"THE HAND OF DOUGLAS IS HIS OWN."
Jack took care to come down late to breakfast the next morning, having
no inclination to partake of it with Oliver Trent, and feeling sure that
Trent would respect the punctuality which reigned at Hetherton. He had
cold fare in consequence himself, though the old butler did what he
could, and when it was finished, he received a message to the effect
that Mr Thornton was waiting for him in the small room where he
sometimes transacted business. He was a little sorry to find Mrs
Thornton also there, for, although her aim was always to make peace, the
result where her husband was concerned was almost invariably of an
opposite nature, all her married years having failed to teach her the
management of his temper. She was fonder of Jack than of Phillis, and
defended him wildly, in a manner which was most exasperating to an
irritable man. Jack saw at a glance as he entered that some passage at
arms had already taken place, for she was sitting upright, injured and
tearful, while his uncle with a very red face poked the fire furiously.
"Very sorry to disturb you so early," he said, brandishing the poker,
and looking hard at a timepiece, "we poor working men are obliged to
descend to such insignificant details of life as punctuality. Of course
with you it is different."
"I don't know about that," said Jack, good-humouredly, "I'm afraid
you're trying to chaff me. But you ought to allow I'm not often so
late."
"That is what I told your uncle," broke in Mrs Thornton with eagerness.
"I am sure there are so many young men who come here who are so much
worse--"
"Much fiddlesticks!" growled her husband. "What are those young idiots
to me? However, you never can do anything that's not perfect, so, of
course I give in. I suppose I am to be told this morning that all this
Italian business is just as it should be."
"We are both sorry that you should be disappointed," Jack said quietly,
"but--"
"Disappointed! The disappointment will be on your side you will find!"
"Excuse me, I had not finished my sentence. I was going to say that
grateful as I am for your kindness, this is a matter in which I could
not allow anyone to dictate to me."
"Oh, very well, sir, very well. You must go your own way. I shall not
attempt to interfere. Only you will quite understand that neither you
nor Phillis have anything more to look for from my hands."
Mrs Thornton broke in appealingly. "My dear Peter! Now do not be so
hasty. You know how sorry you often are when it is too late."
"Will you hold your tongue?" said her husband, glaring at her.
"You don't really mean it," she went on disregarding, "you know you
don't. Jack has been about the place ever since we came here twelve
years ago, and he was a nice little boy in a short jacket--"
"_Will_ you be quiet?"
"No, I won't. If nobody else is here to speak, I shall tell you what I
think of it. There is nobody so near you as Jack. As to all this
business, you know very well that it is no one's fault but Phillis's,
she said so herself in her letters, and I do say it is a shame that the
poor boy should suffer--"
Mr Thornton was in a red heat of passion. Jack said abruptly.
"No, that is not the case. Whatever blame there is--and I suppose there
always is blame, first or last, in a broken engagement--rests entirely
with me. It will be very unjust, Uncle Peter, if you visit my sins on
poor Phillis. I tell you honestly that I liked the thought of Hetherton
at first, I dare say I should like it still; but it was a mistake of
yours, I think, though no doubt you meant it kindly, to mix up the two
things together, and it makes it uncommonly hard upon one of the two,
don't you see? Set it right with Phillis, and I shall take my
disinheriting without grumbling."
Phillis was Mr Thornton's favourite as Jack was his wife's, and this
speech of Jack's smoothed him down a little. But he shook his head
obstinately.
"Whatever I may be, I'm not a weather-cock. I made up my mind
deliberately, and I'm not going to change it for any boy or girl
fancies. Marry Phillis, and you and she and your heirs after you shall
have Hetherton, and plenty to keep it on. Don't marry her, and I shall
find another successor. That's all. You can't have it more plainly."
"Oh, it's plain enough," said Jack with some bitterness, walking over to
the window. What he thought was that it placed a wider gulf than ever
between them. For he could not think that she cared about Hetherton,
and he knew he did--to a certain degree; and how could he come near her
again with this condition hanging over them? "Well," he said, turning
back to the fire, "then there's no more to be said, except that I still
hope you will alter your determination. I wanted a word with you about
young Masters."
"What of him?"
"Is he doing well?"
"Just the reverse. We should have sent him off by this time if it had
not been for my very good friend Mr Trent," said Mr Thornton, pressing
up his under lip and looking defiantly at his nephew.
"What are his sins?"
"Perhaps you don't think so much of them in your set. We business men
have an antiquated idea that it is dishonourable to give a promissory
note when you have no means of meeting it when due."
"I am sure Jack would never be dishonourable," murmured Mrs Thornton.
"Ah--" said Jack musingly. "Then the money was not forthcoming?"
"Certainly not."
"And you heard of it?"
"I was informed by Mr Trent, who being interested in the young scamp--"
"His cousin," put in Jack.
"His cousin!" Mr Thornton looked astonished for a moment. "Well,
then, his cousin--very generously paid the money and got the note into
his own hands. He acted throughout in the manner I should have expected
from him, came to me at once, asked my advice, and begged me, if I felt
it a possibility, to give the lad another chance. After consideration I
consented. Pray have you anything to say against all this?"
"Not to-day," Ibbetson answered quietly.
"Not to-day!" repeated his uncle. "Perhaps you intend setting yourself
up as the young man's champion against his best friend. And I tell you
what, Jack. You seemed to me to be trying to pick a quarrel with Mr
Trent last night. Don't let me see anything of the sort again. You
will be good enough to behave to him as my friend."
"Not as mine, at all events," said Jack, smiling as he reflected that
his uncle treated him with as much authority as if, instead of
disinheriting, he had just invested him with all his worldly goods.
"And why not?" demanded Mr Thornton.
"That I cannot explain at present. Never mind, Uncle Peter, we shan't
clash. I'm going up to town by the next train, and shall be out of the
way."
Mr Thornton's face fell. In spite of all that had passed, he was very
much disappointed. He thought Jack, who seldom gave in to him and never
lost his temper, and who was therefore a very pleasant companion, would
have spent Christmas with them. Under present circumstances he could
not condescend to ask him to stay, but he would have liked his wife to
do so in private, instead of exclaiming--
"There, Peter, I told you so! Now you have driven him away. Your uncle
didn't mean it, my dear boy, though I don't think you are right about
that nice Mr Trent."
"I haven't said anything, have I?"
"Well, I suppose it means something when you decline to meet him as a
friend."
"`The hand of Douglas is his own,'" quoted Jack. "I am very sorry, but
I can't do otherwise. And I must be off at once, if I am to catch the
train."
"You can have the carriage," said Mr Thornton gruffly.
"No, thank you, the morning is so fine, I prefer to walk."
"Stop a moment. Then you are not going out again to Rome?"
"Not unless I am obliged to do so. I shall spend Christmas with my
father, and then come up for real hard work. Good-bye; good-bye, Aunt
Harriet."
"Hard work!" repeated Mr Thornton with scorn, as the door closed. And
yet he was feeling a reluctant admiration for the straightforwardness
with which the young fellow had behaved. If he had been left alone he
would probably have relented, but his wife, with the best intentions in
the world, immediately rubbed him up the wrong way.
"Of course you don't mean it, Peter," she said anxiously.
Perhaps nothing irritates a man so much as being told that he does not
mean what he has just proclaimed with some emphasis as his intention.
He faced round--
"Don't I? I mean every word of it. I gave them both fair notice."
"Then I do think it is a shame. And there will be nobody we care for to
come after us. I don't believe you will be able to think of anyone at
all."
Mr Thornton was immediately possessed with a desire to prove his
prescience.
"Pooh!" he said, "you don't know what you're talking about. I'm not by
any means sure that it's not a good thing for the property that this has
happened. Jack treats it all too lightly, as if money were got together
in a week. I should prefer some one who would take my name, and go on
carefully building up as I have done. Such a man as Trent, for
instance. Highly principled, and thoroughly trustworthy, I don't know
such another. If it hadn't been for him I should never have known the
rights of this business."
Mr Thornton banged the door to emphasise his last sentence, and then
frowned, hearing Jack whistling as he ran down the steps. With the
frown on his face he went in pursuit of Mr Trent.
"Look here, Trent," he began, "that young clerk's business was plain
enough, I suppose?"
"Quite so," said Trent steadily. "Your nephew has been talking of him?
He seems to have taken an unaccountable prejudice against me, but I am
sure I wish his efforts could prove the poor boy blameless. I have done
my best in that direction, and failed. From his being a connection of
my own, and from an especial cause of interest, I am peculiarly desirous
for it. Nothing else could have led me to appeal to your kindness as I
have done, and I assure you I cannot be sufficiently grateful."
"Never mind that," said Mr Thornton with a wave of the hand.
"Excuse me, it is impossible to forget it. I can take credit for
nothing but entire frankness in the matter. Dismissal would have been
ruin, and with most men dismissal must have resulted; but I could not
have allowed you to remain in the dark, and your kindness in the matter
may be the saving of the unhappy boy."
"What can Jack know about him?" asked Mr Thornton.
"Probably some distorted account of the matter has reached him," Trent
replied calmly. "Unfortunately, as I said, your nephew is prejudiced
against me. Does his opinion affect you? Because, if so, you must
allow me to insist upon Masters's dismissal."
"Affect me? Certainly not," said Mr Thornton, swelling. "I am not
likely to be influenced in my opinions by Master Jack. Besides, he
seemed to take his part."
"You may be sure that I am keeping an eye upon him," said Trent, not
noticing these words. "If I see anything at all unsatisfactory, your
interests will at all times be paramount to every other consideration.
Have you seen the paper? I was wishing particularly to hear your
opinion on last night's news."