AN OLD SERVANT.
LEAVING the two men to talk over their dark secrets together, Jenny went
into the garden. Her brow burned as with fever, and her understanding
was confused by the thoughts which filled her mind. What was the meaning
of her father's words? Why had Mr. Hilliston come over from Eastbourne
to request her silence? And what was the connection between him and her
sole surviving parent? She paced up and down the gravel walk vainly
asking herself these questions, and racking her brain as to possible
answers. Hitherto the sky of her young life had been pure and serene;
but now, by her own act--as though she had unconsciously wrought a
malignant spell--a sudden storm had arisen, which threatened to overturn
the foundations of her small world. In the very unexpectedness of these
events lay their terror.
As Tait shrewdly surmised, Jenny was by no means satisfied with the
evidence of Hilliston at the trial of Mrs. Larcher. So far as she could
judge from the unsatisfactory report in _The Canterbury Observer_, he
had given his version of the affair glibly enough; yet there seemed to
be something behind which he was anxious to suppress. Definitely enough
he stated that he had not been at The Laurels on the fatal night; that
he had not seen Captain Larcher since he left for London; that he had
not noted whether Mrs. Larcher wore that all-important dagger when she
left the ballroom. But, pressed by an evidently suspicious counsel, he
accounted so minutely for every moment of his time, his evidence had
about it such an air of frank falseness, that even unsophisticated Jenny
saw that the man was acting a part. She did not believe him guilty of
the crime, but she was certain in her own mind that he knew who had
struck the fatal blow; nay more, Jenny thought it not impossible that he
had been at The Laurels after three that morning, in spite of his
denial, and had seen the tragedy take place. Tait's hints, confirming
her own doubts, led her to gravely doubt the purity of Mr. Hilliston's
motives then and now.
But what most perplexed the girl was the reason why the lawyer called to
see her father on the subject and requested her silence. She knew
nothing of the tragedy save through the papers--those old, faded papers,
dated 1866, which she had found in the garret. She was not born when the
murder took place, so Hilliston could not possibly wish to close her
mouth for her own sake. It was on her father's account that Jenny
feared. What could he know of an obscure crime perpetrated in a country
town so many years ago; she could recall no mention of his name in the
report of the trial; yet his words led her to suspect that he was more
closely connected with that tragic past than he chose to admit. Could it
be that her father was a relative of Jeringham, and, knowing that
Jeringham was still alive, wished to stop all inquiries made as to his
whereabouts, lest he should be punished for his early sin? This was the
only feasible suggestion she could make, and yet it failed to satisfy
her too exacting mind.
Again, there was Kerry. Kerry certainly had a personal interest in the
case; else he could scarcely have related the episode of the scarfpin.
Moreover, he had been very angry when he found her with the papers in
her possession; and putting these two things together it would seem as
if he knew more than he chose to tell. Jenny thought, for the
gratification of her own curiosity, she would ask Kerry to explain these
matters; and so went to the kitchen in search of him. Maria was there,
cross and deaf as usual, and intimated that Kerry had been out some two
hours on a message. This sounded extraordinary to Jenny, who knew that
the old servant rarely left the house; but it argued that her father was
anxious to have him out of the way during the visit of Hilliston. What
did it all mean? A horrible fear seized the girl, lest she should have
set some machinery in motion which would end in crushing her unhappy
father. Unhappy he had always been, and given to seclusion. There must
be some reason for this, and Jenny felt a vague alarm, which she could
neither express nor display. Dearly enough had she paid for meddling
with that old bundle of papers.
Again she returned to the garden, and went outside into the lane in
order to see if Kerry was in sight. In a few minutes he came shuffling
round the corner, and his withered face relaxed into a grin when he saw
her standing by the gate. She was the apple of his eye, and though he
scolded her often himself, yet he never let anyone say a word against
her. To look askance at Jenny was to lose Kerry's favor and win his
enmity forever.
"Ah! there ye are, me darling Miss Jenny," he said, with the familiarity
of an old servant, "watching and waiting for poor old Kerry. Sure it is
a sunbeam you are in this dark lane."
"Kerry! I want to speak to you."
The change in her tone struck him at once, and he peered sharply into
her fresh face with his bleared eyes. A look of wonder stole into them
at the sight of her white cheeks, and he crossed himself before replying
so as to avert any evil that might befall. Kerry always lived in a state
of suspense, waiting for a bolt from the blue. Jenny's scared face
almost assured him that it had fallen.
"What is it, _alannah_?" he asked, pausing at the gate. "Is anything
wrong?"
"Oh, no! nothing is wrong, Kerry! What could be wrong?" said Jenny
nervously; "only papa has a visitor."
"Augh! His riverence?"
"No; not the vicar. A stranger--or at least almost a stranger," she
said, half to herself. "It is many years since Mr. Hilliston came here."
"Mr. Hilliston!" cried Kerry, with an ashen face. "The black curse on
him and his! What is he doing with the master?"
"I don't know, Kerry," replied Jenny, rather astonished at the old man's
vehemence; "he has been with father over two hours."
"And I was sent away," muttered Kerry, under his breath. "Sorrow befall
you, black attorney that you are. Never did you cross a threshold
without bringing grief to all hearts. It was an evil day we saw you, and
an evil day when we see you again."
He uplifted his hands as though about to invoke a curse on Hilliston,
then, unexpectedly letting them fall, he turned sharply on Jenny.
"How did he come, miss?"
"By train from Eastbourne--no doubt he walked from the station."
"I'll drive him back," exclaimed Kerry, in quite an amiable voice. "Sure
he'll be weary on his legs. Why not? I'll borrow his riverence's trap
and the little mare with the white foreleg, but----"
"Kerry, father might not like it."
"Get along with ye," said Kerry cheerfully; "sure his riverence has
offered the trap a hundred times. I'll take it on myself to explain to
the master. Keep Mr. Hilliston here till he sees me arriving up this
road--a dirty one it is, too, bad cess to it!"
He was hurrying off, when Jenny stopped him. She saw that his borrowing
of the vicar's honey trap was a mere excuse to get Hilliston to himself
for half an hour, and, rendered more curious than ever by Kerry's artful
way of arranging matters, she ran after him and pulled his sleeve.
"Kerry! Kerry! Has Mr. Hilliston come over to see papa about the Larcher
affair?"
"How should I know," retorted Kerry, relapsing into his crusty humor;
"for shame, Miss Jenny! Is it your business or mine?"
"It is mine," said the girl, with a resolute look on her face. "Mr.
Hilliston came over to ask me to be silent about what was contained in
those papers you took from me."
"How does he know of that, miss?"
"Because all London now knows the story of the Larcher affair."
"Augh! Get away with ye. Sure it's a fool you're making of old Kerry,"
said the servant, in an incredulous and angry tone.
"Indeed, I am doing no such thing. I did not know there was any harm in
reading those papers, and I did so. But I did more than that, Kerry. I
told the story of the tragedy to Frank Linton; and he has written a book
on the trial."
"A book! With the real names?"
"No! The names are fictitious, and the scene is laid in a different
place. But the whole story is told in the novel."
"Does the master know?" asked Kerry, muttering something between his
teeth.
"He does now. Mr. Hilliston saw the book in London, and came over to
tell him, and to ask me to say no more about it."
"What's that for, anyhow," demanded Kerry, who seemed to scent new
danger.
"Because Mr. Larcher is here!"
Kerry flung up his hands with a cry of astonishment. "Mr. Larcher, miss!
Who are you telling about?"
"Oh, Mr. Claude Larcher," said Jenny, rather alarmed, for he had gripped
her arm, "the son of the deceased man. He is staying at the Manor House
with Mr. Tait."
For a few minutes Kerry stood looking at the ground in silence. Up to
the present he had succeeded in preserving his calm, but the last piece
of news upset him altogether, and he burst into violent speech.
"Augh! it's sorrow that is coming to this house, and the black curse
will be on the threshold. Cold will the hearth be soon, and the old
master will be driven out. Ohone! and we and time will have sent him
into the cold world. Whirra! whirra!"
Jenny was so dumfounded by the unexpected eloquence of the old man that
she could do nothing but stare at him. He caught her eye, and seeing
that he had been indiscreet in so betraying himself, he cut short his
lamentations, wiped his eyes, and relapsed once more into the crusty,
faithful Kerry whom she knew. But he gave her a word of warning before
he took his departure. "Say nothing of this, Miss Jenny," he remarked;
"sure it's an old fool I am. Keep a silent tongue as the master and
lawyer wishes you to do, and then, please the saints, things will go the
better."
"But, Kerry, before you go, tell me. What is Mr. Hilliston to my
father?"
"He is your father's best friend, miss," said Kerry, with emphasis; "his
best and his worst," and with that enigmatic reply he hurried off down
the lane in the direction of the vicarage, leaving Jenny in a state of
bewilderment.
She could understand nothing, and at that moment sorely needed some
friend with whom she could consult. Kerry gave her no satisfaction, and
spoke so indefinitely that his conversation mystified in place of
enlightening her; it was no use to make a confidant of Frank Linton, as
notwithstanding his London reputation, which she had greatly contributed
to, Jenny did not consider him sufficiently steady to be told of the
commotion raised by his novel in her immediate circle. She could,
therefore, discuss the matter with no one, and so annoyed was she by the
whole affair that she by no means could bring herself to go back to the
house while Hilliston was yet there. He would be gone, she trusted, in
another half hour or so, and pending his departure she strolled along
the lane in the hope of evading him.
But she only escaped Scylla to fall into Charybdis, for, as she turned
the corner, Tait and Claude met her almost face to face. Jenny would
have given much to escape this awkward meeting, and intimated her wish
for solitude by passing the young men with a curt bow. The sight of
Claude, the memory of his father's death, coupled with the suspicions
she entertained, wrought her up to a pitch of excitement which she had
great difficulty in concealing. She was, therefore, greatly annoyed when
Tait took off his hat, and placed himself directly in her path. The
little man thought it was too favorable an opportunity for introduction
to be overlooked.
"Don't go away, Miss Paynton," he said, smiling. "I wish to introduce
you to my friend Mr. Larcher. Claude, this is Miss Paynton, of whom you
have heard me speak."
"How do you do, Miss Paynton?" said Claude, with a suave bow. "I hope
you will pardon the irregularity of this introduction."
This remark made Jenny laugh, and set her more at ease. She was not
particular as to forms and ceremonies herself, and the idea that a young
man should apologize for such a trifle struck her as ridiculous.
Moreover, a glance assured her that Mr. Larcher was by no means a
formidable person. He was decidedly good-looking, and had pleasant blue
eyes, with a kindly look, so speech and glance broke the ice at once
between them.
"Do you stay here long, Mr. Larcher?" she asked, pointedly ignoring her
previous conversation with Tait.
"As long as I may," he replied, smiling. "London does not invite me at
this time of the year. I prefer the fragrant country to the dusty town."
"He is a true lover of the fields, Miss Paynton," broke in Tait,
admiring her self-possession, "and insisted that I should come out for a
walk, so that he might lose no time in steeping himself in the sweetness
of nature. Quite idyllic, isn't it?"
"Quite!" said Jenny lightly. "Good-by at present, Mr. Larcher! I am
going to the vicarage, and have not a moment to spare. Mr. Tait, can I
speak with you a minute?"
Tait obeyed with alacrity, and Claude was left to muse on the fresh
charm of Jenny, and the sweetness of her voice. Her trim figure, her
exquisite neatness, and springing gait made him admire her greatly, and
when she tripped away with a smiling nod, he was so taken up in watching
her that he failed to observe the grave face with which Tait joined him.
"As I thought," said the latter, when they resumed their walk.
"What is up now?"
"Oh, nothing more than usual! Hilliston has called on Paynton already.
He is there now."
"You don't say so! I did not think he would have been so smart. However,
you have stolen a march on him. Do you intend to see him now? To wait
his coming out?"
"Why, no," said Tait, after a moment's deliberation. "Rather let us go
home again that Hilliston may not see us. I wish to wait and see what
excuse he will make for not calling on you. You'll get a letter full of
lies to-morrow, Claude."