IN WHICH THE LAST ACT OF THE BAKEWELL COMEDY IS CLOSED IN A LETTER
Of all the chief actors in the Bakewell Comedy, Master Ripton
Thompson awaited the fearful morning which was to decide Tom's fate,
in dolefullest mood, and suffered the gravest mental terrors.
Adrian, on parting with him, had taken casual occasion to speak of
the position of the criminal in modern Europe, assuring him that
International Treaty now did what Universal Empire had aforetime
done, and that among Atlantic barbarians now, as among the Scythians
of old, an offender would find precarious refuge and an emissary
haunting him.
In the paternal home, under the roofs of Law, and removed from the
influence of his conscienceless young chief, the staggering nature
of the act he had put his hand to, its awful felonious aspect,
overwhelmed Ripton. He saw it now for the first time. "Why, it's
next to murder!" he cried out to his amazed soul, and wandered about
the house with a prickly skin. Thoughts of America, and commencing
life afresh as an innocent gentleman, had crossed his disordered
brain. He wrote to his friend Richard, proposing to collect
disposable funds, and embark, in case of Tom's breaking his word, or
of accidental discovery. He dared not confide the secret to his
family, as his leader had sternly enjoined him to avoid any weakness
of that kind; and, being by nature honest and communicative, the
restriction was painful, and melancholy fell upon the boy. Mama
Thompson attributed it to love. The daughters of parchment rallied
him concerning Miss Clare Forey. His hourly letters to Raynham, and
silence as to everything and everybody there, his nervousness, and
unwonted propensity to sudden inflammation of the cheeks, were set
down for sure signs of the passion. Miss Letitia Thompson, the
pretty and least parchmenty one, destined by her Papa for the heir
of Raynham, and perfectly aware of her brilliant future, up to which
she had, since Ripton's departure, dressed and grimaced, and studied
cadences (the latter with such success, though not yet fifteen, that
she languished to her maid, and melted the small factotum
footman)--Miss Letty, whose insatiable thirst for intimations about
the young heir Ripton could not satisfy, tormented him daily in
revenge, and once, quite unconsciously, gave the lad a fearful turn;
for after dinner, when Mr. Thompson read the paper by the fire,
preparatory to sleeping at his accustomed post, and Mama Thompson
and her submissive female brood sat tasking the swift intricacies of
the needle, and emulating them with the tongue, Miss Letty stole
behind Ripton's chair, and introduced between him and his book the
Latin initial letter, large and illuminated, of the theme she
supposed to be absorbing him, as it did herself. The unexpected
vision of this accusing Captain of the Alphabet, this resplendent
and haunting A, fronting him bodily, threw Ripton straight back in
his chair, while Guilt, with her ancient indecision what colours to
assume on detection, flew from red to white, from white to red,
across his fallen chaps. Letty laughed triumphantly. Amor, the word
she had in mind, certainly has a connection with Arson.
But the delivery of a letter into Master Ripton's hands, furnished
her with other and likelier appearances to study. For scarce had
Ripton plunged his head into the missive than he gave way to violent
transports, such as the healthy-minded little damsel, for all her
languishing cadences, deemed she really could express were a
downright declaration to be made to her. The boy did not stop at
table. Quickly recollecting the presence of his family, he rushed to
his own room. And now the girl's ingenuity was taxed to gain
possession of that letter. She succeeded, of course, she being a
huntress with few scruples and the game unguarded. With the eyes of
amazement she read this foreign matter:
"Dear Ripton,--If Tom had been committed I would have shot
old Blaize. Do you know my father was behind us that night
when Clare saw the ghost and heard all we said before the fire
burst out. It is no use trying to conceal anything from him.
Well as you are in an awful state I will tell you all about it.
After you left Ripton I had a conversation with Austin and he
persuaded me to go down to old Blaize and ask him to help off
Tom. I went, for I would have done anything for Tom after what
he said to Austin and I defied the old churl to do his worst.
Then he said if my father paid the money and nobody had tampered
with his witnesses he would not mind if Tom did get off and he
had his chief witness in called the Bantam very like his master
I think and the Bantam began winking at me tremendjously as you
say, and said he had sworn he saw Tom Bakewell but not upon
oath. He meant not on the Bible. He could swear to it but not
on the Bible. I burst out laughing and you should have seen
the rage old Blaize was in. It was splendid fun. Then we had a
consultation at home Austin Rady my father Uncle Algernon who
has come down to us again and your friend in prosperity and
adversity R. D. F. My father said he would go down to old Blaize
and give him the word of a gentleman we had not tampered with
his witnesses and when he was gone we were all talking and Rady
says he must not see the farmer. I am as certain as I live that
it was Rady bribed the Bantam. Well I ran and caught up with my
father and told him not to go in to old Blaize but I would and
eat my words and tell him the truth. He waited for me in the
lane. Never mind what passed between me and old Blaize. He
made me beg and pray of him not to press it against Tom and
then to complete it he brought in a little girl a niece of his and
says to me she's your best friend after all and told me to thank
her. A little girl twelve years of age. What business had she
to mix herself up in my matters. Depend upon it Ripton wherever
there is mischief there are girls I think. She had the insolence
to notice my face, and ask me not to be unhappy. I was polite
of course but I would not look at her. Well the morning came
and Tom was had up before Sir Miles Papworth. It was Sir Miles
gout gave us the time or Tom would have been had up before we
could do anything. Adrian did not want me to go but my father
said I should accompany him and held my hand all the time. I
shall be careful about getting into these scrapes again. When
you have done anything honourable you do not mind but getting
among policemen and magistrates makes you ashamed of yourself.
Sir Miles was very attentive to my father and me and dead against
Tom. We sat beside him and Tom was brought in. Sir Miles told
my father that if there was one thing that showed a low villain
it was rick-burning. What do you think of that. I looked him
straight in the face and he said to me he was doing me a service
in getting Tom committed and clearing the country of such fellows
and Rady began laughing. I hate Rady. My father said his son
was not in haste to inherit and have estates of his own to watch
and Sir Miles laughed too. I thought we were discovered at first.
Then they began the examination of Tom. The Tinker was the first
witness and he proved that Tom had spoken against old Blaize and
said something about burning his rick. I wished I had stood in the
lane to Bursley with him alone. Our country lawyer we engaged
for Tom cross-questioned him and then he said he was not ready
to swear to the exact words that had passed between him and
Tom. I should think not. Then came another who swore he had
seen Tom lurking about the farmer's grounds that night. Then
came the Bantam and I saw him look at Rady. I was tremendjously
excited and my father kept pressing my hand. Just fancy my being
brought to feel that a word from that fellow would make me
miserable for life and he must perjure himself to help me. That
comes of giving way to passion. My father says when we do that
we are calling in the devil as doctor. Well the Bantam was told
to state what he had seen and the moment he began Rady who was
close by me began to shake and he was laughing I knew though
his face was as grave as Sir Miles. You never heard such a
rigmarole but I could not laugh. He said he thought he was
certain he had seen somebody by the rick and it was Tom Bakewell
who was the only man he knew who had a grudge against Farmer
Blaize and if the object had been a little bigger he would not
mind swearing to Tom and would swear to him for he was dead
certain it was Tom only what he saw looked smaller and it was
pitch-dark at the time. He was asked what time it was he saw
the person steal away from the rick and then he began to scratch
his head and said supper-time. Then they asked what time he had
supper and he said nine o'clock by the clock and we proved that
at nine o'clock Tom was drinking in the ale-house with the
Tinker at Bursley and Sir Miles swore and said he was afraid
he could not commit Tom and when he heard that Tom looked up
at me and I say he is a noble fellow and no one shall sneer at Tom
while I live. Mind that. Well Sir Miles asked us to dine with
him and Tom was safe and I am to have him and educate him if I
like for my servant and I will. And I will give money to his
mother and make her rich and he shall never repent he knew me.
I say Rip. The Bantam must have seen _me_. It was when I went
to stick in the lucifers. As we were all going home from Sir
Miles's at night he has lots of redfaced daughters but I did not
dance with them though they had music and were full of fun and
I did not care to I was so delighted and almost let it out. When
we left and rode home Rady said to my father the Bantam was not
such a fool as he was thought and my father said one must be in
a state of great personal exaltation to apply that epithet to
any man and Rady shut his mouth and I gave my pony a clap of the
heel for joy. I think my father suspects what Rady did and does
not approve of it. And he need not have done it after all and
might have spoilt it. I have been obliged to order him not to
call me Ricky for he stops short at Rick so that everybody
knows what he means. My dear Austin is going to South America.
My pony is in capital condition. My father is the cleverest and
best man in the world. Clare is a little better. I am quite happy.
I hope we shall meet soon my dear Old Rip and we will not get
into any more tremendjous scrapes will we.--I remain, Your sworn
friend,
"RICHARD DORIA FEVEREL."
"_P.S._ I am to have a nice River Yacht. Good-bye, Rip. Mind you
learn to box. Mind you are not to show this to any of your friends
on pain of my displeasure.
"N.B. Lady B. was so angry when I told her that I had not come to
her before. She would do anything in the world for me. I like her
next best to my father and Austin. Good-bye old Rip."
Poor little Letitia, after three perusals of this ingenuous epistle,
where the laws of punctuation were so disregarded, resigned it to
one of the pockets of her brother Ripton's best jacket, deeply
smitten with the careless composer. And so ended the last act of the
Bakewell Comedy, on which the curtain closes with Sir Austin's
pointing out to his friends the beneficial action of the System in
it from beginning to end.