"Come, Mr Saul, sir, drink a little more of this," said Doctor
Lawrence; and he held a glass to the young man's lips, as he lay back on
the sofa, where he had been lifted, for the words he had heard uttered
had so strange an effect upon him that he had stood staring wildly for a
few moments, and then uttered a sudden, low cry, and fallen heavily upon
the carpet.
"Better now," he said, drinking with avidity; and then sitting up quite
calm and connected. "A sudden fit of giddiness. I have been travelling
night and day. I have not eaten; and the suddenness of this news
completely overset me. Very absurd, of course."
"No, sir; quite natural," said the doctor quietly.
"Yes," said Saul, with a peculiar laugh, "in a girl; but not in a strong
man."
"And now, if you will take my advice," said the doctor, "you will
partake of some refreshment, and leave all further discussion of this
business till another day."
"No," said Saul hoarsely, "I must have all this cleared up before I go."
"Well, we can arrange that," said Gertrude smiling. "I will tell Denton
to see that you have a room made ready; sleep here to-night."
"Sleep? here?" cried Saul quickly. "No, thank you; I shall get back to
town."
"Far wiser to stay, sir," said the doctor quietly.
"No. You will be going back; I'll go with you."
"As you like," said the doctor; and at that moment Mrs Hampton
whispered to Gertrude as they stood apart.
"You asked him--to stay!"
"Yes," said Gertrude, with her eyes full of perplexity. "I cannot tell
how it was, but I do not feel afraid of him now."
She started almost as she spoke, for an angry voice behind exclaimed:
"Well, sir, why are you looking at me like that?"
"For the simple fact that I was eager to see what kind of man my cousin
Saul might be."
"Your cousin, sir. You have to prove that yet," cried Saul excitedly.
"Of course; of course! Don't be put out about it, or I shall begin to
think you did not want me to come back."
"Gentlemen, gentlemen?" cried Mr Hampton, "pray let us have calmness
and discretion; there are ladies here."
"Yes; I am quite cool; and I beg their pardon."
"But may I ask why you are here this evening, sir," said the lawyer. "I
thought, after our last meeting, it was decided that you should wait
patiently."
"Yes, sir; I promised against myself. Self has mastered me. I called
on Doctor Lawrence; found he was coming down. I could not keep away. I
beg pardon all the same."
All this while Saul was glaring at the speakers in a curiously excited
manner, which took the doctor's attention, and he crossed to his side.
"I don't want to alarm you, Saul Harrington," he whispered; "but if you
do not control yourself, you will have another fit. Besides, all this
will fly to your bad arm."
"Oh, I'm calm enough now," was the impatient reply; but as Saul spoke
the veins were beginning to stand out in knots about his temples, for
the visitor had crossed to Gertrude and shaken hands, while her
peaceful, gratified look, and the smile she gave, as she looked up in
his eyes, seemed to madden him.
"Come away," whispered the doctor.
"What! and leave that man, that impostor, here?"
"Who said impostor?" cried the new pretender, turning sharply round.
"You, sir? All right, Gertrude, I will not quarrel with him. I dare
say it is natural, but not a pleasant thing for me to bear."
"Get them both away, or we shall be having terrible trouble," whispered
Mrs Hampton in her husband's ear.
"Yes. Gentlemen, everything connected with this matter must be left to
the law of your country. The use of language tending to anger is not
likely to settle matters. Mr Saul Harrington, I have explained the
state of affairs to you, and you grasp all that is necessary for you to
know at present."
"You sent for me," cried Saul fiercely, "and I decline to go and leave
Miss Bellwood in company with this strange man, whose claims are
preposterous."
"Then I must appeal to you, sir," said the lawyer. "You came down
unasked; your presence is likely to cause unpleasantry; trust me that
you shall have justice done, so please to go."
"I, George Harrington, feel that I have a perfect right to be here, Mr
Hampton; and I cannot help resenting the overbearing manner of my
cousin."
"George," said Gertrude softly, as she laid her hand in his; "I believe
in you."
"Ah!" he cried, in a low, eager tone.
"Be content, and go."
"I could not exist without seeing you," he whispered; and the colour
came warmly into her cheeks at his words. "You wish me to go?"
"Yes."
There was a pleading look in her eyes which disarmed all resistance;
and, pressing her hand, he turned to Mrs Hampton.
"Good-night," he said; "I know I have an advocate in you. Gentlemen,
good-evening. I will call at your office in the morning, Mr Hampton."
He left the room, and, as soon as the gate was heard to clang, Gertrude
signed to Mrs Hampton and they left the room, for Saul's manner
betokened another storm.
Too truly, for the next minute it broke out with uncontrolled violence--
words he did not mean to utter pouring from his lips.
"It is a lie! A fraud! A base piece of cozening?" he cried. "The man
is an impostor, who has come forward to rob me of my rights."
"Your rights, Mr Saul," said the lawyer slowly; "what are they?"
"I mean my rights as next-of-kin. Where is my cousin George? He must
be found: he shall be found!"
"Stop, sir!" cried Doctor Lawrence, in a stern voice, as he caught the
speaker by the shoulder. "As a physician, I know your condition better
than you know it yourself. I have given you fair warning of the danger
of giving way to anger like this. You will not heed my remonstrances,
so now I insist upon your being calm."
"Calm! How can a man be calm?"
"When he is goading himself on to an apoplectic fit? I don't know, sir;
but you have to be calm, or I must give you some drug that will make
you."
"No, no," cried the young man, with a gesture full of horror.
"Then obey me. Your conduct is suicidal, and I feel as if I were
assisting at a murder. You had better sleep here to-night."
Saul turned upon him with so fierce a gesture that the doctor gave way.
"Very well; I will see you to your apartments in town. Good-night,
Hampton. No fresh clue, I suppose?"
The lawyer shook his head as he walked down towards the gate with them.
"None whatever. It is a very mysterious affair; and I feel now as if we
ought to place the matter in the hands of the police."
"Feel giddy, Mr Saul?" said the doctor, for his companion had suddenly
struck against his arm.
"I beg pardon, no; I nearly fell. The worst of these country places. I
trod on a slug or toad, and only having one arm at liberty, I--"
"Committed murder--involuntarily, of course," said the doctor with a
chucks. "Well, things that are in one's way should get out of one's
way."
Saul made no reply, but he breathed hard, went silently down the station
road, and then to himself:
"Or be put out of one's way," and he started again as if fearful that
his words had been heard.