"In fact," his father resumed, "I shall be glad to be out of it, and I
don't think there'll be much opposition to my going out; I know that
there's a growing feeling against me in the Board. I _have_ tried to
carry water on both shoulders. I've made the effort honestly; but the
effect hasn't been good. I couldn't keep my heart out of it; from the
very first I pitied that poor devil's children so that I got him and
gave him all the chance I could."
"That was perfectly right. It was the only business-like--"
"It wasn't business-like to hope that even if justice were defeated he
might somehow, anyhow, escape the consequences of his crime; and I'm
afraid this is what I've hoped, in spite of myself," said Hilary.
This was so probably true that Matt could not help his father deny it.
He could only say, "I don't believe you've ever allowed that hope to
interfere with the strict performance of your duty, at any moment."
"No; but I've had the hope; and others have had the suspicion that I've
had it. I've felt that; and I'm glad that it's coming to an end. I'm not
ashamed of your choice, Matt; I'm proud of it. The thing gave me a shock
at first, because I had to face the part I must take. But she's all
kinds of a splendid girl. The Board knows what she wished to do, and why
she hasn't done it. No one can help honoring her. And I don't believe
people will think the less of any of us for your wanting to marry her.
But if they do, they may do it, and be damned."
Hilary shook himself together with greater comfort than he had yet felt,
upon this conclusion: but he lapsed again after the long hand-pressure
that he exchanged with his son.
"We must make it our business, now, to see that no man loses anything by
that--We must get at him somehow. Of course, they have no more notion
where he is than we have."
"No; not the least," said Matt. "I think it's the uncertainty that's
preying upon Miss Northwick."
"The man's behaving like a confounded lunatic," said Hilary.
The word reminded Matt of Putney, and he said, "That's their lawyer's
theory of him--"
"Oh, you've _seen_ him, have you? Odd chap."
"Yes; I saw him when I was up there, after--after--at the request of
Suzette. I wished to talk with him about the scheme that Maxwell's heard
of from a brother reporter," and Matt now unfolded Pinney's plan to his
father, and showed his letter.
Hilary looked from it at his son. "You don't mean that this is the
blackguard who wrote that account of the defalcation in the _Events_?"
"Yes; the same fellow. But as to blackguard--"
"Well, then, Matt, I don't see how we can employ him. It seems to me it
would be a kind of insult to those poor girls."
"I had thought of that. I felt that. But after all, I don't think he
knew how much of a blackguard he was making of himself. Maxwell says he
wouldn't know. And besides, we can't help ourselves. If he doesn't go
for us, he will go for himself. We _must_ employ him. He's a species of
_condottiere_; we can buy his allegiance with his service: and we must
forego the sentimental objection. I've gone all over it, and that's the
only conclusion."
Hilary fumed and rebelled; but he saw that they could not help
themselves, that they could not do better. He asked, "And what did their
lawyer think of it?"
"He seemed to think we had better let it alone for the present; better
wait and see if Mr. Northwick would not try to communicate with his
family."
"I'm not so sure of that," said Hilary. "If this fellow is such a fellow
as you say, I don't see why we shouldn't make use of him at once."
"Make use of him to get Mr. Northwick back?" said Matt. "I think it
would be well for him to come back, but voluntarily--"
"Come back?" said Hilary, whose civic morality flew much lower than
this. "Nonsense! And stir the whole filthy mess up in the courts? I
mean, make use of this fellow to find him, and enable us to find out
just how much money he has left, and how much we have got to supply, in
order to make up his shortage."
Matt now perceived the extent of his father's purpose, and on its plane
he honored it.
"Father, you're splendid!"
"Stuff! I'm in a corner. What else is there to do? What less could we
do? What's the money for, if it isn't to--" Hilary choked with the
emotion that filled him at the sight of his son's face.
Every father likes to have his grown-up son think him a good man; it is
the sweetest thing that can come to him in life, far sweeter than a
daughter's faith in him; for a son _knows_ whether his father is good or
not. At the bottom of his soul Hilary cared more for his son's opinion
than most fathers; Matt was a crank, but because he was a crank, Hilary
valued his judgment as something ideal.