A FOOL'S ERRAND.
Mr. John Mockham was a short stout man, about five or six and forty
years of age, ruddy, kind-hearted, and jocular. He thought very highly
of Jemmy Fox, both as a man and a doctor; moreover he had been a guest
at Foxden, several times, and had met with the greatest hospitality. But
for all that, he doubted not a little, in his heart--though his tongue
was not allowed to know it--concerning the young doctor's innocence of
this most atrocious outrage. He bore in mind how the good and gentle
mother had bemoaned (while Jemmy was in turn-down collars) the very sad
perversity of his mind, towards anything bony and splintery. Nothing
could keep him from cutting up, even when his thumb was done round with
oozing rag, anything jointed or cellular; and the smell of the bones he
collected was dreadful, even in the drawer where his frilled shirts were
laid.
The time was not come yet, and happily shall never--in spite of all
morbid suisection--when a man shall anatomise his own mind, and trace
every film of its histology. Squire Mockham would have laughed any one
to scorn, who had dared to suggest, that in the process of his brain,
there was any connexion of the frills in Jemmy's drawer with the
blacksmith's description of what he had seen; and yet without his
knowledge, it may even have been so. But whatever his opinion on the
subject was, he did not refuse to see this young friend; although he was
entertaining guests, and the evening was now far advanced.
Fox was shown into the library, by a very pale footman, who glanced at
the visitor, as if he feared instant dissection, and evidently longed to
lock him in. "Is it come to this already?" thought poor Fox.
"Excuse me for not asking you to join us in there," Mr. Mockham began
rather stiffly, as he pointed to the dining-room; "but I thought you
might wish to see me privately."
"I care not how it is. I have come to you, as a Magistrate, and--and--"
"an old friend of the family," was what he meant to say, but
substituted--"as a gentleman, and a sensible and clear-sighted one, to
receive my deposition on oath, concerning the wicked lies spread abroad
about me."
"Of what use will it be? The proper course is for you to wait, till the
other side move in the matter; and then prove your innocence, if
possible; and then proceed against them."
"That is to say, I am to lie, for six months, perhaps twelve months,
under this horrible imputation, and be grateful for escaping at last
from it! I see that even you are half inclined to think me guilty."
"All this to a Magistrate is quite improper. It happens that I have
resolved not to act, to take no share in any proceedings that may
follow; on account of my acquaintance with your family. But that you
could not know, until I told you. I am truly sorry for you; but you must
even bear it."
"You say that so calmly, because you think I deserve it. Now as you are
not going to act in the matter, and have referred to your friendship
with my family, I will tell you a little thing in confidence, which will
prove to you at once that I am innocent--that I never could by any
possibility have done it."
Before Mr. Mockham could draw back, the visitor had whispered a few
words in his ear, which entirely changed the whole expression of his
face.
"Well, I am surprised! I had no idea of it. How could that fool Crang
have made such a mistake? But I saw from first how absurd it was, to
listen to such fellows. I refused to give a warrant. I said that no
connexion could be shown, between the two occurrences. How strange that
I should have hit the mark so well! But I seem to have that luck
generally. Well, I am pleased, for your dear mother's sake, as well as
your own, Master Jemmy. There may be a lot of trouble; but you must keep
your heart up, and the winning card is yours. After all, what a thing it
is to be a doctor!"
"Not so very fine, unless your nature drives you into it. And everybody
thinks you make the worst of him, to exalt your blessed self. So they
came for a warrant against me, did they? Is it lawful to ask who they
were?"
"To be sure it is, my boy. Everybody has a right to that piece of
information. Tapscott was the man that came to swear--strong reason for
believing, etc., with two or three witnesses, all from your parish;
Crang among the others, hauled in by the neck, and each foremost in his
own opinion. But Crang wanted to be last, for he kept on shouting, that
if he had to swear against Doctor Jemmy, the Lord would know that he
never meant it. This of course made it all the worse for your case; and
every one was grieved, yet gratified. You are too young to know the
noise, which the newspapers begin to call 'public opinion,'--worth
about as much as a blue-bottle's buzz, and as eager to pitch upon
nastiness. I refused a warrant--as my duty was. Even if the blacksmith's
tale was true--and there was no doubt that he believed it--what legal
connexion could they show betwixt that, and the matter at the
churchyard? In a case of urgency, and risk of disappearance of the
suspected person, I might have felt bound to grant it. But I knew that
you would stand it out; and unless they could show any others
implicated, their application was premature."
"Then, unless you had ventured to stem the I tide, I suppose that I
should have been arrested, when I came back to-day from my father's
sick-bed. A pretty state of law, in this free country!"
"The law is not to blame. It must act promptly, in cases of strong
suspicion. Probably they will apply to-morrow, to some younger
magistrate. But your father is ill? How long have you been with him?
They made a great deal out of your disappearance."
"My father has had a paralytic stroke. I trust that he will get over it;
and I have left him in excellent hands. But to hear of this would kill
him. His mind is much weakened, of course; and he loves me. I had no
idea that he cared much for me. I thought he only cared for my sister."
"Excuse me for a moment. I must go to my guests;" Mr. Mockham perceived
that the young man was overcome for the moment, and would rather be
alone. "I will make it all right with them, and be back directly."
Fox was an active, and resolute young fellow, with great powers of
endurance, as behoved a man of medicine. Honest indignation, and strong
sense of injustice, had stirred up his energy for some hours; but since
last Thursday night he had slept very little, and the whole waking time
had been worry and exertion. So that now when he was left alone, and had
no foe to fire at, bodily weariness began to tell upon him, and he fell
back in an easy chair into a peaceful slumber.
When the guests had all departed, and the Magistrate came back, he
stopped short for a moment, with a broad smile on his face, and felt
proud of his own discretion, in refusing to launch any criminal process
against this trustful visitor. For the culprit of the outcry looked so
placid, gentle, good-natured, and forgiving--with the natural expression
restored by deep oblivion--that a woman would have longed to kiss his
forehead, if she had known of his terrible mishap.
"I have brought you a little drop of cordial, Master Jemmy. I am sure
you must want something good, to keep you up." Mr. Mockham put a
spirit-stand and glass upon the table, as Fox arose, and shook himself.
"That is very kind of you. But I never take spirits, though I prescribe
them sometimes for old folk when much depressed. But a glass of your old
port wine, sir, would help me very much--if I am not giving you a lot of
trouble."
"You shall have a glass, almost as good as your father has given me.
There it is! How sorry I am to hear about his illness! But I will do
what he would have wished. I will talk to you as a friend, and one who
knows the world better than you can. First, however, you must forgive
me, for my vile suspicions. They were founded partly on your good
mother's account of your early doings. And I have known certain
instances of the zeal of your Profession, how in the name of science and
the benefits to humanity--but I won't go on about that just now. The
question is, how shall we clear you to the world? The fact that I
doubted you, is enough to show what others are likely to conclude.
Unluckily the story has had three days' start, and has fallen upon
fruitful ground. Your brother doctors about here are doing their best to
clench the nail"--Mr. Mockham, like almost everybody else, was apt to
mix metaphors in talking--"by making lame excuses for you, instead of
attempting to deny it."
"Such fellows as Jervis Jackson, I suppose. Several of them hate me,
because I am not a humbug. Perhaps they will get up a testimonial to me,
for fear there should be any doubt of my guilt."
"That is the very thing they talk of doing. How well you understand
them, my young friend! Now, what have you to show, against this general
conclusion? For of course you cannot mention what you confessed to me."
"I can just do this--I can prove an alibi. You forget that I can show
where I have been, and prove the receipt of the letter, which compelled
me to leave home. Surely that will convince everybody, who has a fair
mind. And for the rest, what do I care?"
"I don't see exactly what to say to that." Mr. Mockham was beginning to
feel tired also, after going through all his best stories to his guests.
"But what says Cicero, or some other fellow that old Dr. Richards used
to drive into my skin? 'To neglect what everyone thinks of oneself, is
the proof not only of an arrogant, but even of a dissolute man.' You are
neither of these. You must contend with it, and confound your foes; or
else run away. And upon the whole, as you don't belong here, but up the
country--as we call it--and your father wants your attention, the wisest
thing you can do is, to bolt."
"Would you do that, if it were your own case?" Fox had not much
knowledge of Squire Mockham, except as a visitor at his father's house;
and whether he should respect, or despise him, depended upon the answer.
"I would see them all d----d first;" the Magistrate replied, looking as
if he would be glad to do it; "but that is because I am a Devonshire
man. You are over the border; and not to be blamed."
"Well, there are some things one cannot get over," Dr. Jemmy answered,
with a pleasant smile; "and the worst of them all is, to be born outside
of Devon. If I had been of true Devonshire birth, I believe you would
never have held me guilty."
"Others may take that view; but I do not;" said the Magistrate very
magnanimously. "It would have been better for you, no doubt. But we are
not narrow-minded. And your mother was a Devonshire woman, connected
with our oldest families. No, no, the question is now of evidence; and
the law does not recognise the difference. The point is--to prove that
you were really away."
"Outside the holy county, where this outrage was committed? Foxden is
thirty miles from Perlycross, even by the shortest cuts, and nearer
thirty-five, to all who are particular about good roads. I was at my
father's bed-side, some minutes before ten o'clock, on Saturday
morning."
"That is not enough to show. We all know in common sense, that the ride
would have taken at least four hours. Probably more, over those bad
roads, in the darkness of a November morning. The simplest thing will be
for you to tell me the whole of your movements, on the night of this
affair."
"That I will, as nearly as I can remember; though I had no reason then,
for keeping any special record. To begin with--I was at the funeral of
course, and saw you there, but did not cross over to speak to you. Then
I walked home to the Old Barn where I live, which stands as you know at
the foot of Hagdon Hill. It was nearly dark then, perhaps half-past
five; and I felt out of spirits, and sadly cut up, for I was very fond
of Sir Thomas. I sat thinking of him for an hour or so; and then I
changed my clothes for riding togs, and had a morsel of cold beef and a
pipe, and went to look for the boy that brings my letters; for old
Walker, the postman, never comes near the Barn. There was no sign of the
boy, so I saddled _Old Rock_--for my man was 'keeping funeral' still, as
they express it--and I rode to North-end, the furthest corner of the
parish, to see to a little girl, who has had a dangerous attack of
croup. Then I crossed Maiden Down by the gravel-pits, to see an old
stager at Old Bait, who abuses me every time, and expects a shilling.
Then homewards through Priestwell, and knocked at Gronow's door, having
a general permission to come in at night. But he was not at home, or did
not want to be disturbed; so I lost very little time by that. It must
have been now at least nine o'clock, with the moon in the south-west,
and getting very cold; but I had managed to leave my watch on the
drawers, when I pulled my mourning clothes off.
"From Priestwell, I came back to Perlycross, and was going straight home
to see about my letters--for I knew that my father had been slightly out
of sorts, when I saw a man waiting at the cross-roads for me, to say
that I was wanted at the Whetstone-pits; for a man had tumbled down a
hole, and broken both his legs. Without asking the name, I put spurs to
_Old Rock_, and set off at a spanking pace for the Whetstone-pits,
expecting to find the foreman there, to show me where it was. It is a
long roundabout way from our village, at least, for any one on
horseback, though not more than three miles perhaps in a straight line,
because you have to go all round the butt of Hagdon Hill, which no one
would think of riding over in the dark. I should say it must be five
miles at least, from our cross-roads."
"Every yard of that distance," says the Magistrate, who was following
the doctor's tale intently, and making notes in his pocket-book; "five
miles at least, and road out of repair. Your parish ought to be
indicted."
"Very well. _Old Rock_ was getting rather tired. A better horse never
looked through a bridle; but he can't be less than sixteen years of age.
My father had him eight years, and I have had him three; and even for a
man with both legs broken, I could not drive a willing horse to death.
However, we let no grass grow beneath our feet; and dark as the lanes
were, and wonderfully rough, even for this favoured county, I got to the
pit at the corner of the hill, as soon as a man could get there, without
breaking his neck."
"In that case he never would get there at all."
"Perhaps not. Or at least, not in working condition. Well, you know what
a queer sort of place it is. I had been there before, about a year ago.
But then it was daylight; and that makes all the difference. I am not so
very fidgetty where I go, when I know that a man is in agony; but how to
get along there in the dark, with the white grit up to my horse's knees,
and black pines barring out the moonshine, was--I don't mind confessing
it--a thing beyond me. And the strangest thing of all was, that nobody
came near me. I had the whole place to myself; so far as I could
see--and I did not want it.
"I sat on _Old Rock_; and I had to sit close; for the old beauty's
spirit was up, in spite of all his weariness. His hunting days came to
his memory perhaps; and you should have seen how he jumped about. At the
risk of his dear old bones of course; but a horse is much pluckier than
we are. What got into his old head, who shall say? But I failed to see
the fun of it, as he did. There was all the white stuff, that comes out
of the pits, like a great cascade of diamonds, glittering in the level
moonlight, with broad bars of black thrown across it by the pines, all
trembling, and sparkling, and seeming to move.
"Those things tell upon a man somehow, and he seems to have no right to
disturb them. But I felt that I was not brought here for nothing, and
began to get vexed at seeing nobody. So I set up a shout, with a hand to
my mouth, and then a shrill whistle between my nails. The echo came
back, very punctually; but nothing else, except a little gliding of the
shale, and shivering of black branches. Then I jumped off my horse, and
made him fast to a tree, and scrambled along the rough bottom of the
hill.
"There are eight pits on the south side, and seven upon the north,
besides the three big ones at the west end of the hill, which are pretty
well worked out, according to report. Their mouths are pretty nearly at
a level, about a hundred and fifty feet below the chine of hill. But the
tumbledown--I forget what the proper name is--the excavated waste, that
comes down, like a great beard, to the foot where the pine-trees stop
it--"
"_Brekkles_ is their name for it;" interrupted Mr. Mockham; "_brekkles_,
or _brokkles_--I am not sure which. You know they are a colony of
Cornishmen."
"Yes, and a strange outlandish lot, having nothing to do with the people
around, whenever they can help it. It is useless for any man to seek
work there. They push him down the brekkles--if that is what they call
them. However, they did not push me down, although I made my way up to
the top, when I had shouted in vain along the bottom. I could not get up
the stuff itself; I knew better than to make the trial. But I
circumvented them at the further end; and there I found a sort of
terrace, where a cart could get along from one pit-mouth to another. And
from mouth to mouth, I passed along this rough and stony gallery, under
the furzy crest of hill, without discovering a sign of life, while the
low moon across the broad western plains seemed to look up, rather than
down at me. Into every black pit-mouth, broad or narrow, bratticed with
timber or arched with flint, I sent a loud shout, but the only reply was
like the dead murmuring of a shell. And yet all the time, I felt
somehow, as if I were watched by invisible eyes, as a man upon a cliff
is observed from the sea.
"This increased my anger, which was rising at the thought that some one
had made a great fool of me; and forgetting all the ludicrous side of
the thing--as a man out of temper is apt to do--I mounted the most
conspicuous pile at the end of the hill, and threw up my arms, and
shouted to the moon, 'Is this the way to treat a doctor?'
"The distant echoes answered--'Doctor! Doctor!' as if they were
conferring a degree upon me; and that made me laugh, and grow rational
again, and resolved to have one more try, instead of giving in. So I
climbed upon a ridge, where I could see along the chine, through patches
of white among the blackness of the furze; and in the distance there
seemed to be a low fire smouldering. For a moment I doubted about going
on, for I have heard that these people are uncommonly fierce, with any
one they take for a spy upon them; and here I was entirely at their
mercy. But whenever I have done a cowardly thing, I have always been
miserable afterwards; and so I went cautiously forward towards the fire,
with a sharp look-out, and my hunting-crop ready. Suddenly a man rose in
front of me, almost as if he jumped out of the ground, a wild-looking
fellow, stretching out both arms. I thought I was in for a nasty sort of
fight, and he seemed a very ugly customer. But he only stepped back, and
made some enquiry, so far as I could gather from his tone, for his words
were beyond my intelligence.
"Then I told him who I was, and what had brought me there; and he
touched his rough hat, and seemed astonished. He had not the least
difficulty in making out my meaning; but I could not return the
compliment. 'Naw hoort along o' yussen'--was his nearest approach to
English; which I took to mean--'no accident among us;' and I saw by his
gestures that he meant this. In spite of some acquaintance with the
Mendip miners, and pretty fair mastery of their brogue, this Whetstoner
went beyond my linguistic powers, and I was naturally put out with him.
Especially when in reply to my conclusion that I had been made a fool
of, he answered 'yaw, yaw,' as if the thing was done with the greatest
ease, and must be familiar to me. But, in his rough style, he was
particularly civil, as if he valued our Profession, and was sorry that
any one should play with it. He seemed to have nothing whatever to
conceal; and so far as I could interpret, he was anxious to entertain me
as his guest, supposing that time permitted it. But I showed him where
my horse was, and he led me to him by a better way, and helped me with
him, and declined the good shilling which I offered him. This made me
consider him a superior sort of fellow; though to refuse a shilling
shows neglected education.
"When I got back to the Ancient Barn--as I call my place, because it is
in reality nothing else--it was two o'clock in the morning, and all my
authorities were locked in slumber. George was on a truss of hay up in
the tallat, making more noise than Perle-weir in a flood, although with
less melody in it; and old Betty was under her 'Mark, Luke, and
John'--as they called the four-poster, when one is gone. So I let them
'bide, as you would say; gave _Old Rock_ a mash myself, because he was
coughing; and went in pretty well tired, I can assure you, to get a bit
of bread and cheese, and then embrace the downy.
"But there on my table was a letter from my mother; which I ought to
have received before I started; but the funeral had even thrown the Post
out, it appears. I don't believe that my boy was at all to blame. But
you know what Walker the Postman is, when anything of interest is
moving. He simply stands still, to see the end of it; sounding his horn
every now and again, to show his right to look over other folk's heads.
Every one respects him, because he walks so far. Thirty miles a day, by
his own account; but it must be eighteen, even when he gets no beer."
"A worthy old soul!" said the Magistrate. "And he had a lot of troubles,
last winter. Nobody likes to complain, on that account. He is welcome to
get his peck of nuts upon the road, and to sell them next day at
Pumpington, to eke out his miserable wages. But this is an age of
progress; and a strict line must be drawn some where. The Post is
important sometimes, as you know; though we pay so many eightpences, for
nothing. Why, my friends were saying, only this very evening, that
Walker must submit henceforth to a rule to keep him out of the coppices.
When he once gets there, all his sense of time is gone. And people are
now so impatient."
"But the nutting-time is over, and he has not that excuse. He must have
been four hours late on Friday, and no doubt he was as happy as ever.
But to me it would have made all the difference; for I should have
started that evening for Foxden. My mother's letter begged me to come at
once; for she feared that my father would never speak again. There had
been some little trifles between us; as I don't mind telling you, who
are acquainted with the family. No doubt I was to blame; and you may
suppose, how much I was cut up by this sad news. It was folly to start
in that tangle of cross-lanes, with the moon gone down, and my horse
worn out. I threw myself down upon my bed, and sobbed, as I thought of
all the best parts of the Governor.
"What a fool a man is, when a big blow falls upon him. For two or three
hours, I must have lain like that, as if all the world were in league
against me, and nothing to be done but feel helpless, and rebel. I knew
that there was no horse near the place, to be hired for the ride to
Foxden, even if the owner could be fetched out of his bed. And all the
time, I was forgetting the young mare that I had bought about a month
ago--a sweet little thing, but not thoroughly broken, and I did not mean
to use her much, until the Spring. She was loose in a straw-run at the
top of my home-meadow, with a nice bit of aftermath still pretty fresh,
and a feed of corn at night, which I generally took to her myself. Now
she came to the gate, and whinnied for me, because she had been
forgotten; and hearing the sound I went downstairs, and lit a lantern to
go to the corn-bin. But she had better have gone without her supper, for
I said to myself--why not try her? It was a long way for a young thing
just off grass; but if only she would take me to the great London road,
I might hire on, if she became distressed.
"Of course I went gently and carefully at first, for I found her a
little raw and bridle-shy; but she carried me beautifully, when the
daylight came, and would have gone like a bird, if I had let her. She
will make a rare trotter, in my opinion, and I only gave fifteen pounds
for her. I would not look at fifty now, after the style she brought me
back--a mouth like a French kid-glove, and the kindest of the kind."
"You deserve a good horse, because you treat them well, Jemmy. But what
about your good father?"
"Well, sir, thank God, he is in no danger now; but he must be kept very
quiet. If he were to hear of this lying tale, it might be fatal to him.
And even my mother must not know it. Your Exeter paper never goes that
way; but the Bristol ones might copy it. My only sister, Christie, is a
wonderful girl, very firm, and quick, and sensible. Some say that she
has got more sense than I have; though I don't quite see it. I shall
write to her to-morrow, just to put her upon guard, with a line for Dr.
Freeborn too--my father's old friend and director, who knows exactly how
to treat him. What a rage they will be in, when they hear of this! But
they will keep it as close as a limpet. Now what do you advise me to do,
about myself?"
"You must look it in the face, like a man, of course; though it is
enough to sour you for life almost, after all your good works among the
poor."
"No fear of that, sir. It is the way of the world. 'Fair before fierce'
is my family motto; and I shall try to act up to it. Though I daresay my
temper will give out sometimes, especially with brother pill-box."
"You take it much better than I should, I fear;" Mr. Mockham spoke the
truth in this; "you know that I will do my utmost for you; and if you
keep your head, you will tide over this, and be the idol of all who have
abused you--I mean, who have abused you honestly. You seem to have solid
stuff inside you, as is natural to your father's son. But it will take a
lot out of your life; and it seems very hard upon a fine young fellow.
Especially after what you have told me. Things will be very black there;
as you must see."
"Certainly they will. But I am not a boy. I know a noble nature, when I
come across it. And if ever there was--but I won't go on with that. If
she believes in me, I am content, whatever the low world may say. I have
never been romantic."
"I am not at all sure of that, my boy. But I felt that sort of wildness,
before I was married. Now let me put one or two questions to you; just
to get up your case, as if I was your Counsel. Did any of your people at
the Old Barn see you, after your return from the Whetstone Pits?"
"Not one, to my knowledge. My household is small, in that ramshackle
place. Old Betty upstairs, and George over the stables, and the boy who
goes home to his mother at night. I have only those three in the
domestic line, except upon great occasions. Old Betty was snoring in her
bed, George doing the like upon a truss of hay, and the boy of course
off the premises. They must have found in the morning that I had been
there, but without knowing when, or how long I stayed."
"That is most unlucky. Did you pass near the church? Did you meet any
people who would know you, anywhere between midnight and morning?"
"Neither man, woman, nor child did I see, from the time I left the
Whetstone Hill, until I passed Perlycombe next morning. It was either
too late, or too early, for our very quiet folk to be stirring."
"Bad again. Very bad. You cannot show your whereabouts, during any part
of the critical time. I suppose you would know the man on the Whetstone
Hill; but that was too early to help you much. The man at the
cross-roads--would you know him?"
"Not to be certain. He kept in the shadow, and spoke as if he were short
of breath. And the message was so urgent, that I never stopped to
examine him."
"Very little comfort anywhere. Is it usual for Dr. Gronow to be from
home at night?"
Mr. Mockham put this question abruptly, and pronounced the Doctor's
name, as if he did not love him.
"Not very usual. But I have known it happen. He is wild about fishing,
though he cannot fish a bit; and he sometimes goes late to his
night-lines."
"He would scarcely have night-lines laid in November, however big a
poacher he may be. Betwixt you and me, Jemmy, in the very strictest
confidence, I believe he is at the bottom of all this."
"I will answer for it, that he is not. In the first place, he is a
gentleman, though rough in his manners, and very odd. And again he had
no motive--none whatever. He has given up his practice, and cares more
for Walton and Cotton, than for all the Hunterian Museum. And he knew,
as well as I do, the nature of the case. No, sir, you must not suspect
him for a moment."
"Well, then it must be that man--I forget his name--who was staying with
Mr. Penniloe. A very sarcastic, unpleasant fellow, as several people
said who spoke to him. He would take good care to leave no trace. He
looked as crafty as Old Nick himself. It will never be found out, if
that man did it. No, no, Jemmy, don't attempt to argue. It must be one
of you three. It is neither you, nor Gronow; then it must be that
Harrison Gowler."