STRAWS.
When Rupert reached Homewood he rode direct to the stables, expecting to
find a groom waiting his arrival.
Disappointed in this expectation he hitched the mare's bridle to a hook
in the wall, flung a cloth over her, and walking round the house entered
it through the conservatory doors, which always remained hospitably
unlocked.
As he entered the hall, Esther was crossing from the direction of the
kitchens. At sight of him she started back with a "Lor', Mr. Rupert, how
you did frighten me; who ever would have thought of seeing you!"
"Why, who did you expect to see?" retorted Mr. Rupert, "and where, when
all that is settled, is Fisher?"
"He left at seven, sir. He came in to do up the horses as usual, and he
said, sir, when he was going out that he should not be back again, for
that Hankins had seen you on the road to Elm Park, and you were sure not
to be back such a night as this."
"I wish Hankins would attend to his own business and not attempt to
manage mine," muttered Rupert. "Get me a lantern, Esther. I must see to
that unfortunate mare myself."
Esther fetched him a lantern, and one of the men in possession, who had
himself formerly been the owner of some livery stables, offered to see
to the well-being of Madam Bess, but Rupert would not hear of it.
"You can bring the light if you will be so good," he said, for it was no
part of the policy at Homewood for the inhabitants to give themselves
airs above those sent to keep watch and ward over their chattels.
"But I will rub her down myself; I should not care about it, only I am
so confoundedly wet," he added, with his frank pleasant laugh.
"However, she is wetter, poor beast;" and as he spoke he passed his hand
over the mare's neck and shoulder, which attention she acknowledged by
trying to get it in her mouth.
"Frisky still, old lady," Rupert remarked; "I should have thought your
journey to-night might have taken that out of you. Come on," and he
slipped off her bridle, and holding her mane walked beside her into the
stall, where he put on her halter.
"It is too wet still to make your toilette out of doors," he went on;
"so you must be quiet while I rub you down here."
And after having taken off his hat and coat and waistcoat, Rupert set
too and groomed that mare "proper," to quote the expression of Turner,
the man who held the light.
And then he brought her a warm mash, and forked her up a comfortable
bed, which Bess at once devoted herself to pawing out behind her; having
accomplished which feat, and vaunted herself to her stable companions
about the evening's work she had performed, she lay down to sleep on the
bare pavement.
This was her pleasant fancy, which is shared by many a dog.
After all, there was much of a dog's nature about Bess--notably as far
as faithfulness and affection were concerned.
Rupert walked back to the house and asked Esther to make him some
coffee. Whilst she was preparing it, he went softly to his own room,
changed his wet clothes, washed, brushed his curly hair, and otherwise
made himself presentable; then he went downstairs again and entered the
library, where he found coffee awaiting his arrival.
"My sister is gone to bed, I suppose," he said to Esther.
"Yes, sir, Miss Halling was very tired, and thought you would not be
back to-night."
"And Mrs. Mortomley?"
"She is up still, sir."
"I must see her to-night. Will you tell her that I want to speak to her
very particularly."
"Yes, sir."
"What have you been crying about?" asked Rupert suddenly, but the girl
turned her head away and made no answer.
"Has Mrs. Mortomley been scolding you?" he persisted. At this question
Esther broke down altogether.
"It--it--is--th--first time my--mistress ever spoke cross to me, sir--,"
she sobbed.
"Well, you needn't allow that fact to vex you," Rupert answered, "for if
things go on as they have been doing, you may be very sure it will not
be the last. Now go and give her my message, and you will sleep all the
better for seeing your mistress again. Depend upon it, she is far more
sorry than you by this time."
"What a spit-fire temper Dolly is developing," thought the young man,
looking uneasily into the blazing fire. "Though it is rather turning the
proprieties upside down, I fear I must lecture my aunt," but when Mrs.
Mortomley came into the room there was an expression on her face which
changed his intention.
She had taken off the elaborate dress in which he last beheld her, and
exchanged it for a dressing-gown of brilliant scarlet, confined round
the waist by a belt of its own material, and showing, in every fold and
plait which hung loosely about her figure, how the plump shapeliness
which once needed no padding, no adventitious assistance from her
dressmaker, had changed to leanness and angles.
She had unloosed her hair, she had taken away the great pads and
enormous frizettes in which her soul once found such pleasure, and the
straight locks fell over her shoulders in a manner as natural as it was
unwonted.
"Good Heavens, Dolly," exclaimed Rupert, at sight of her, "why do you
ever wear scarlet, it makes you look like a ghost, or a corpse."
"It is warm," she answered, "and I was very cold. You wanted to see me
and I wanted to see you; but tell me your story first."
"I have been to Elm Park," he replied, "in order to make up friends with
that whited sepulchre, Mr. Dean; and I have succeeded. So much for that
which immediately concerns Antonia and myself. After I left Elm Park, I
rode round by Leytonstone and called upon Mr. Gibbons. He says that
Swanland must act fairly by you and all the creditors; that, in fact, so
far as that goes we need feel no uneasiness."
"Then, where is the cause for uneasiness?" she enquired.
"Nowhere so far as he can see," Rupert answered evasively, "but I will
tell you what I have been thinking as I came home. Of course, once this
order, whatever it may be, is taken out, we shall have no more trouble
from writs and so forth, and we need not be anxious about the business,
but we shall, I fear, want ready money. Of course there will be an
allowance to Archie, but we may not be able to get that immediately. Now
we had better look this matter in the face. How much money is there in
the house?"
Dolly put her hand in her pocket and pulled forth her purse, turning its
contents out on the table.
"I had the June interest from my money on Friday night," she remarked.
"For the first time I wrote to ask for it, and I was so thankful it
came, as otherwise the wages here could not have been paid yesterday."
"Surely, Dolly, you never paid them out of your money?"
"Not the whole amount. Lang told me he was five-and-twenty pounds short,
so I sent him to town to get the cheque changed, and gave him what he
required."
"I must see Lang about this the first thing to-morrow," Rupert remarked.
"Dolly, give me your money and let me keep it."
She gathered up the notes and gold and handed them to him. He counted
both over. "Why, Dolly," he said, "there is only thirty pounds left."
She laughed, in reply, that frank guileless laugh which never rings out
save when a woman has concealed nothing--has nothing she wishes to
conceal.
"Oh! I paid off such a number of worries yesterday. Of course, had there
been enough to get rid of even one of our distinguished visitors, I
should have done so, but as there was not, I killed such a host of
gnats. See," and going to her desk she produced a perfect packet of
receipts. "I am so thankful those little things are settled," she went
on, "if I had kept the money it would only have gone somehow--not this
'how,' I am quite certain."
"Will nothing teach her common sense?" but even as he thought, Dolly's
eyes suddenly uplifted surprised his--her brown eyes looking out from a
very white face and a confused mass of dark hair.
"What is the matter," she inquired; "of what are you thinking?"
"Of you," he answered; "I wish you were more prudent."
"I wish I were--perhaps I shall be some day," she said humbly.
Thinking of the manner in which she had without question turned her
money over to him Rupert felt doubtful.
"You had better keep two or three sovereigns," he observed.
"I fancy so," she agreed. "There is always money wanting now, and you
might not be in the way."
He looked at her across the table, and then bent down his head over the
notes and gold.
Incredible as it may seem, there was something in the woman's
face--though she was utterly ignorant of its presence--which touched
Rupert's nature to its best and deepest depths, wringing his
heart-strings.
If he had known what that something prefigured, if God had only for one
moment given him prescience that night, the man's memory might have
failed to hold something which shall never depart from him now till life
is extinguished with it.
As it was he exclaimed,
"I would to Heaven, Dolly, I had passed all my life with you and Archie.
I should in that case have been as unmercenary and unselfish as you."
"Rather," said Dolly sententiously, "you should thank Heaven for having
placed you in one of this world's strictest schools. Otherwise you might
have been a simpleton like myself, or a clever idiot like dear Archie,
but you would never have been a man who shall make his way to success as
you intend to do."
"How shall I make my way to success?" he inquired.
"I do not quite like to say out my thought," she replied. "It is Sunday
night, and what I feel may seem profane when rendered into speech.
Nevertheless, Rupert, Providence does take care of men like you. I
cannot at all tell why, since I know you are no better, indeed a great
deal worse than myself. You will get on, never fear; just as if the
vision were realized, I can see you now in a fine place, with a rich
wife."
"Stay," interrupted Rupert; "wherein this vision comes the skeleton?"
"To my imagination," she answered, "the skeleton ceases not by day or
night; it is ever present,--it is Homewood with you and your sister,
prosperous in your plans, and my husband, who sheltered you--dying."
"How you talk, Dolly? Archie is no worse."
"Is he not?" she replied. "If things do not soon change here, the whole
question will be settled in the simplest manner possible. He will die,
and there will be a funeral, and people will say,
"'Poor fellow! he held out as long as he could, and died just in the
nick of time.'"
"I know one man, at any rate, who would say nothing of the kind,"
remarked Rupert, "who would be quite certain to observe, 'Have you heard
about that fellow Mortomley? No. Well, he has taken it into his head to
die, and left me in the lurch. And after all my kindness to him too. I
declare, sir, if that man had been my brother, I could not have done
more for him--but there, that is just the return I meet with from, every
one.'"
The imitation was so admirable, and the words so exactly similar to
those she had heard used, that Dolly could not choose but laugh.
Then she stopped suddenly and said, "It is no laughing matter though."
"What makes you think Archie is worse?" asked her companion.
"He would try to get up for a short time this afternoon, and
unfortunately elected to have his chair wheeled up close to the side
window. He had not been seated there ten minutes before he saw one of
those men crossing from the kitchen-garden. He asked me who he was, and
I was obliged to tell him. He did not make any remark at the time, but
shortly afterwards said he would lie down again, and since that time he
has not dozed for a moment; he has refused to touch any nourishment, and
he scarcely answers when I speak to him. After the doctor saw him, he
asked me whether Archie had received any shock, and when I explained the
matter to him, he looked very grave and said,
"Unless his mind can be kept easy, I will not answer for the
consequences."
"Then he was an idiot to say anything of the sort," Rupert angrily
commented. "Never mind, Dolly, such a _contretemps_ shall not occur
again. I will warn these fellows that if I catch one of them prowling
about the grounds, I will horsewhip him, let the consequence be what it
may. Now, have you anything more to say, for it is growing late?"
"Yes," Mrs. Mortomley answered. "I am going to send Lenore away
to-morrow; my aunt Celia will take charge of her until things are
settled here."
"Surely this is a very sudden idea."
"It never occurred to me until this afternoon. She has wearied and
worried me, poor little mite; but I did not know what to do with her,
and I probably never should have known what to do with her, had Mr.
Dean's effusion about the impossibility of his future wife remaining at
Homewood, not opened my eyes."
"I understand," remarked Rupert. "You decided at once that if Homewood
were an unfit residence for Miss Halling, it was still more unfit for
Miss Mortomley, and I really think you are right. But who is to go with
the child; am I?"
"No, Esther is to take her. I have arranged all that. They start by an
early train to-morrow, and I hope Esther may be able to get back
to-morrow night."
"Why cannot I take Lenore?" he asked.
"Because you ought to be here," Mrs. Mortomley replied. "Those two young
men have to finish the accounts remember, and I know little or nothing
about our affairs."
"I had forgotten," he remarked. "Perhaps I ought not to be away. Now,
Dolly, have we finished business for to-night?"
"No, I have something more to tell you," she answered. "After you went
out this afternoon, and while I was finishing my letter to aunt Celia,
Esther came in and said 'Mr. Turner hoped I would excuse the liberty,
but could he be allowed to speak to me?'
"Naturally I asked who Mr. Turner was, when it transpired that one of
those creatures is so named. I did not know what he might want, and so
told her to send him in.
"'I trust you will pardon me, ma'am,' he began, 'I have not always been
in as low a position as that I now occupy, and--'
"I misunderstood his meaning, and told him that of course he must know
the whole affair was miserable for us, but that I was aware if a man
chose such a vocation, he must discharge the duties connected with it;
and that we did not want in any way to make the discharge of those
duties unpleasant to him. He waited quietly and respectfully till I had
quite finished, when he first thanked me for my kindness, and then said
I had mistaken his meaning.
"'I understand' he finished, 'that Mr. Mortomley intends to go into
liquidation.'
"I was a little surprised at this, but told him yes, Mr. Mortomley did.
There was nothing secret about the matter.
"Then in so many words he told me he was bound to write and inform his
employer that such was the case; but he went on and then paused, while
I waited curiously, I must confess, for the man's manner and the
expression of his face perplexed me.
"'The truth is, ma'am,' he gathered up courage to say at last, 'I have
been very well treated here, and I am very sorry to see things going
wrong in a house like this, and as I have seen a great deal of
bankruptcy and arrangements and all the rest of it, I thought I would
just make so bold as to say that if there are any things about the house
for which you have a particular fancy, the sooner you put them on one
side or ask some of your friends to take charge of them for you the
better.'
"I declare, Rupert, I did not comprehend at first what he meant, and
when at last he explained himself more at length, I was so amazed I
could only say we did not think of leaving Homewood or selling the
furniture, that all Mr. Mortomley wanted was time, and of course things
would remain as they were and the business be continued just as usual.
"He said he was sure he hoped all might turn out as I expected, but that
he trusted I would excuse his still recommending me to make
arrangements for the worst.
"'And do you propose that we should do that by stealing from ourselves?'
I asked.
"'Well, everything in the place is yours to-night, ma'am, certainly,' he
answered; 'that is, except for the amounts I and my companion are here
for, but that will not be the case for long when once the other man
comes in.'
"'What other man?' I said.
"'Why the trustee's man.'
"Then I got annoyed and told him he was talking nonsense, that once the
petition was granted there would be no more 'men' at Homewood; that
since the passing of the new Bankruptcy Act everything was made
comparatively pleasant for people who wanted to act honestly.
"'If you will excuse my saying so, ma'am,' he persisted, 'I think you
know even less about the working of the new Act than I do.'
"At that point I lost my temper.
"'Whether I do or not I shall not follow your advice, though I suppose
you mean it kindly. If my husband's creditors want every article in
Homewood, why, they must take even to the last chair, that is all. If I
had to turn out to-night without a shelter or a penny I would not do
what you suggest.'
"He bowed and went away without speaking another word, and of course I
thought the subject was ended.
"Quite by accident I went an hour ago to Lenore's room, and there to my
astonishment I found piled up on the drawers and tables all the
knick-knacks out of the drawing-room; the timepieces, the vases, the
statuettes, the little genuine silver we have not parted with, and a
whole tribe of other articles.
"Then I rang for Esther and asked what it meant. Turner, it appeared,
after leaving me, told her I understood nothing whatever of our real
position, and that the greatest service she could do me was to send as
much as possible to some safe place of keeping without mentioning the
matter to me.
"And acting on this, she had intended to get up about four o'clock and
pack up all she could, and take the spoil with her to Great Dassell.
"I was so angry I said sharp things to the girl I ought not to have
said. I believe I frightened her to death, and I know I have made myself
quite ill and hysterical with the passion I got into."
"Esther is happy enough now. She did it all for the best, and I have
told her how sorry I am to have spoken sharply; but, Rupert, Rupert,
what is the meaning of all this? There is something in liquidation we do
not understand."
"I do not think there is," was the reply. "This man only spoke according
to his light, which seems to be a very poor one. He simply advised that
course to be taken which would be taken by ninety-nine people out of a
hundred."
"Then if such is the case, I cannot wonder at Mr. Forde's idea that
debtors are thieves."
"And at the same time there may be some reason for the debtors' belief
that creditors are robbers."
"Oh!" cried Dolly, "that it were all ended."
"It will be some day, please God," he answered. "And now, Dolly, do get
to bed; your white face will disturb my dreams. When had you anything to
eat?"
"I don't think I have eaten anything since Thursday," she answered;
"anything, I mean, worth calling a meal."
"You will kill yourself if you go on as you are doing," he said, but she
shook her head.
"I am going to live to a hundred and forty, like the Countess of
Desmond, who died in consequence of a fall from a cherry-tree," Dolly
explained. "I shall be a great-great-great-grandmother, and I shall
inculcate upon the first, second, third, and fourth generations the
truth of that old proverb, 'Take care of the pence, and the pounds will
take care of themselves.'"
"Never mind pence or pounds either, Dolly. I wish you would take care of
yourself."
"Why?" she asked; then went on, "I wonder if on the face of the earth
besides Archie and Lenore, and Esther and Mrs. Werner, and perhaps my
Aunt Celia, there is a creature who would be really sorry if I died
to-night?"
"Do you exclude me?" Rupert marvelled.
"You have not lived long enough to be very sorry about anything except
your own affairs--about any trouble coming to those connected with you
unless their sorrow means loss of comfort to yourself."
"Do you think I am not sorry for Archie and you now?"
"I am quite sure you are," she replied bitterly. "Homewood has been a
pleasant house for you to live in; far pleasanter than Elm Park can ever
prove."
"Dolly," he interrupted, "I do not mean to call you ungrateful, but
considering how I have been working on your behalf to-day--"
"We need not discuss the question," she remarked as he stopped and
paused. "There is no necessity now for us to go into our accounts and
put down, 'I have done this, and Archie has done the other.' Before
this liquidation business is ended we shall have ample opportunity of
doing full justice each to the other--only--Rupert, I do not think you
would have been quite so ready to leave Homewood had your opinion and
that of the man Turner not to a certain extent coincided."
"You wrong me greatly," he answered, "but as you say there is no
necessity for us to discuss these questions now. Do go to bed, dear; you
will knock yourself up if you neither rest nor sleep, and then who can
see to Archie?"
"Good night," she said holding out her hand, "if I have misjudged you I
am sorry."
He held the door open for her to pass out, and watched her as she
flitted up the staircase.
Had she misjudged him Rupert wondered. No. Her instinct guided her
aright when reason might have failed to do so.
"I suppose I am a rat," he thought, "and that by some curious intuition
I did guess the ship was sinking. Knowledge and calculation had,
however, nothing to do with the matter. That I can declare. Now it will
perhaps be well for me to calculate. I do not much relish hearing a list
of benefits conferred, recited at each interview."
In his heart Rupert felt very angry. An individual must be remarkably
good looking to approve of a mirror which reflects him feature by
feature, wrinkle by wrinkle, exactly as he is!