_TWO INTERVIEWS._
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Mr. Robinson was virtuously indignant and highly incensed at the turn
matters had taken. He talked loudly at home and among his religious
friends--who were accustomed to small roughnesses in his style, but
attributed them to the manly nature of his Christianity--about the
young jackanapes, another of your fine gentlemen, who impudently
meddled with what could not possibly concern him; but in presence of
Arthur Forrest's young chivalry he was rather more subdued than usual.
Not that he appeared to be crestfallen--that would have been a tacit
acknowledgment of feeling himself to be in the wrong: he only took the
matter as was becoming to a man and a Christian to take it, laying
himself down ostentatiously for his young friend to tread upon, but
bringing in from time to time unexpected hints about the youthfulness
of the course of conduct he was pursuing, about the necessity for
common sense in dealing with the world, and the certainty he felt that
sooner or later his young friend would find out his mistake.
Arthur left him with no victory but such as was represented by the
casket, which Mr. Robinson had willingly surrendered.
The lawyer assured Arthur Forrest, showing his teeth and smiling
pleasantly, that when he knew more of the world he would be aware that
what Mrs. Grey had done was a thing done every day. He could show--and
he opened drawer after drawer to substantiate his statement--pounds'
worth of jewelry left, and left wisely, by ladies who had no need for
it for the moment, in the keeping of their solicitor. If Mrs. Grey had
ceased to repose confidence in him--he shrugged his shoulders to prove
his entire indifference--he could only say that the sooner she took
charge of her own valuables the better, both for her and for himself.
Certainly, she had acted rather strangely after all the trouble he had
taken in the affair for very inadequate remuneration--and _his_ time,
as all the world knew, was valuable; but one must not expect gratitude
in this world. He only trusted--for he could not help still taking a
certain interest in the matter--that everything would be far better
managed.
Arthur left the office, in fact, with a very bewildered feeling about
his brain. He had known Mr. Robinson well by rumor, but hitherto he
had not been brought into very close contact with him. This interview
shook him considerably. He was at a loss to account for the strange
mixture in the man--his apparent frankness and bonhomie, his real
selfishness and hypocrisy. Before men and women know the world well
they find it difficult to understand mixtures. People, with them, are
ranged into two vast classes, each class bearing written on its brow
in legible characters the legend of its belonging. The good are in
their imagination all frankness, courage, ingenuity; the bad have the
malignant scowl of a villain in a play. They are totally unprepared for
the frank address, the words of common sense and true wisdom, which men
whose hearts are bad have picked up in intercourse with their betters,
and which they use daily in the world as a kind of current coin whose
worth is incalculable. Mr. Robinson had plenty of this, and it somewhat
staggered Arthur. But the recollection of his friend strengthened him,
and he cast aside as unworthy all the lawyer's hints.
Quietly he requested Mr. Robinson to use neither time nor money in the
effort to find Mr. Grey, and to prepare for having Mrs. Grey's affairs
most thoroughly looked into, as she had friends who would see justice
done to her. The lawyer's parting shrug and voluble assurance of entire
indifference were lost on the young man. He had a more satisfactory
interview later in the same day. His own man of business, Mr. Golding,
was shrewd and well versed in character. He knew where his own
interests lay, and when it was possible he guarded them carefully; but
he was actually--what Mr. Robinson made a loud profession of being--a
God-fearing, conscientious man. He, or the firm he represented, and
which had succeeded to him from his father, had taken charge of the
property inherited by Arthur Forrest for some generations. Naturally,
then, he took a deep interest in it, and it was a matter of some moment
to him that the young heir should place the same confidence in the firm
as his father had done before him.
When, therefore, he came with his tale--a tale that to the man of the
world sounded rather romantic and far-fetched--Mr. Golding listened
patiently. He did not fail to represent to his client that the business
on which he was embarking was of a highly delicate nature; that
action of his might very possibly be looked upon as an impertinent
interference; that in any case his success--in one at least of the
objects he had set before him--was extremely doubtful. Not that there
could be much difficulty in finding Mr. Grey. If he should still be
above ground he would be found; if not, the fact could easily be
ascertained. The question was, whether, in the first place, there had
not been some motive beyond that imagined for his long absence (it was
difficult for a hard-headed man of business like Mr. Golding even to
imagine how any man could behave so impulsively in such an emergency),
and in this case his return was certainly improbable; whether, in the
second place, should he have left England solely on this account, his
belief in his wife's unworthiness would not be too deeply rooted to
yield to a few enthusiastic words; whether, in the third place, granted
even that his mood toward his wife had softened in the interval, he
would not resent the intervention of a stranger, and be inclined to
feel annoyance at a stranger's intimate knowledge of his affairs.
To all this Arthur only answered, "I know there are difficulties: I am
prepared for them. I will set to work with great prudence, but set to
work I _must_. The question is this, Do you feel inclined to help me?"
The shrewd man of law saw that his young client was in earnest, and
he demurred no longer. "I will help you willingly," he said. "I
only wished to prepare you for certain difficulty and very probable
disappointment. And now to work. This gentleman was last heard of at
St. Petersburg?"
"Yes. He left there ill and evidently dissatisfied. His friends feared
he had some intention of committing suicide."
The lawyer's lip curled ever so slightly: "The ladies were in want
of a bit of sensation. Probably Mr. Maurice Grey is forgotten by
this time. More likely, I should say, late hours and a gay life had
knocked him up. There is no city where a man can live faster than in
St. Petersburg. He left, probably, to get a little rest, and would not
write for fear of another pressing invitation. But he can't live on
air, wherever he may be. Can you tell me if he derives his income from
property in England?"
"I believe he does, and that he communicates from time to time with his
solicitor in London. I have _his_ name too. But I believe he is close,
or has been recommended to secrecy by his client."
Arthur passed a card to Mr. Golding, who glanced at it and gave a
sudden exclamation: "_That_ Grey! Why, I know all about him. You have a
mortgage on his property, Mr. Forrest, and a very first-rate security
it is, too; we could not wish for better. I will write at once to my
friend Edwards appointing an interview. There's a little matter of
business between us, so he will suspect nothing. Then I shall draw him
on to Mr. Grey. He has once or twice entertained me with an account
of his eccentricities. You must not be _too_ sanguine. I believe Mr.
Grey has a kind of objection to letting any one know his true address;
so, even upon the authority of Edwards, I may be sending you off on a
wild-goose chase. However, if we hear something of his whereabouts, we
shall have less difficulty in tracing him."
"How strange," said Arthur meditatively, "that I should have had
something to do with him all this time without knowing it! But about
the other matter, Golding--the child?"
"There I disagree with you entirely. That any man can have taken so
stupid a revenge is really absurd, even to imagine. No: Mrs. Grey's
first impression was correct. Her husband wished to overlook the
education of his daughter. He carried out his purpose in a most
unwarrantable manner; but evidently the man is soured--_I_ should say
scarcely responsible. Perhaps he sent an agent to secure the child,
and this would account for the gray hair and foreign appearance. More
probably still, a good deal of this was put on for effect by your
informant."
"I don't think so," returned Arthur. "It is just possible, as you say,
that Mr. Grey deputed some one to fetch his child, but it would be a
very strange kind of proceeding."
"Not half so strange as your foreigner encumbering himself with such a
charge out of mere jealousy. However, all this remains to be proved.
Southampton, you say? I will send a clerk there to make inquiries--a
sharp fellow; he has often done me good service in this line. He
shall start this afternoon. It's a pity it has been delayed so long.
If Robinson had understood his duty, he would have set this search
on foot at once. In eight days no one knows what can be done with a
child. However, I have great hope of a clue from Southampton. As you
say, they must be conspicuous travellers. And now, my dear sir, you
are interesting yourself very much about your neighbors, but are you
aware that in three weeks' time we shall have to give an account of our
proceedings during your minority? It is quite necessary that you should
make some provision for the transaction of your business, especially
as, if you follow out your present plans, your whereabouts for the next
few months may be doubtful."
"I have thought of it," replied Arthur gravely, "and I hope I am
not totally unaware of the responsibilities of my position. For the
present, however, I shall ask you to continue to take the entire
management. When this affair which occupies me so much is over, I shall
be ready to receive your statement, which I know will be satisfactory
in every way." He smiled as he spoke and held out his hand.
Mr. Golding was surprised as well as touched. It was pleasant to the
man of business--whose labor in the cause of young Forrest's family had
been to a certain degree a labor of love--to find his client able to
take a practical, common-sense view of his position, and to appreciate
his upright and assiduous care.
He smiled in return, and shook the young man's hand warmly: "You
gratify me, my dear sir. Yes, indeed, I have done my best, my very
best, for the estate, as my father did before me; and the day upon
which I shall deliver up my accounts and those of your guardians
into your hands is one to which I have long looked forward with
pleasant anticipation. In the mean time I may say, in the name of
your guardians, that you can draw upon us in excess of your ordinary
allowance. There are certain accumulations of income which we always
thought would serve for some such purpose as this projected journey. We
could have wished, of course, that it had been delayed, but as matters
stand for you to anticipate their receipt by a few days can be an
affair of no great moment to us."
And thus it was arranged. Arthur's way was smoothed, and nothing
remained to be done but the attainment of some clue to Maurice Grey's
place of refuge.