IN WHICH ERNEST VISITS HIS UNCLE'S LIBRARY.
WHILE Tom Thornton was looking for a battery with which to reduce my
fortress, my uncle appeared to be searching for some paper in his safe.
I concluded that Tom's unexpected arrival had suggested some business to
be done with him. I was in a fever of anxiety to hear what passed
between them.
Uncle Amos handled the papers, folding and unfolding them, giving each a
hasty glance, and then restoring it to the safe. One document in
particular attracted my attention, on which my uncle gazed much longer
than on any other, and then laid it down, apart from the others, on the
bottom of the safe. While I was watching his motions with breathless
interest, I heard the front door slammed violently. My uncle was
startled. He hastily closed the door of the safe, locked it, and put
the key under the cushion of his arm-chair. Taking the lamp in his hand,
he hastened out of the room.
"Thomas!" I heard him call, after he had passed into his chamber.
In a moment he returned to the library, followed by Tom, who had in his
hand a heavy stick taken from the wood-pile.
"What are you going to do?" demanded my uncle, as he glanced at the club
in Tom's hand.
"I am going to make that boy tell me where the girl is," replied Tom.
"With that stick?"
"Yes, with this stick."
"You will never find the girl in that way," said my uncle, shaking his
head. "Throw your stick away."
"But the rascal insulted me with almost every word he spoke," growled
Tom.
"I told you to handle him gently. You can't drive him."
"But he must tell me where the girl is."
"He will not, of course. If he thinks the girl has been abused, he is
just foolish enough to take her part, and would be pounded to a jelly
before he would tell you a word about her. If you are careful you can
find out where the girl is. Probably he carried her off in the boat. You
say it must have been nearly dark when he left Cannondale. He could not
have gone far with her. Either she is at Mr. Hale's in Parkville, or she
is concealed somewhere in this vicinity."
Uncle Amos appeared to gasp with the mighty effort this long speech had
cost him.
"The young rascal shall tell me where she is, or I will break his head.
I will teach him that he can't trifle with me, if he can with you,"
replied Tom, in snappish tones.
"You will defeat your own purposes. Where is Ernest now?"
"In his room; and I locked him in," answered Tom, with a kind of
chuckle, indicating that he thought he had done a big thing.
"Locked him in!" exclaimed my uncle. "How long do you suppose he will
stay there?"
"Till I choose to let him out," said Tom, who still appeared to be very
well satisfied with himself.
"I think not. There are two windows in the room, and when he gets ready
to leave he will do so. You seem to think the boy is a fool. Very likely
he has taken the alarm by this time, and has gone off to look out for
the girl, if he has hidden her in this vicinity."
"Do you suppose he has gone?" asked Tom; and his tones indicated his
perplexity.
"I don't know; but you can't do anything till daylight, and I want to
talk with you about our affairs."
"Confound your affairs!" ejaculated Tom, petulantly. "I can't stop
to-night to talk about them. I came after the girl, and I must have her
too."
"Thomas, I can no longer endure this wasting anxiety," continued my
uncle, solemnly. "This boy haunts me by day and by night. I seldom sleep
an hour at a time. For your sake I am suffering all this; but you are
cold, distant, and harsh to me."
"What do you wish me to do, governor?" demanded the reckless son. "I
send you all the money you want."
"It is not money, but a clear conscience, that I need," groaned the
wretched old man. "I would rather live in abject poverty than purchase
plenty at such a fearful price."
"Don't be foolish, governor."
"I live in constant fear of the boy, especially since he questioned me,
months ago, about his parents and his property."
"Of course you told him he had no property."
"I did."
"Then it's all right. In the course of a week we will send him to New
Orleans. When he has gone you can change your residence, and he will
lose the track of you."
"Perhaps he will not be willing to go to New Orleans; he certainly will
not under such treatment as you bestow upon him. Thomas, my brother's
will--"
My uncle paused and looked at his son, as though in doubt whether to
finish the sentence he had begun.
"Well, what of the will?" demanded Tom, evincing more interest than he
had before exhibited. "Of course you destroyed that years ago?"
"No, Thomas, I dared not do such a thing," replied my uncle, in a hoarse
whisper.
"You did not!" exclaimed Tom. "Where is it? Let me have it!"
"No, Thomas, I dare not even yet destroy it," groaned the old man.
"This is madness!"
"Perhaps it is. I wished to talk with you about it. It is no longer safe
for me to keep it in the house."
"Why don't you burn it, then?"
"I dare not."
By this time I was so dizzy holding my head down, that I was obliged to
raise it. I was so giddy and confused that I came very near rolling off
the top of the bay window; and in my efforts to save myself, I made a
noise, which disturbed the conference. Tom and my uncle were alarmed. I
heard them rush out of the room. Without waiting to ascertain their
intentions, I put on my shoes, and climbed down from the bay window to
the ground.
I had hardly accomplished my descent before Tom and my uncle appeared at
the window of my chamber. They had rightly attributed the noise to me,
and hastened to my room to learn what had happened.
"He has escaped," said Tom, as he drew in his head, after satisfying
himself that I was not on the roof.
I went round to the front of the house to ascertain what they would do
next. There was a horse and chaise in the road, with which Tom had come,
the animal fastened to a post. He neighed as I approached him. I found
that he was shivering in the cool night air, after the severe sweat he
had had in coming. I took a robe from the chaise and covered him, for I
liked a horse almost as well as a boat. When I had finished this kindly
act, Tom came out of the house with a lantern in his hand. He was
followed by my uncle, and they went down to the landing, where my skiff
lay.
"He hasn't gone off in the boat," said my uncle.
"And he shall not," added Tom, as he walked off and disappeared behind
the house.
I was alarmed lest he should go off to the Splash and find Kate there;
but presently he returned with an axe in his hand. Giving the lantern
to his father, he proceeded to smash the skiff with the axe, his object
being to prevent my going on board the Splash. I regarded it as a puny
effort on his part, and was relieved to find they did not intend to
visit her themselves. As soon as I was satisfied in regard to his
purpose, I crept carefully up to the horse, unfastened him, and jumped
into the chaise. The animal was full of spirit, and anxious to go.
"Have you found the girl?" I shouted to Tom, as I drove within a few
feet of where he stood.
He sprang for the horse's head as soon as he discovered my intention;
but I gave him the rein, and he went off like a rocket. I turned towards
Parkville, and after going half a mile, I reined up to ascertain whether
I was pursued or not. I could hear nothing; so I turned into a by-road,
leading to a grove. I had taken this step only to procure a diversion of
Tom's plans, if he had any, and I fastened the horse to a tree. Covering
him up with the robe again, I walked back to the highway. In less than
ten minutes, I heard the well-known rattle of my uncle's buggy. I
stepped behind a bush till it should pass. As it went by, I heard my
uncle's voice, as well as Tom's. My diversion had worked well, for both
had gone in pursuit of me, and I was delighted with the result.
As fast as my legs would carry me, I hastened back to the cottage. A
light was burning in the library. I was almost choking with anxiety, for
I had a purpose to accomplish. I climbed up to the bay window, pulled
the sash down, and leaped into my uncle's "_sanctum sanctorum_." With
trembling hand I raised the cushion of the arm-chair. I could hardly
repress a shout of joy, as I saw the key, just where my uncle had put
it. Eagerly I seized it and opened the safe door. I grasped the huge
document that lay on the bottom of the safe, and opened it. I read,--
"'In the name of God, amen! I, Ezra Thornton, being feeble in body, but
of sound and disposing mind--"
"It is my father's will!" I exclaimed, without pausing to read any more.
My heart was in my mouth. I glanced at other papers; but I did not
understand them, and it seemed to me then that the will was all I
wanted. I thrust that into my pocket, and was about to close the safe
door when my eye rested upon a thick pile of bank bills. I wanted money.
Would it be stealing to take some of these bills? No! All that my uncle
had was mine, according to his own statement. There were thousands of
dollars in the pile. I could not think or reason in the excitement of
the moment. I took about one fourth of the bills, thrust them into my
pocket, closed the door of the safe, locked it, and put the key under
the cushion in the chair.
I got out of the window, and placed the sash as I had found it. When I
reached the ground, the cold sweat stood on my brow, so violent were my
emotions. I entered the front door of the cottage, passing old Jerry on
the way, and went to my chamber, the key being on the outside, where Tom
had left it. I prayed that God would forgive me if I had done wrong, for
I could not determine whether I had or not.
[Illustration: ERNEST DEFENDS HIMSELF.--Page 99.]
As the will and the money would not be safe in my pocket, I wrapped them
up in a piece of newspaper, and concealed them in the closet. By this
time it was daylight. I sat for half an hour in a chair, thinking what I
should do. At sunrise Tom and his father returned. I suppose old Jerry
told them he had seen me, for both came up stairs immediately.
"Now, you young villain!" yelled Tom, as he rushed towards me, beside
himself with passion.
I retreated towards the chimney, and pulled out my bat.
"What are you going to do with that?" demanded he.
"I am going to defend myself," I replied, as firmly as I could; but I
was terribly agitated.
"We'll see if you are;" and he sprang towards me.
"Gently, Thomas; don't be rash," interposed my uncle.
"Keep your distance, or I'll smash your head!" I added, making a few
vigorous passes with the bat.
He was prudent enough to heed this warning, and left the room, but only
to return with the club he had selected before.