When Leonard tendered the eight hundred pounds in payment of his debt of
five hundred, Mr. Cavendish at first refused to take it. But when
Leonard calmly but firmly refused to pay a single penny beyond the
obligations already incurred, including interest on the full sum for one
day, he acquiesced. He knew the type of man fully; and knew also that in
all probability it would not be long before he would come to the Firm
again on a borrowing errand. When such time should come, he would put an
extra clause into his Memorandum of Agreement which would allow the Firm
full power to make whatever extra charge they might choose in case of the
slightest default in making payment.
Leonard's visits to town had not of late been many, and such as he had
had were not accompanied with a plethora of cash. He now felt that he
had earned a holiday; and it was not till the third morning that he
returned to Brindehow. His father made no comment on his absence; his
only allusion to the subject was:
'Back all right! Any news in town?' There was, however, an unwonted
suavity in his manner which made Leonard a little anxious. He busied
himself for the balance of the morning in getting together all his unpaid
accounts and making a schedule of them. The total at first amazed almost
as much as it frightened him. He feared what Stephen would say. She had
already commented unfavourably on the one amount she had seen. When she
was face to face with this she might refuse to pay altogether. It would
therefore be wise to propitiate her. What could he do in this direction?
His thoughts naturally turned to the missing letter. If he could get
possession of it, it would either serve as a sop or a threat. In the one
case she would be so glad to have it back that she would not stick at a
few pounds; in the other it would 'bring her to her senses' as he put in
his own mind his intention of blackmail.
He was getting so tightened up in situation that as yet he could only do
as he was told, and keep his temper as well as he could.
Altogether it was in a chastened mood that he made his appearance at
Normanstand later in the afternoon. He was evidently expected, for he
was shown into the study without a word. Here Miss Rowly and Stephen
joined him. Both were very kind in manner. After the usual greetings
and commonplaces Stephen said in a brisk, businesslike way:
'Have you the papers with you?' He took the bundle of accounts from his
pocket and handed them to her. After his previous experience he would
have suggested, had he dared, that he should see Stephen alone; but he
feared the old lady. He therefore merely said:
'I am afraid you will find the amount very large. But I have put down
everything!'
So he had; and more than everything. At the last an idea struck him that
as he was getting so much he might as well have a little more. He
therefore added several good-sized amounts which he called 'debts of
honour.' This would, he thought, appeal to the feminine mind. Stephen
did not look at the papers at once. She stood up, holding them, and said
to Miss Rowly:
'Now, if you will talk to Mr. Everard I will go over these documents
quietly by myself. When I have been through them and understand them all
I shall come back; and we will see what can be done.' She moved
gracefully out of the room, closing the door behind her. As is usual
with women, she had more than one motive for her action in going away. In
the first place, she wished to be alone whilst she went over the schedule
of the debts. She feared she might get angry; and in the present state
of her mind towards Leonard the expression of any feeling, even contempt,
would not be wise. Her best protection from him would be a manifest
kindly negation of any special interest. In the second place, she
believed that he would have her letter with the other papers, and she did
not wish her aunt to see it, lest she should recognise the writing. In
her boudoir, with a beating heart, she untied the string and looked
through the papers.
Her letter was not among them.
For a few seconds she stood stock still, thinking. Then, with a sigh,
she sat down and began to read the list of debts, turning to the
originals now and again for details. As she went on, her wonder and
disgust grew; and even a sense of fear came into her thoughts. A man who
could be so wildly reckless and so selfishly unscrupulous was to be
feared. She knew his father was a comparatively poor man, who could not
possibly meet such a burden. If he were thus to his father, what might
he be to her if he got a chance.
The thought of what he might have been to her, had he taken the chance
she had given him, never occurred to her. This possibility had already
reached the historical stage in her mind.
She made a few pencil notes on the list; and went back to the study. Her
mind was made up.
She was quite businesslike and calm, did not manifest the slightest
disapproval, but seemed to simply accept everything as facts. She asked
Leonard a few questions on subjects regarding which she had made notes,
such as discounts. Then she held the paper out to him and without any
preliminary remark said:
'Will you please put the names to these?'
'How do you mean?' he asked, flushing.
'The names of the persons to whom these sums marked "debt of honour" are
due.' His reply came quickly, and was a little aggressive; he thought
this might be a good time to make a bluff:
'I do not see that that is necessary. I can settle them when I have the
money.' Slowly and without either pause or flurry Stephen replied,
looking him straight in the eyes as she handed him the papers:
'Of course it is not necessary! Few things in the world really are! I
only wanted to help you out of your troubles; but if you do not wish me
to . . . !' Leonard interrupted in alarm:
'No! no! I only spoke of these items. You see, being "debts of honour"
I ought not to give the names.' Looking with a keen glance at her set
face he saw she was obdurate; and, recognising his defeat, said as calmly
as he could, for he felt raging:
'All right! Give me the paper!' Bending over the table he wrote. When
she took the paper, a look half surprised, half indignant, passed over
her face. Her watchful aunt saw it, and bending over looked also at the
paper. Then she too smiled bitterly.
Leonard had printed in the names! The feminine keenness of both women
had made his intention manifest. He did not wish for the possibility of
his handwriting being recognised. His punishment came quickly. With a
dazzling smile Stephen said to him:
'But, Leonard, you have forgotten to put the addresses!'
'Is that necessary?'
'Of course it is! Why, you silly, how is the money to be paid if there
are no addresses?'
Leonard felt like a rat in a trap; but he had no alternative. So
irritated was he, and so anxious to hide his irritation that, forgetting
his own caution, he wrote, not in printing characters but in his own
handwriting, addresses evolved from his own imagination. Stephen's eyes
twinkled as he handed her the paper: he had given himself away all round.
Leonard having done all that as yet had been required of him, felt that
he might now ask a further favour, so he said:
'There is one of those bills which I have promised to pay by Monday.'
'Promised?' said Stephen with wide-opened eyes. She had no idea of
sparing him, she remembered the printed names. 'Why, Leonard, I thought
you said you were unable to pay any of those debts?'
Again he had put himself in a false position. He could not say that it
was to his father he had made the promise; for he had already told
Stephen that he had been afraid to tell him of his debts. In his
desperation, for Miss Rowly's remorseless glasses were full on him, he
said:
'I thought I was justified in making the promise after what you said
about the pleasure it would be to help me. You remember, that day on the
hilltop?'
If he had wished to disconcert her he was mistaken; she had already
thought over and over again of every form of embarrassment her unhappy
action might bring on her at his hands. She now said sweetly and calmly,
so sweetly and so calmly that he, with knowledge of her secret, was
alarmed:
'But that was not a promise to pay. If you will remember it was only an
offer, which is a very different thing. You did not accept it then!' She
was herself somewhat desperate, or she would not have sailed so close to
the wind.
'Ah, but I accepted later!' he said quickly, feeling in his satisfaction
in an epigrammatic answer a certain measure of victory. He felt his
mistake when she went on calmly:
'Offers like that are not repeated. They are but phantoms, after all.
They come at their own choice, when they do come; and they stay but the
measure of a breath or two. You cannot summon them!' Leonard fell into
the current of the metaphor and answered:
'I don't know that even that is impossible. There are spells which call,
and recall, even phantoms!'
'Indeed!' Stephen was anxious to find his purpose.
Leonard felt that he was getting on, that he was again acquiring the
upper hand; so he pushed on the metaphor, more and more satisfied with
himself:
'And it is wonderful how simple some spells, and these the most powerful,
can be. A remembered phrase, the recollection of a pleasant meeting, the
smell of a forgotten flower, or the sight of a forgotten letter; any or
all of these can, through memory, bring back the past. And it is often
in the past that the secret of the future lies!'
Miss Rowly felt that something was going on before her which she could
not understand. Anything of this man's saying which she could not fathom
must be at least dangerous; so she determined to spoil his purpose,
whatever it might be.
'Dear me! That is charmingly poetic! Past and future; memory and the
smell of flowers; meetings and letters! It is quite philosophy. Do
explain it all, Mr. Everard!' Leonard was not prepared to go on under
the circumstances. His own mention of 'letter,' although he had
deliberately used it with the intention of frightening Stephen, had
frightened himself. It reminded him that he had not brought, had not
got, the letter; and that as yet he was not certain of getting the money.
Stephen also had noted the word, and determined not to pass the matter
by. She said gaily:
'If a letter is a spell, I think you have a spell of mine, which is a
spell of my own weaving. You were to show me the letter in which I asked
you to come to see me. It was in that, I think you said, that I
mentioned your debts; but I don't remember doing so. Show it to me!'
'I have not got it with me!' This was said with mulish sullenness.
'Why not?'
'I forgot.'
'That is a pity! It is always a pity to forget things in a business
transaction; as this is. I think, Auntie, we must wait till we have all
the documents, before we can complete this transaction!'
Leonard was seriously alarmed. If the matter of the loan were not gone
on with at once the jeweller's bill could not be paid by Monday, and the
result would be another scene with his father. He turned to Stephen and
said as charmingly as he could, and he was all in earnest now:
'I'm awfully sorry! But these debts have been so worrying me that they
put lots of things out of my head. That bill to be paid on Monday, when
I haven't a feather to fly with, is enough to drive a fellow off his
chump. The moment I lay my hands on the letter I shall keep it with me
so that I can't forget it again. Won't you forgive me for this time?'
'Forgive!' she answered, with a laugh. 'Why it's not worth forgiveness!
It is not worth a second thought! All right! Leonard, make your mind
easy; the bill will be paid on Monday!' Miss Rowly said quietly:
'I have to be in London on Monday afternoon; I can pay it for you.' This
was a shock to Leonard; he said impulsively:
'Oh, I say! Can't I . . . ' His words faded away as the old lady again
raised her lorgnon and gazed at him calmly. She went on:
'You know, my dear, it won't be even out of my way, as I have to call at
Mr. Malpas's office, and I can go there from the hotel in Regent Street.'
This was all news to Stephen. She did not know that her aunt had
intended going to London; and indeed she did not know of any business
with Mr. Malpas, whose firm had been London solicitor to the Rowlys for
several generations. She had no doubt, however, as to the old lady's
intention. It was plain to her that she wanted to help. So she thanked
her sweetly. Leonard could say nothing. He seemed to be left completely
out of it. When Stephen rose, as a hint to him that it was time for him
to go, he said humbly, as he left:
'Would it be possible that I should have the receipt before Monday
evening? I want to show it to my father.'
'Certainly!' said the old lady, answering him. 'I shall be back by the
two o'clock train; and if you happen to be at the railway station at
Norcester when I arrive I can give it to you!'
He went away relieved, but vindictive; determined in his own mind that
when he had received the money for the rest of the debts he would see
Stephen, when the old lady was not present, and have it out with her.