"Why, my dear child, it is one of the commonest of things. I've known
plenty of cases of this kind, and I daresay your father has."
Dinah looked at the Doctor wistfully, with her face growing old and
careworn; but she said nothing, only turned to her father, as he took
and held her hand.
"Come, come, this will not do," continued the Doctor. "I don't want to
have you upon my hands as a patient. Now, look here; I promise you that
all will come right, and it is not the physic-monger speaking now, but
your father's friend."
The Major darted a grateful look at the speaker, while Dinah did not
stir, but sat hardly hearing him, alone with her despair.
"They do not know all," she said to herself; "they do not know all."
"You see, my dear," continued the Doctor, "he is rapidly mending, and he
knows us all, and speaks sensibly; but he is not quite _compos mentis_
yet his brain had a nasty shock, from which it is recovering, but it
must have time. You feel it bitterly, of course, but it is a natural,
though only temporary, outcome of this ailment. Over and over again we
doctors find that the one the invalid loves best--wife, mother,
betrothed--is the one against whom he takes an unaccountable dislike,
and in endless cases this is the one who has devoted herself to constant
nursing. Ah, they re an ungrateful lot, patients, when they are a bit
off their heads. I had one to whom I was administering nothing but beef
tea, and water just flavoured with syrup of aurantia--orange and sugar,
you know. Well, that ruffian swore that I was slowly poisoning him."
"But Reed has quite recovered his senses," said the Major uneasily; "it
is six weeks to-day since he turned like this."
"He has not quite recovered his senses, or he would be upon his knees,
asking pardon of an angel, sir. No, my dear, I'm not flattering you,
for if ever woman displayed devotion and love for sinful man, you have
done so for my boy Clive. Come, promise me that you will try and hold
up, for your father's sake. Yes, and Clive's. He is rapidly growing
stronger, but he wants your help to console him for his losses. That is
what we want to get off his brain. Once he can bear that
philosophically all will be well."
The Doctor's long speeches were cut short by a visitor in the shape of
Wrigley, who was shown in by Martha, Dinah at the same moment escaping
to her room, where, on approaching the window, she became aware of the
fact that Jessop had accompanied the visitor. He was waiting at the
bottom of the garden down by the river, and she shrank away in horror
and dread as she trembled lest Clive should see him and it might bring
on a fresh attack.
For a few moments she thought of going to Clive's room and telling him.
But the dread of meeting his cruel searching eyes, and experiencing
another of those shrinking looks of horror and disgust, kept her away,
and she sank wearily into a chair, shivering, and with the feeling of
utter despair growing upon her more and more.
Meanwhile a scene was taking place in the little dining-room below,
where the Major had made a sign toward a chair.
"Thank you," said Wrigley. "I will not detain you long."
"What is it, sir? Sturgess worse?" said the Doctor.
"Oh, no! The fellow is, thanks to you, Doctor, growing stronger and
more impudent every day. The fact is, gentlemen, I have come over to
see Mr Clive Reed. His brother is waiting down by the river. He would
not come in, as they are not on good terms."
The Major frowned.
"As I am Mr Clive Reed's doctor, sir, I have a right to ask you what
you want with him."
"Simple matter of business, sir. I want him to come over and inspect
the mine."
"Not fit, sir. Too weak," said the Doctor sternly. "Bless my soul! my
dear boy, are you mad?"
"I hope not, Doctor," said Clive, as he entered the room, looking very
white, but quite able to dispense with the stick he held in his hand.
"Glad to see you about again, Mr Reed," said Wrigley at once, and he
held out his hand; but it was not taken. "Mr Reed, I have come on
behalf of the shareholders in the `White Virgin' mine."
"Including yourself, sir, and Mr Jessop Reed?" said Clive coldly.
"Of course," said Wrigley, with an assumption of frankness. "We stand
to be heavy losers over the mine if the lost lode is not discovered.
But perhaps you don't know that the rich vein has ended suddenly?"
"I know everything in connection with the mine, sir," said Clive, as the
Doctor watched him anxiously; but to his intense gratification saw
nothing to cause him uneasiness.
"That's well, sir. Then I will be quite plain with you, and ask you to
let bygones be bygones, for I am sure that you, as an English gentleman,
and one of our principal shareholders, wish for nothing but what is fair
and right by all concerned."
He ceased and waited for Clive to speak, but the engineer remained
silent, and Wrigley went on--
"I should tell you, sir, that our foreman, Sturgess, has made the most
careful investigations, both before his illness and since. He is hardly
fit to be about."
"Not fit," said the Doctor.
"Exactly, sir; but he has insisted upon going down the mine during the
past four days, and testing in different directions. Then, too, we have
had the advice of an eminent mining engineer, Mr Benson, and
unfortunately both give a decidedly adverse report. Well, sir, this is
bad, but for my part I have great faith in your knowledge."
"Which you showed, sir, by scheming with my brother to get me ousted
from the post!"
"An error in judgment, Mr Reed, due to an eager desire to make money.
I made the mistake of choosing the wrong brother. I apologise, and you
know that I have suffered for my blunder. But let us repair all the
past for the sake of everybody concerned. Mr Clive Reed, in perfect
faith that you will restore the `White Virgin' to her former prosperity,
I, as a very large holder of shares, ask you to resume your position as
manager and engineer. Tell me that you will do this, and I will at once
go back to town, call an extraordinary meeting, and get your
reappointment endorsed."
A slight flush came into Clive's pale cheeks as he sat listening to
Wrigley's words, and the latter took hope therefrom.
"I see that you feel that there is hope for the mine, sir," he said
eagerly; "and that you will sink the past and join us in working heart
and soul for every one's benefit."
The Major looked curiously at Clive, whom the excitement of the
interview seemed to be rousing from his despondent state, but drawing
himself up, the latter said quietly--
"I am sorry, of course, sir, for the innocent shareholders in the mine,
but the interim dividends that they have received prevent them from
being heavy losers. As to the speculators, they must thank fate that
their losses are not greater."
"Yes, yes, of course, Mr Reed, but you will soon set all that right.
Take a month at sea, sir, at the company's expense, and come back strong
as a lion, ready to go to work again, and make the `White Virgin' richer
than ever."
"No, sir," said Clive coldly. "I lose more heavily than any one, and I
am prepared to stand by my losses."
"Yes, yes, but you will soon recoup--there will be no losses. I know
that you must naturally feel a jealousy of my friend, Jessop Reed."
Clive's face darkened.
"But he shall not be in your way, my dear sir. You can take it for
granted that he will in future have no part in the management. You
shall stand at the head, and your judgments shall be unquestioned."
"I thank you, sir, for this great display of confidence," said Clive
coldly; "but I have ceased to take any interest in the mine--I may say
in anything whatever in life. No, sir, I will have no dealings whatever
with you and your partner in the cowardly scheme by which I was
overthrown. I can only thank you for arranging that this collapse
should not occur during my management. All right, Doctor; I have done.
I am not going to be excited, and this interview is at an end."
"Yes, this one," said Wrigley, rising. "You are still weak, Mr Reed,
and I will not bother you more to-day. I shall stay at the mine, and be
happy to run over on receiving a message, for that you will come round
to my wishes I am convinced. Good morning, gentlemen, and I should
advise you both to invest heavily in the mine shares, for this second
panic has sent them down almost to zero."
He smiled pleasantly and went out to join Jessop, who was waiting
impatiently, but with his eyes fixed upon Dinah's open window all the
time.
"A smooth, deceitful scoundrel!" said Clive contemptuously, and he held
out a hand to the Doctor, who laid a finger upon his pulse. "Quite
calm, Doctor," he continued. "Yes, I'm about well now. I only want
rest and peace. As soon as you will let me, I will go right away. On
the Continent, I think."
"Yes; do you a great deal of good, my dear boy," said the Major. "We
must have a change too. Poor Dinah is very pale."