement.
"I'm sorry to do it, sir; but you know we are only the agent of others in
these affairs. You are my prisoner, sir."
"Indeed!" said Lord Hartledon, taking the matter coolly. "You have got
hold of the wrong man for once. I am not Mr. Percival Elster."
The capturer laughed: a very civil laugh. "It won't do, sir; we often
have that trick tried on us."
"But I tell you I am _not_ Mr. Elster," he reiterated, speaking this time
with some anger. "I am Lord Hartledon."
He of the loose coat shook his head. He had his hand again on the
supposed Mr. Elster's arm, and told him he must go with him.
"You cannot take me; you cannot arrest a peer. This is simply
ridiculous," continued Lord Hartledon, almost laughing at the real
absurdity of the thing. "Any child in Calne could tell you who I am."
"As well make no words over it, sir. It's only waste of time."
"You have a warrant--as I understand--to arrest Mr. Percival Elster?"
"Yes, sir, I have. The man that was looking for you in London got taken
ill, and couldn't come down, so our folks sent me. 'You'll know him by
his good looks,' said they; 'an aristocrat every inch of him.' Don't give
me trouble, sir."
"Well now--I am not Percival Elster: I am his brother, Lord Hartledon.
You cannot take one brother for another; and, what's more, you had better
not try to do it. Stay! Look here."
He pulled out his card-case, and showed his cards--"Earl of Hartledon."
He exhibited a couple of letters that happened to be about him--"The
Right Honble. the Earl of Hartledon." It was of no use.
"I've known that dodge tried before too," said his obstinate capturer.
Lord Hartledon was growing more angry. He saw some proof must be tendered
before he could regain his liberty. Jabez Gum happened to be standing at
his gate opposite, and he called to him.
"Will you be so kind as to tell this man who I am, Mr. Gum. He is
mistaking me for some one else."
"This is the Earl of Hartledon," said Jabez, promptly.
A moment's hesitation on the officer's part; but he felt too sure of his
man to believe this. "I'll take the risk," said he, stolidly. "Where's
the good of your holding out, Mr. Elster?"
"Come this way, then!" cried Lord Hartledon, beginning to lose his
temper. "And if you carry this too far, my man, I'll have you punished."
He went striding up to the Rectory. Had he taken a moment for
consideration, he might have turned away, rather than expose this
misfortune of Val's there. The doctor came into the hall, and was
recognized as the Rector, and there was some little commotion; Anne's
white face looking on from a distance. The man was convinced, and took
his departure, considerably crestfallen.
"What is the amount?" called the doctor, sternly.
"Not very much, _this_, sir. It's under three hundred."
Which was as much as to say there was more behind it. Dr. Ashton mentally
washed his hands of Percival Elster as a future son-in-law.
The first intimation that ill-starred gentleman received of the untoward
turn affairs were taking was from the Rector himself.
Mr. Percival Elster had been chuckling over that opportune sore throat,
as a means of keeping his brother indoors; and it never occurred to him
that Lord Hartledon would venture out at all on the Monday. Being a man
with his wits about him, it had not failed to occur to his mind that
there was a possibility of Lord Hartledon's being arrested in place of
himself; but so long as Hartledon kept indoors the danger was averted.
Had Percival Elster seen his brother go out he might have plucked up
courage to tell him the state of affairs.
But he did not see him. Lounging idly--what else had he, a poor prisoner,
to do?--in the sunny society of Maude Kirton and other attractive girls,
Mr. Elster was unconscious of the movements of the household in general.
He was in his own room dressing for dinner when the truth burst upon him.
Dr. Ashton was a straightforward; practical man--it has been already
stated--who went direct to the point at once in any matters of
difficulty. He arrived at Hartledon a few minutes before the dinner-hour,
found Mr. Elster was yet in his dressing-room, and went there to him.
The news, the cool, scornful anger of the Rector, the keen question--"Was
he mad?" burst upon the unhappy Val like a clap of thunder. He was
standing in his shirt-sleeves, ready to go down, all but his coat and
waistcoat, his hair-brushes in the uplifted hands. Hands and brushes had
been arrested midway in the shock. The calm clerical man; all the more
terrible then because of his calmness; standing there with his cold
stinging words, and his unhappy culprit facing him, conscious of his
heinous sins--the worst sin of all: that of being found out.
"Others have done so much before me, sir, and have not made the less good
men," spoke Val, in his desperation.
Dr. Ashton could not help admiring the man, as he stood there in his
physical beauty. In spite of his inward anger, his condemnation, his
disappointment--and they were all very great--the good looks of Percival
Elster struck him forcibly with a sort of annoyance: why should these men
be so outwardly fair, so inwardly frail? Those good looks had told upon
his daughter's heart; and they all loved _her_, and could not bear to
cause her pain. Tall, supple, graceful, strong, towering nearly a head
above the doctor, he stood, his pleasing features full of the best sort
of attraction, his violet eyes rather wider open than usual, the waves of
his silken hair smooth and bright. "If he were only half as fair in
conduct as in looks!" muttered the grieved divine.
But those violet eyes, usually beaming with kindness, suddenly changed
their present expression of depreciation to one of rage. Dr. Ashton gave
a pretty accurate description of how the crisis had been brought to his
knowledge--that Lord Hartledon had come to the Rectory, with his mistaken
assailant, to be identified; and Percival Elster's anger was turned
against his brother. Never in all his life had he been in so great a
passion; and having to suppress its signs in the presence of the Rector
only made the fuel burn more fiercely. To ruin him with the doctor by
going _there_ with the news! Anywhere else--anywhere but the Rectory!
Hedges, the butler, interrupted the conference. Dinner was waiting. Lord
Hartledon looked at Val as the two entered the room, and was rather
surprised at the furious gaze of reproach that was cast back on him.
Miss Ashton was not there. No, of course not! It needed not Val's glance
around to be assured of that. Of course they were to be separated from
that hour; the fiat was already gone forth. And Mr. Val Elster felt so
savage that he could have struck his brother. He heard Dr. Ashton's reply
to an inquiry--that Mrs. Ashton was feeling unusually poorly, and Anne
remained at home with her--but he looked upon it as an evasion. Not a
word did he speak during dinner: not a word, save what was forced from
him by common courtesy, spoke he after the ladies had left the room; he
only drank a great deal of wine.
A very unusual circumstance for Val Elster. With all his weak resolution,
his yielding nature, drinking was a fault he was scarcely ever seduced
into. Not above two or three times in his life could he remember to have
exceeded the bounds of strict, temperate sobriety. The fact was, he was
in wrath with himself: all his past follies were pressing upon him with
bitter condemnation. He was just in that frame of mind when an object to
vent our fury upon becomes a sort of necessity; and Mr. Elster's was
vented on his brother.
He was waiting at boiling-point for the opportunity to "have it out" with
him: and it soon came. As the gentlemen left the dining-room--and in
these present days they do not, as a rule, sit long, especially when the
host is a young man--Percival Elster touched his brother to detain him,
and shut the door on the heels of the rest.
Lord Hartledon was surprised. Val's attack was so savage. He was talking
off his superfluous wrath, and the wine he had taken did not tend to cool
his heat. Lord Hartledon, vexed at the injustice, lost his temper; and
for once there was a quarrel, sharp and loud, between the brothers. It
did not last long; in its very midst they parted; throwing cutting words
one at the other. Lord Hartledon quitted the room, to join his guests;
Val Elster strode outside the window to cool his brain.
But now, look at the obstinate pride of those two foolish men! They were
angry with each other in temper, but not in heart. In Percival Elster's
conscience there was an underlying conviction that his brother had acted
only in thoughtless impulse when he carried the misfortune to the
Rectory; whilst Lord Hartledon was even then full of plans for serving
Val, and considered he had more need to help him than ever. A day or two
given to the indulgence of their anger, and they would be firmer friends
than ever.
The large French window of the dining-room, opening to the ground, was
flung back by Val Elster; and he stepped forth into the cool night, which
was beautifully fine. The room looked towards the river. The velvet lawn,
wet with the day's rain, lay calm and silent under the bright stars; the
flowers, clustering around far and wide, gave out their sweet and heavy
night perfume. Not an instant had he been outside when he became
conscious that some figure was gliding towards him--was almost close to
him; and he recognised Mr. Pike. Yes, that worthy gentleman appeared to
be only then arriving on his evening visit: in point of fact, he had been
glued ear and eye to the window during the quarrel.
"What do you want?" demanded Mr. Elster.
"Well, I came up here hoping to get a word with you, sir," replied the
man in his rough, abrupt manner, more in character with his appearance
and lawless reputation than with his accent and unmistakable
intelligence. "There was a nasty accident a few hours ago: that shark
came across his lordship."
"I know he did," savagely spoke Val. "The result of your informing him
that I was Lord Hartledon."
"I did it for the best, Mr. Elster. He'd have nabbed you that very time,
but for my putting him off the scent as I did."
"Yes, yes, I am aware you did it for the best, and I suppose it turned
out to be so," quickly replied Val, some of his native kindliness
resuming its sway. "It's an unfortunate affair altogether, and that's
the best that can be said of it."
"What I came up here for was to tell you he was gone."
"Who is gone?"
"The shark."
"Gone!"
"He went off by the seven train. Lord Hartledon told him he'd communicate
with his principals and see that the affair was arranged. It satisfied
the man, and he went away by the next train--which happened to be the
seven-o'clock one."
"How do you know this?" asked Mr. Elster.
"This way," was the answer. "I was hovering about outside that shed of
mine, and I saw the encounter at the parson's gate--for that's where it
took place. The first thing the fellow did when it was all over was to
bolt across the road, and accuse me of purposely misleading him. 'Not a
bit of it,' said I; 'if I did mislead you, it was unintentional, for I
took the one who came over the bridge on Saturday to be Lord Hartledon,
safe as eggs. But they have been down here only a week,' I went on, 'and
I suppose I don't know 'em apart yet.' I can't say whether he believed
me; I think he did; he's a soft sort of chap. It was all right, he said:
the earl had passed his word to him that it should be made so without his
arresting Mr. Elster, and he was off to London at once."
"And he has gone?"
Mr. Pike nodded significantly. "I watched him go; dodged him up to the
station and saw him off."
Then this one danger was over! Val might breathe freely again.
"And I thought you would like to know the coast was clear; so I came up
to tell you," concluded Pike.
"Thank you for your trouble," said Mr. Elster. "I shall not forget it."
"You'll remember it, perhaps, if a question arises touching that shed,"
spoke the man. "I may need a word sometime with Lord Hartledon."
"I'll remember it, Pike. Here, wait a moment. Is Thomas Pike your real
name?"
"Well, I conclude it is. Pike was the name of my father and mother. As to
Thomas--not knowing where I was christened, I can't go and look at the
register; but they never called me anything but Tom. Did you wish to know
particularly?"
There was a tone of mockery in the man's answer, not altogether
acceptable to his hearer; and he let him go without further hindrance.
But the man turned back in an instant of his own accord.
"I dare say you are wanting to know why I did you this little turn, Mr.
Elster. I have been caught in corners myself before now; and if I can
help anybody to get out of them without trouble to myself, I'm willing to
do it. And to circumvent these law-sharks comes home to my spirit as
wholesome refreshment."
Mr. Pike finally departed. He took the lonely way, and only struck into
the high-road opposite his own domicile, the shed. Passing round it, he
hovered at its rude door--the one he had himself made, along with the
ruder window--and then, treading softly, he stepped to the low stile in
the hedge, which had for years made the boundary between the waste land
on which the shed stood and Clerk Gum's garden. Here he halted a minute,
looking all ways. Then he stepped over the stile, crouched down amongst
Mr. Gum's cabbages, got under shelter of the hedge, and so stole onwards,
until he came to an anchor at the kitchen-window, and laid his ear to the
shutter, just as it had recently been laid against the glass in the
dining-room of my Lord Hartledon.
That he had a propensity for prying into the private affairs of his
neighbours near and distant, there could be little doubt about. Mr. Pike,
however, was not destined on this one occasion to reap any substantial
reward. The kitchen appeared to be wrapped in perfect silence. Satisfying
himself as to this, he next took off his heavy shoes, stole past the back
door, and so round the clerk's house to the front. Very softly indeed
went he, creeping by the wall, and emerging at last round the angle, by
the window of the best parlour. Here, most excessively to Mr. Pike's
consternation, he came upon a lady doing exactly what he had come to
do--namely, stealthily listening at the window to anything there might be
to hear inside.
The shrill scream she gave when she found her face in contact with the
wild intruder, might have been heard over at Dr. Ashton's. Clerk Gum, who
had been quietly writing in his office, came out in haste, and recognized
Mrs. Jones, the wife of the surly porter at the station, and step-mother
to the troublesome young servant, Rebecca. Pike had totally disappeared.
Mrs. Jones, partly through fright, partly in anger arising from a
long-standing grievance, avowed the truth boldly: she had been listening
at the parlour-shutters ever since she went out of the house ten minutes
ago, and had been set upon by that wolf Pike.
"Set upon!" exclaimed the clerk, looking swiftly in all directions for
the offender.
"I don't know what else you can call it, when a highway robber--a
murderer, if all tales be true--steals round upon you without warning,
and glares his eyes into yours," shrieked Mrs. Jones wrathfully. "And if
he wasn't barefoot, Gum, my eyes strangely deceived me. I'd have you and
Nancy take care of your throats."
She turned into the house, to the best parlour, where the clerk's wife
was sitting with a visitor, Mirrable. Mrs. Gum, when she found what the
commotion had been about, gave a sharp cry of terror, and shook from head
to foot.
"On our premises! Close to our house! That dreadful man! Oh, Lydia, don't
you think you were mistaken?"
"Mistaken!" retorted Mrs. Jones. "That wild face isn't one to be
mistaken: I should like to see its fellow in Calne. Why Lord Hartledon
don't have him taken up on suspicion of that murder, is odd to me."
"You'd better hold your tongue about that suspicion," interposed
Mirrable. "I have cautioned you before, _I_ shouldn't like to breathe
a word against a desperate man; I should go about in fear that he might
hear of it, and revenge himself."
In came the clerk. "I don't see a sign of any one about," he said; "and
I'm sure whoever it was could not have had time to get away. You must
have been mistaken, Mrs. Jones."
"Mistaken in what, pray?"
"That any man was there. You got confused, and fancied it, perhaps. As to
Pike, he'd never dare come on my premises, whether by night or day. What
were you doing at the window?"
"Listening," defiantly replied Mrs. Jones. "And now I'll just tell out
what I've had in my head this long while, Mr. Gum, and know the reason of
Nancy's slighting me in the way she does. What secret has she and Mary
Mirrable got between them?"
"Secret?" repeated the clerk, whilst his wife gave a faint cry, and
Mirrable turned her calm face on Mrs. Jones. "Have they a secret?"
"Yes, they have," raved Mrs. Jones, giving vent to her long pent-up
emotion. "If they haven't, I'm blind and deaf. If I have come into your
house once during the past year and found Mrs. Mirrable in it, and the
two sitting and whispering, I've come ten times. This evening I came in
at dusk; I turned the handle of the door and peeped into the best
parlour, and there they were, nose and knees together, starting away
from each other as soon as they saw me, Nance giving one of her faint
cries, and the two making believe to have been talking of the weather.
It's always so. And I want to know what secret they have got hold of, and
whether I'm poison, that I can't be trusted with it."
Jabez Gum slowly turned his eyes on the two in question. His wife lifted
her hands in deprecation at the idea that she should have a secret:
Mirrable was laughing.
"Nancy's secret to-night, when you interrupted us, was telling me of a
dream she had regarding Lord Hartledon, and of how she mistook Mr. Elster
for him the morning he came down," cried the latter. "And if you have
really been listening at the shutters since you went out, Mrs. Jones, you
should by this time know how to pickle walnuts in the new way: for I
declare that is all our conversation has been about since. You always
were suspicious, you know, and you always will be."
"Look here, Mrs. Jones," said the clerk, decisively; "I don't choose to
have my shutters listened at: it might give the house a bad name, for
quarrelling, or something of that sort. So I'll trouble you not to repeat
what you have done to-night, or I shall forbid your coming here. A
secret, indeed!"
"Yes, a secret!" persisted Mrs. Jones. "And if I don't come at what it is
one of these days, my name's not Lydia Jones. And I'll tell you why. It
strikes me--I may be wrong--but it strikes me it concerns me and my
husband and my household, which some folks are ever ready to interfere
with. I'll take myself off now; and I would recommend you, as a parting
warning, to denounce Pike to the police for an attempt at housebreaking,
before you're both murdered in your bed. That'll be the end on't."
She went away, and Clerk Gum wished he could denounce _her_ to the
police. Mirrable laughed again; and Mrs. Gum, cowardly and timid, fell
back in her chair as one seized with ague.
Beyond giving an occasional dole to Mrs. Jones for her children--and
to tell the truth, she clothed them all, or they would have gone in
rags--Mirrable had shaken her cousin off long ago: which of course did
not tend to soothe the naturally jealous spirit of Mrs. Jones. At
Hartledon House she was not welcomed, and could not go there; but she
watched for the visits of Mirrable at the clerk's, and was certain to
intrude on those occasions.
"I'll find it out!" she repeated to herself, as she went storming through
the garden-gate; "I'll find it out. And as to that poacher, he'd better
bring his black face near mine again!"