felt himself very near his goal, he had regained something of his old
influence over Dick, he had actually managed to touch his heart--and now
it was all in vain!
Paradine's jaw fell; he, too, had had his dreams of doing wonderful
things with the talisman after he had cajoled Dick to part with it.
Whether the restoration of his brother-in-law formed any part of his
programme, it is better, perhaps, not to inquire. His dreams were
scattered now; the Stone might be anywhere, buried in London mud, lying
on railway ballast, or ground to powder by cartwheels. There was little
chance, indeed, that even the most liberal rewards would lead to
discovery. He swore long and comprehensively.
As for Mr. Bultitude, he sat motionless in his chair, staring in dull,
speechless reproach at the conscience-stricken Dick, who stood in the
corner blinking and whimpering with an abject penitence, odd and painful
to see in one of his portly form. The children had now apparently
finished supper, for there were sounds above as of dancing, and "Sir
Roger de Coverley," with its rollicking, never-wearying repetition, was
distinctly audible above the din and laughter. Once before, a week ago
that very day, had that heartless piano mocked him with its untimely
gaiety.
But things were not at their worst even yet, for, while they sat like
this, there was a sharp, short peal at the house-bell, followed by loud
and rather angry knocking, for carriages being no longer expected, the
servants and waiters had now closed the front-door, and left the passage
for the supper-room.
"The visitors' bell!" cried Paul, roused from his apathy; and he rushed
to the window which commanded a side-view of the portico; it might be
only a servant calling for one of the children, but he feared the worst,
and could not rest till he knew it.
It was a rash thing to do, for as he drew the blind, he saw a large
person in a heavy Inverness cloak standing on the steps, and (which was
worse) the person both saw and recognised _him_!
With fascinated horror, Mr. Bultitude saw the Doctor's small grey eyes
fixed angrily on him, and knew that he was hunted down at last.
He turned to the other two with a sort of ghastly composure: "It's all
over now," he said. "I've just seen Dr. Grimstone standing on my
doorstep; he has come after me."
Uncle Marmaduke gave a malicious little laugh: "I'm sorry for you, my
friend," he said, "but I really can't help it."
"You can," said Paul; "you can tell him what you know. You can save me."
"Very poor economy that," said Marmaduke airily. "I prefer spending to
saving, always did. I have my own interests to consider, my dear Paul."
"Dick," said poor Mr. Bultitude, disgusted at this exhibition of
selfishness, "you said you were sorry just now. Will you tell him the
truth?"
But Dick was quite unnerved, he cowered away, almost crying; "I
daren't, I daren't," he stammered; "I--I can't go back to the fellows
like this. I'm afraid to tell him. I--I want to hide somewhere."
And certainly he was in no condition to convince an angry schoolmaster
of anything whatever, except that he was in a state very unbecoming to
the head of a family.
It was all over; Paul saw that too well, he dashed frantically from the
fatal billiard-room, and in the hall met Boaler preparing to admit the
visitor.
"Don't open the door!" he screamed. "Keep him out, you mustn't let him
in. It's Dr. Grimstone."
Boaler, surprised as he naturally was at his young master's
unaccountable appearance and evident panic, nevertheless never moved a
muscle of his face; he was one of those perfectly bred servants, who, if
they chanced to open the door to a ghoul or a skeleton, would merely
inquire, "What name, if you please?"
"I must go and ask your Par, then, Master Dick; there's time to 'ook it
upstairs while I'm gone. I won't say nothing," he added compassionately.
Paul lost no time in following this suggestion, but rushed upstairs, two
or three steps at the time, stumbling at every flight, with a hideous
nightmare feeling that some invisible thing behind was trying to trip up
his heels.
He rushed blindly past the conservatory, which was lit up by Chinese
lanterns and crowded with little "Kate Greenaway" maidens crowned with
fantastic headdresses out of the crackers, and comparing presents with
boy-lovers; he upset perspiring waiters with glasses and trays, and
scattered the children sitting on the stairs, as he bounded on in his
reckless flight, leaving crashes of glass behind him.
He had no clear idea of what he meant to do; he thought of barricading
himself in his bedroom and hiding in the wardrobe; he had desperate
notions of getting on to the housetop by means of a step-ladder and the
sky-light above the nursery landing; on one point he was resolved--he
would not be retaken _alive_!
Never before in this commonplace London world of ours was an unfortunate
householder hunted up his own staircase in this distressing manner; even
his terror did not blind him to the extreme ignominy and injustice of
his position.
And below he heard the bell ringing more and more impatiently, as the
Doctor still remained on the wrong side of the door. In another minute
he must be admitted--and then!
Who will not sympathise with Mr. Bultitude as he approaches the crisis
of his misfortunes? I protest, for my own part, that as I am compelled
to describe him springing from step to step in wild terror, like a
highly respectable chamois before some Alpine marksman, my own heart
bleeds for him, and I hasten to end my distressing tale, and make the
rest of it as little painful as I may with honesty.
19. _The Reckoning_
MONTR. The father is victorious.
BELF. Let us haste
To gratulate his conquest.
1ST CAPT. We to mourn
The fortune of the son.
MASSINGER. _The Unnatural Combat._
Poor Mr. Bultitude, springing wildly upstairs in a last desperate effort
to avoid capture, had now almost reached his goal. Just above him was
the nursery landing, with its little wooden gate, and near it, leaning
against the wall, was a pair of kitchen steps, with which he had hopes
of reaching the roof, or the cistern loft, or some other safe and
inaccessible place. Better a night spent on the slates amongst the
chimney-pots than a bed in that terrible No. 6 Dormitory!
But here, too, fate was against him. He was not more than half-a-dozen
steps from the top, when, to his unspeakable horror, he saw a small form
in a white frock and cardinal-red sash come running out of the nursery,
and begin to descend slowly and cautiously, clinging to the banisters
with one chubby little hand.
It was his youngest son, Roly, and as soon as he saw this, he lost hope
once and for all; he could not escape being recognised, the child would
probably refuse to leave him, and even if he did contrive to get away
from him, it would be hopeless to make Roly understand that he was not
to betray his hiding-place.
So he stopped on the stairs, aghast at this new misfortune, and feeling
himself at the end of all his resources. Roly knew him at once, and
began to dance delightedly up and down on the stair in his little bronze
shoes. "Buzzer Dicky," he cried, "dear buzzer Dicky, tum 'ome to party!"
"It's not brother Dicky," said Paul miserably; "it's all a mistake."
"Oh, but it is though," said Roly; "and you don't know what Roly's
found."
"No, no," said Paul, trying to pass (which, as Roly persisted in leaping
joyously from side to side of the narrow stair, was difficult); "you
shall show me another time. I'm in a hurry, my boy, I've got an
appointment."
"Roly's got something better than that," observed the child.
Mr. Bultitude, in spite of his terror, was too much afraid of hurting
him by brushing roughly past to attempt such a thing, so he tried
diplomacy. "Well, what has Roly found--a cracker?"
"No, no, better than a cwacker--you guess."
"I can't guess," said Paul; "never mind, I don't want to know."
"Well then," said Roly, "there." And he slowly unclosed a fat little
fist, and in it Paul saw, with a revulsion of feeling that turned him
dizzy and faint, the priceless talisman itself, the identical Garuda
Stone, with part of the frail gilt ring still attached to it.
The fastening had probably given way during Master Dick's uproarious
revels in the drawing-room, and Roly must have picked it up on the
carpet shortly afterwards.
"Isn't it a pitty sing?" said Roly, insisting that his treasure should
be duly admired.
"A very pretty thing," said his father, hoarse and panting; "but it's
mine, Roly, it's mine!"
And he tried to snatch it, but Roly closed his fist over it and pouted,
"It isn't yours," he said, "it's Roly's. Roly found it."
Paul's fears rose again; would he be wrecked in port after all? His ear,
unnaturally strained, caught the sound of the front door being opened,
he heard the Doctor's deep voice booming faintly below, then the noise
of persons ascending.
"Roly shall have it, then," he said perfidiously, "if he will say after
me what I tell him. Say, 'I wish Papa and Brother Dick back as they were
before,' Roly."
"Ith it a game?" asked Roly, his face clearing and evidently delighted
with his eccentric brother Dick, who had run all the way home from
school to play games with him on the staircase.
"No--yes!" cried Paul, "it's a very funny game; only do what I tell you.
Now say, 'I wish Papa and Brother Dick back again as they were before.'
I'll give you a sugar-plum if you say it nicely."
"What sort of sugar-plum?" demanded Roly, who inherited business
instincts.
"Any sort you like best!" almost shrieked Paul; "oh, do get on!"
"Lots of sugar-plums, then. 'I with'--I forget what you told me--oh, 'I
with Papa and----' there'th thomebody tummin' upsthairs!" he broke off
suddenly; "it'h nurth tummin' to put me to bed. I don't want to go to
bed yet."
"And you shan't go to bed!" cried Paul, for he too thought he heard
some one. "Never mind nurse, finish the--the game."
--'Papa and Buzzy Dicky back again as--as they were before,' repeated
Roly at last. "What a funny--ow, ow, it'h Papa! it'h Papa! and he told
me it wath Dicky. I'm afwaid! Whereth Dicky gone to? I want Bab, take me
to Bab!"
For the Stone had done its work once more, and this time with happier
results; with a supreme relief and joy, which no one who has read this
book can fail to understand, Mr. Bultitude felt that he actually was his
old self again.
Just when all hope seemed cut off and relief was most unlikely, the
magic spell that had caused him such intolerable misery for one hideous
week was reversed by the hand of his innocent child.
He caught Roly up in his arms and kissed him as he had never been kissed
in his whole life before, at least by his father, and comforting him as
well as he could, for the poor child had naturally received rather a
severe shock, he stepped airily down the staircase, which he had mounted
with such different emotions five minutes before.
On his way he could not resist going into his dressing-room and assuring
himself by a prolonged examination before the cheval-glass that the
Stone had not played him some last piece of jugglery; but he found
everything quite correct; he was the same formal, precise and portly
person, wearing the same morning dress even as on that other Monday
evening, and he went on with greater confidence.
He took care, however, to stop at the first window, when he managed,
after some coaxing, to persuade Roly to give up the Garuda Stone. As
soon as he had it in his hands again, he opened the window wide and
flung the dangerous talisman far out into the darkness. Not till then
did he feel perfectly secure.
He passed the groups of little guests gathered about the conservatory,
and lower down he met Boaler, the nurse, and one or two servants and
waiters, rushing up in a state of great anxiety and flurry; even
Boaler's usual composure seemed shaken. "Please, sir," he asked, "the
schoolmaster gentleman, Master Dick--he've run upstairs, haven't you
seen him?"
Paul had almost forgotten Dick in his new happiness; there would be a
heavy score to settle with him; he had the upper hand once more, and
yet, somehow, he did not feel as much righteous wrath and desire for
revenge as he expected to do.
"Don't be alarmed," he said, waving them back with more benignity than
he thought he had in him. "Master Dick is safe enough. I know all about
it. Where is Dr. Grimstone? In the library, eh? Very well, I will see
him there."
And leaving Roly with the nurse, he went down to the library; not, if
the truth must be told, without a slight degree of nervousness,
unreasonable and unaccountable enough now, but quite beyond his power to
control.
He entered the room, and there, surrounded by piles of ticketed hats and
coats, under the pale light of one gas-burner, he saw the terrible man
before whom he had trembled for the last seven horrible days.
A feeling of self-defence made Paul assume rather more than his old
stiffness as he shook hands. "I am very glad to see you, Dr. Grimstone,"
he said, "but your coming at this time forces me to ask if there is any
unusual reason for, for my having the--a--pleasure of seeing you here?"
"I am exceedingly distressed to have to say that there is," said the
Doctor solemnly, "or I should not have troubled you at this hour. Try to
compose yourself, my dear sir, to bear this blow."
"I will," said Paul, "I will try."
"The fact is then, and I know how sad a story it must be for a parent's
ear, but the fact is, that your unhappy boy has had the inconceivable
rashness to quit my roof." And the Doctor paused to watch the effect of
his announcement.
"God bless my soul!" cried Paul. "You don't say so!"
"I do indeed; he has, in short, run away. But don't be alarmed, my dear
Mr. Bultitude, I think I can assure you he is quite safe at the present
moment" ("Thank Heaven, he is!" thought Paul, thinking of his own
marvellous escape). "I should certainly have recaptured him before he
could have left the railway station, where he seems to have gone at
once, only, acting on information (which I strongly suspect now was
intentionally misleading), I drove on to the station on the up-line,
thinking to find him there. He was not there, sir, I believe he never
went there at all; but, guessing how matters were, I searched the train,
carriage by carriage, compartment by compartment, when it came up."
"I am very sorry you should have had so much trouble," said Paul, with a
vivid recollection of the exploring stick; "and so you found him?"
"No, sir," said the Doctor passionately, "I did not find him, but he was
there; he must have been there! but the shameless connivance of two
excessively ill-bred persons, who positively refused to allow me access
to their compartment, caused him to slip through my fingers."
Mr. Bultitude observed, rather ungratefully, that, if this was so, it
was a most improper thing for them to do.
"It was, indeed, but it is of no consequence fortunately. I was forced
to wait for the next train, but that was not a very slow one, and so I
was able to come on here before a very late hour and acquaint you with
what had taken place."
"Thank you very much," said Paul.
"It's a painful thing to occur in a school," observed the Doctor after a
pause.
"Most unfortunate," agreed Paul, coughing.
"So apt to lead persons who are not acquainted with the facts to imagine
that the boy was unhappy under my care," continued the Doctor.
"In this case, I assure you, I have no doubts," protested Paul with
politeness and (seldom a possible combination) perfect truth.
"Very kind of you to say so; really, it's a great mystery to me. I
certainly, as I felt it my duty to inform you at the time, came very
near inflicting corporal punishment upon him this morning--very near.
But then he was pardoned on your intercession; and, besides, the boy
would never have run away for fear of a flogging."
"Oh, no, perfectly absurd!" agreed Paul again.
"Such a merry, high-spirited lad, too," said the Doctor, sincerely
enough; "popular with his schoolfellows; a favourite (in spite of his
faults) with his teachers."
"No, was he though?" said Paul with more surprise, for he had not been
fortunate enough to reap much vicarious benefit from his son's
popularity, as he could not help remembering.
"All this, added to the comforts (or, may I say, the luxuries?) he
enjoyed under my supervision, does make it seem very strange and
ungrateful in the boy to take this sudden and ill-considered step."
"Very, indeed; but do you know, Dr. Grimstone, I can't help
thinking--and pray do not misunderstand me if I speak plainly--that,
perhaps, he had reasons for being unhappy you can have no idea of?"
"He would have found me ready to hear any complaints and prompt to
redress them, sir," said the Doctor. "But, now I think of it, he
certainly did appear to have something on his mind which he wished to
tell me; but his manner was so strange and he so persistently refused to
come to the point, that I was forced to discourage him at last."
"You did discourage him, indeed!" said Paul inwardly, thinking of those
attempted confidences with a shudder. "Perhaps some of his schoolfellows
may have--eh?" he said aloud.
"My dear sir," exclaimed the Doctor, "quite out of the question!"
"Do you think so?" said Paul, not being able to resist the suggestion.
"And yet, do you know, some of them did not appear to me to look
very--very good-natured, now."
"A more manly, pleasant, and gentlemanly set of youths never breathed!"
said the Doctor, taking up the cudgels for his boys, and, to do him
justice, probably with full measure of belief in his statement. "Curious
now that they should have struck you so differently!"
"They certainly did strike me very differently," said Paul. "But I may
be mistaken."
"You are, my dear sir. And, pardon me, but you had no opportunity of
testing your opinion."
"Oh, pardon me," retorted Paul grimly, "I had indeed!"
"A cursory visit," said the Doctor, "a formal inspection--you cannot
fairly judge boys by that. They will naturally be reserved and
constrained in the presence of an elder. But you should observe them
without their knowledge--you want to know them, my dear Mr. Bultitude,
you want to go among them!"
It was the very last thing Paul did want--he knew them quite well
enough, but it was of no use to say so, and he merely assented politely.
"And now," said the Doctor, "with regard to your misguided boy. I have
to tell you that he is here, in this very house. I tracked him here,
and, ten minutes ago, saw him with my own eyes at one of your windows.
"Here!" cried Paul, with a well-executed start; "you astonish me!"
"It has occurred to me within the last minute," said the Doctor, "that
there may be a very simple explanation of his flight. I observe you are
giving a--a juvenile entertainment on a large scale."
"I suppose I am," Paul admitted. "And so you think----?"
"I think that your son, who doubtless knew of your intention, was hurt
at being excluded from the festivities and, in a fit of mad wilful
folly, resolved to be present at them in spite of you."
"My dear Doctor," cried Paul, who saw the conveniences of this theory,
"that must be it, of course--that explains it all!"
"So grave an act of insubordination," said the Doctor, "an act of double
disobedience--to your authority and mine--deserves the fullest
punishment. You agree with me, I trust?"
The memory of his wrongs overcame Mr. Bultitude for the moment: "Nothing
can be too bad for the little scoundrel!" he said, between his teeth.
"He shall have it, sir, I swear to you; he shall be made to repent this
as long as he lives. This insult to me (and of course to you also) shall
be amply atoned for. If you will have the goodness to deliver him over
to my hands, I will carry him back at once to Market Rodwell, and
to-morrow, sir, to-morrow, I will endeavour to awaken his conscience in
a way he will remember!"
The Doctor was more angry than an impartial lover of justice might
perhaps approve of, but then it must be remembered that he had seen
himself completely outwitted and his authority set at nought in a very
humiliating fashion.
However, his excessive wrath cooled Paul's own resentment instead of
inflaming it; it made him reflect that, after all, it was he who had the
best right to be angry.
"Well," he said, rather coldly, "we must find him first, and then
consider what shall be done to him. If you will allow me I will ring
and----"
But before he could lay his hand upon the bell the library door opened,
and Uncle Marmaduke made his appearance, dragging with him the unwilling
Dick: the unfortunate boy was effectually sobered now, pale and
trembling and besmirched with coal-dust--in fact, in very much the same
plight as his ill-used father had been in only three hours ago.
There was a brazen smile of triumph on Mr. Paradine's face as he met
Paul's eyes with a knowing wink, which the latter did not at all
understand.
Such audacity astonished him, for he could hardly believe that Paradine,
after his perfidious conduct in the billiard-room, could have the clumsy
impudence to try to propitiate him now.
"Here he is, my boy," shouted Paradine; "here's the scamp who has given
us all this trouble! He came into the billiard-room just now and told me
who he was, but I would have nothing to do with him of course. Not my
business, as I told him at the time. Then--(I think I have the pleasure
of seeing Dr. Grimstone? just so) well, then you, sir, arrived--and he
made himself scarce. But when I saw him in the act of making a bolt up
the area, where he had been taking shelter apparently in the
coal-cellar, I thought it was time to interfere, and so I collared him.
I have much pleasure in handing him over now to the proper authorities."
And, letting Dick go, he advanced towards his brother-in-law, still with
the same odd expression of having a secret understanding with him, which
made Paul's blood boil.
"Stand where you are, sir," said Paul to his son. "No, Dr. Grimstone,
allow me--leave him to me for the present, please."
"That's much better," whispered Paradine approvingly; "capital. Keep it
up, my boy; keep it up! Papa's as quiet as a lamb now. Go on."
Then Paul understood; his worthy brother-in-law had not been present at
the last transformation and was under a slight misapprehension: he
evidently imagined that he had by this last stroke made himself and Dick
masters of the situation--it was time to undeceive him.
"Have the goodness to leave my house at once, will you!" he said
sternly.
"You young fool!" said Marmaduke, under his breath, "after all I have
done for you, too! Is this your gratitude? You know you can't get on
without me. Take care what you're about!"
"If you can't see that the tables are turned at last," said Paul slowly,
"you're a duller knave than I take you to be."
Marmaduke started back with an oath: "It's a trick," he said savagely;
"you want to get rid of me."
"I certainly intend to," said Paul. "Are you satisfied? Do you want
proofs--shall I give them--I did just now in the billiard-room?"
Paradine went to Dick and shook him angrily: "You young idiot!" he said,
in a furious aside, "why didn't you tell me? What did you let me make a
fool of myself like this for, eh?"
"I did tell you," muttered Dick, "only you wouldn't listen. It just
serves you right!"
Marmaduke soon collected himself after this unexpected shock; he tried
to shake Paul's hands with an airy geniality. "Only my little joke," he
said, laughing; "ha, ha, I thought I should take you in!... Why, I knew
it directly.... I've been working for you all the time--but it wouldn't
have done to let you see my line."
"No," said Paul; "it was not a very straight one, as usual."
"Well," said Marmaduke, "I shouldn't have stopped Master Dick there if I
hadn't been on your side, should I now? I knew you'd come out of it all
right, but I had a difficult game to play, don't you know? I don't
wonder that you didn't follow me just at first."
"You've lost your game," said Paul; "it's no use to say any more. So
now, perhaps, you'll go?"
"Go, eh?" said Paradine, without showing much surprise at the failure
of so very forlorn a hope, "oh, very well, just as you please, of
course. Let your poor wife's only brother go from your doors without a
penny in the world!--but I warn you that a trifle or so laid out in
stopping my mouth would not be thrown away. Some editors would be glad
enough of a sensation from real life just now, and I could tell some
very odd tales about this little affair!"