A FRIEND
A man in the city, who was an old friend of Lord Nunneley, stopped the
latter as he was on the point of entering his club.
"By the bye, Nunneley," he said, "did I understand--I think I saw it in
the papers--that the marriage between your daughter and Stirling Deane
was off?"
"The engagement has been broken off," answered Lord Nunneley, a little
stiffly. "Why?"
"That's all right," said the man. "The only thing was that as I was one
of the people you came to, to ask about Deane, I felt that if it was
still on I ought to tell you that things aren't supposed to be just the
same as they were."
"Do you mean about Deane?" asked Lord Nunneley.
His friend nodded. "There are some very curious rumors going about," he
said. "You remember, of course, his charging a man named Hefferom--a
South African--with an attempt at blackmail the other day? The man was
committed for trial, and there was not much came out in the evidence
before the magistrates. Since then, however, people have been talking.
They say that Hefferom had actual knowledge of documents proving that
Deane's title to the Little Anna Gold-Mine was a false one, and that the
mine in reality belonged to Hefferom himself and a partner."
"That sounds like a very curious story," Lord Nunneley remarked. "If it
is true, why doesn't Hefferom produce his document and have done with
it?"
"Because it has been stolen," the other answered. "There are all sorts
of stories going about, too, concerning the theft. The point remains,
however, that there is a strong feeling that the document in question
does exist, and that it may turn up. If so, of course, it would ruin
Deane. I see that the shares of his corporation have had a most
tremendous drop, so it seems as though there might be something in it.
Buy a special edition this afternoon, and you'll know more about it."
Lord Nunneley nodded. "Thank you," he said, "I will do so."
Lord Nunneley walked slowly along Pall Mall. After all, there was no
need to buy a paper. On the placards which the boys were displaying as
he neared Trafalgar Square were great headlines,--
EXTRAORDINARY DROP OF SHARES IN THE GOLD-MINES ASSOCIATION.
PANIC IN THE CITY.
Lord Nunneley bought a paper, and stood for a few minutes reading it.
Then he called a taxicab, and gave the man the address of Deane's
offices. He was well known there, and Deane's confidential man at once
came forward.
"Mr. Deane will see you, of course, my lord," he said. "He is really
disengaged now, but we are obliged to deny him to everybody because of
these interviewers. Will you come with me, my lord?"
Lord Nunneley found himself ushered into Deane's private room. Deane was
dictating rapidly to his secretary. As usual he was calm,
self-possessed, carefully groomed and dressed. There was nothing about
his appearance in any way to suggest a panic. He heard his visitor's
name, however, with surprise.
"Nunneley!" he exclaimed, rising to his feet.
Lord Nunneley nodded, and held out his hand. "I was in the city and
thought I'd look you up, Deane," he said. "Can I have a word or two with
you?"
"Certainly," Deane answered. "Give us five minutes, Ellison,--or stay
away until I ring," he added to his secretary.
Lord Nunneley accepted an easy-chair and also a cigarette, but he seemed
in no great hurry to explain his business. "I was very sorry, Deane," he
said at last, "to see the papers this evening. I hope the trouble isn't
very serious."
"Do you hold any of our shares?" Deane asked.
"If I did," said the other, coloring a little, "I should not have come
here."
Deane accepted the reproof. "I beg your pardon."
"I daresay," continued Lord Nunneley, "my coming seems to you, under the
circumstances, a little superfluous. However, what I wanted to say is
this. You see Olive is our only child, and that made us very anxious
about anything to do with her. I am sure that you yourself must feel
now, when you are under so much anxiety, that it is better not to have
the added responsibility of your engagement upon your shoulders."
"I have never questioned your wisdom in breaking it off," Deane said
quietly. "Under the circumstances, I agree with you that it is a very
good thing."
"That's all right," Lord Nunneley continued, a little hastily. "Of
course, neither you nor Olive are children, and you are not the sort to
wear your hearts upon your sleeve. In short," he added, somewhat
abruptly, "you'll both get over it. There's no doubt about that. I
didn't come to revert to this matter at all. I simply wanted to say that
though our relations are changed, I still do feel a considerable amount
of friendship for you, Deane, and I wanted to come and just tell you I
was sorry. And look here," he went on, a little awkwardly, "I've between
seven and eight thousand pounds for which I am looking for an
investment, and if the money's any use to you, Deane, why say the word,
and I'll write you a cheque on the spot."
Deane looked at his visitor for a moment in an astonishment which
triumphed over the natural impassivity of his expression. Then a little
flush rose in his cheeks. He got to his feet and held out his hand.
"Nunneley," he said, "this is awfully good of you. I shall not forget
it. Believe that. If we wanted money, or if I did personally, I'd accept
your offer like a shot."
"Too much of a drop in the bucket, I suppose," Lord Nunneley remarked.
"It isn't much, I know."
"It isn't that," Deane interrupted. "The situation is simply that our
shares have had a big drop because of certain rumors about our title to
the Little Anna Gold-Mine. If those rumors were confirmed, five or six
hundred thousand pounds wouldn't help us. If they are not confirmed, and
if they die a natural death, as I imagine they must, our shares will
recover themselves and we shall not need money."
"You don't believe in the existence of any such document, then?" Lord
Nunneley asked.
"I do not believe that it will be produced," Deane answered, "and if it
were produced," he went on, "I do not believe in its validity. I would
not say as much, even, as this to the reporters, but the document about
which people have been talking is simply an original claim to the Little
Anna Gold-Mine, which was deserted by the very man who put me on to it,
and in whose name the claim stands. You see, therefore, that any attempt
to establish a legal claim is more or less a swindle."
Lord Nunneley rose to his feet. "You are really not so very much
alarmed, then?"
Deane shook his head. "This drop in shares, after all," he said, "does
not affect us particularly, except for the time. It simply means that
the market declares that we are a few hundred thousand pounds poorer
to-day than we were yesterday. Whether the market is right or not
remains to be proved."
"Well, I am glad to have seen you, at any rate, Deane, and remember, if
there is anything I can do--"
"You have already," Deane said, "done a great deal, Lord Nunneley. I
shall not forget your visit or your offer."
"That's all right," Lord Nunneley declared. "Olive did not know I was
coming, but I'm sure if she had known she would have sent her love.
Don't bother to ring. I can find my way out."
The visit of his projected father-in-law seemed to Deane like a pleasant
little oasis in the middle of a long, dreary day. These rumors of which
Lord Nunneley had heard seemed to have come into existence during the
last few hours. There had been some large failures lately, and investors
were all nervous. The country was short of money. In ordinary times, an
attack upon the stability of such a corporation as his would have been
impossible. To-day, nothing seemed impossible. In his heart, Deane knew
or felt that the situation was safe. Yet the very fact that these rumors
had sprung into being seemed to denote the line of defence which
Hefferom's lawyers were prepared to offer in the coming trial. He would
be accused everywhere--if not in words, in suggestion--of complicity in
the murder of Sinclair. The existence of that document would be believed
in. It would be said openly, perhaps, that he was responsible himself
for its suppression. It was not the fact that on paper he was nearly a
quarter of a million poorer than he had been a week ago that troubled
him. It was the reflection that bold though his words had been, it was
within the power of the man who lay awaiting his trial practically to
ruin him. The question of the whereabouts of the document might be, in a
few weeks, the most discussed matter in London.
Deane, acting upon a sudden impulse, left his office by the back
entrance and drove to the small hotel where Winifred was staying. Miss
Rowan was at home, he was told, and after a few minutes' delay he was
shown into her sitting-room.
"Miss Rowan will be with you in a moment," her maid announced, coming
through from the bedroom. "She is with her dressmaker at present."
Deane nodded, and took up the newspaper mechanically from the table. The
room seemed to him almost faint with the perfume of flowers. He glanced
around carelessly, and suddenly found his attention riveted upon her
writing-table. In a little silver vase, standing by itself, was the red
rose which he had bought for her two days since!