"All right, dear boy," he said; "I won't have any now."
"I say you shall, sir. Sit down. Think I'm going to let her show her
airs to you."
"Oh, nonsense, nonsense!"
"Hold your tongue. I know what I'm talking about. She's got Clive on
the brain. Always throwing my brother at me. Scoundrel about poor
Lyddy Milsom, but she can't let him drop."
"Mr Wrigley, I will see to my husband," said Janet coldly. "You will
excuse me; it is getting late."
"Really, I beg your pardon," said Wrigley, speaking with gentlemanly
deference. "Yes, it will be better. Good-night, Mrs Reed. I am very
sorry he should have been so affected, but it is really nothing.
Believe me."
"Hold your tongue, will you? Mind your own business," cried Jessop
sharply. "I know what you're saying."
"All right, old fellow. Get up to bed now. Good-night."
Jessop made a dash at his wrist and held it fast.
"Sit down. Not going yet. I'm master here. Won't go and fetch the
soda and brandy, won't she? Very well; then she shall hear something
she won't like. Look here, madam, what do you say to our dear brother
now? On the stilts, is he? Well, then, he has got to come down."
"Here, that will do, my dear Jessop," said Wrigley, with a hurried
laugh. "Don't take any notice, Mrs Reed."
"You hold your tongue, I say again," cried Jessop, gripping Wrigley's
wrist so tightly that, without a struggle, there was no escape. "She
has to hear it."
"Nonsense, nonsense!"
"Is it?" cried Jessop, sitting bolt upright now.
"We shall see about that. She's always at me about him."
"Now, my dear old Jessop, friend of all these years, do you think I want
you to insult Mrs Reed before me?"
"Insult, is it? You should hear how she insults me."
"And I daresay you deserve it, just as you do now."
"No, you don't. Want to make friends at court, do you?"
"There, there! let me help you to bed, old fellow."
"I'm going up to bed when I like, and when you're gone."
"All right, then, I'll go now. I should have been rattling off to town
in the cab if you hadn't stopped me. There! good-night."
"Sit down. She's got to hear it. Do you hear, you Janet? He's a fine
boy, our Clive. Sort of Abel, he is, and I'm a kind of Cain, am I? But
we shall see. Cries about him, she does, and before her lawful husband.
Jealous of him. Do you hear, Janet?"
"Mr Wrigley, pray go," she cried indignantly.
"My dear madam, I really am trying to go, but you see."
"A blackguard with his pretty mistress down in Derbyshire. Nice saint!"
Janet turned and her eyes flashed, while Jessop burst into a jeering
laugh.
"That bites her. Nobody must look at a pretty girl. She's everybody,
Wrigley. Do you hear? Old Bob Wrigley--I say, wasn't it Ridley,
though?"
"Yes, all the same; but come now, be a good boy, and go to bed. You're
hurting my wrist."
"Serve you right."
"But you're driving the sleeve-links into the flesh."
"Serve you right. You've driven sleeve-links into plenty of people's
flesh. Sit still. And you, Madam Janet, do you hear? We're going to
ruin him."
"Reed! Don't make an ass of yourself. He doesn't know what he is
saying, Mrs Reed."
"Ha, ha! Don't I? Ruined, I tell you. Play Jacob to me, would he?
Down upon his knees he comes."
Janet looked sharply from one to the other, and Wrigley, who made no
effort to go now, uttered an uneasy laugh.
"I've been down and found out all about him and his nice little ways.
Do you hear, madam? Pretty mistress. Beats you all to fits. Dark.
Large eyes. Juno sort of a girl. He's got fine taste, our Clive. He
knows a pretty girl when he sees one. This isn't a white-faced Lyddy,
but dark, I tell you; skin like cream, teeth of pearls, and a red, full,
upturned lip. A beauty!"
"'Pon my word, my dear Jessop, you ought to be ashamed of yourself,"
said Wrigley.
"I am, to be here, and not down there, trying--bah! it wouldn't want any
trying--cutting the blackguard out."
"Really, Mrs Reed, I feel quite ashamed to be here listening to such
nonsense, but pray don't take any notice; it is all said in a teasing
spirit, and to-morrow morning he will not know what occurred."
Janet looked at him searchingly, but she made no reply. In fact, she
had no time, for Jessop chuckled.
"Won't I?" he cried. "Don't you make any mistake, lawyer. Sharper
fellow than you think for. I'm drunk, am I? Only my legs, old man.
Head's sober as a judge. You think you are making me your tool, do you?
All right: perhaps so; but I'm a very sharp tool, old man, and if you
don't use me properly I may cut your fingers." Wrigley coughed.
"There!" he said; "you have had a good long talk, and you can let me
go."
"Wait a minute. You hear, madam--bring him to the dogs if I like.
Schemed against me. Time I schemed against him."
"So you shall, my dear boy," said Wrigley. "Now am I to see you to
bed?"
"I don't want you for a valet," said Jessop. "I want you to do my dirty
work."
Wrigley gave him an angry look, but turned the spiteful remark off with
a laugh.
"All right, old fellow; you shall. Now may I go?"
"Yes, be off."
"Good-night, then."
"No: stop and help me up to bed."
"I will, with pleasure," said Wrigley, giving Janet an encouraging look.
"Now then."
Jessop rose, took his friend's arm, offered with a smile, and suffered
himself to be led to the door.
"Which room, Mrs Reed?" said Wrigley.
"Come along, I know," snarled Jessop.
"All right, dear boy. You shall show me, then. Good-night, Mrs Reed.
The cabman is waiting; and as soon as I've seen him in bed, I'll slip
off."
"Thank you," said Janet coldly, as she gazed searchingly at the smooth,
well-dressed, polished man, and felt a strong repellent force at work.
Then the door closed, and she sank in a chair, helpless, hopeless,
listening to the steps upon the stairs, and thinking of her husband's
words.
"And I let myself be led to believe that this man loved me," she
thought, in her bitterness,--"this man, who could degrade me as he has
to-night before his companion."
But her thoughts changed from her own misery to Jessop's threats against
his brother.
"What does he mean?" she asked herself. "Ruin him?"
She sat gazing before her wildly, her heart throbbing at the thought of
the man she had told herself she loved coming to harm; but directly
after Jessop's other utterances flooded her mind, and swept the thought
of trouble befalling Clive right away.
For was this true? So soon after his fathers death! Was there some one
whom he had met, some one beautiful--fair to see?
"What is it to me?" she said scornfully. "He is not worthy of a second
thought. Better Jessop's wife, even if he sinks lower still."
She listened and heard steps, then the front door closed, and lastly the
sound of wheels. Then lying back in the chair, she prepared to rest
there for the night, while Jessop sat up in bed, waiting for her to
come, thoroughly sobered now.
For as soon as Wrigley had helped him up to and across the chamber,
Jessop had felt two nervous hands seize him by the throat, and he was
flung quickly and silently back on the bed.
"Look here, you miserable, brainless idiot!" whispered Wrigley savagely,
as he held him down.
"Here, what are you doing?"
"Silence, fool! or I'll choke the miserable life out of you. Now are
you sober enough to understand? Mind this; if by any words of yours--
any of your cursed blabbings, this business comes to grief, I warn you
to run for your life."
"What?"
"For there are those in it now who would not scruple much about making
you pay."
"Pay?" faltered Jessop, as he gazed in the fierce face so close to his.
"Yes, my dear friend, and so that the world would be none the wiser when
you were dead."