WAYS THAT ARE DARK.
As we know, Sedgwick went first with Browning to the hamlet in Devonshire
where Jack's early home had been. Browning was recognized, of course. An
old friend of Hamlin's was at the church, spoke to Jack, and witnessed
Sedgwick's encounter with the bull. He knew under what circumstances
young Browning left home, and so on that Sunday evening he wrote to
Hamlin that his step-son was in Devonshire, told him of the episode at the
church, and informed the old man that the companion of his son, though a
quiet and refined-appearing man enough, must be a prize-fighter in
disguise. He further stated that Jack had told him that he and his friend
had been working in the mines at Virginia City, Nevada, for three or four
years. He added the strong suspicion that the complexion of the men
indicated that they had not been in the mines at all. (His idea of a
miner was a coal-miner, and not one from the Comstock mine, where there
is no coal dust, and where the thermometer indicates a tropical climate
always.)
This letter reached Hamlin early on Monday. Being a half banker and half
broker himself, he turned at once to the page in the bank directory,
giving American banks and their London connections. He found the Nevada
branch bank and California branch bank of Virginia City, and what banks
in London they drew upon, and hastened first to the Nevada bank's London
agency. He could obtain no news there. Then he sought the other, and
knowing the management, he explained to one of the directors that his
son was on the way home, was already in England, and asked him
confidentially, both as a father and a brother banker, whether any credit
had come for the boy. The director ran over his correspondence, and,
looking up with a smile, said:
"Is your son's name John Browning? If it is, he has bills of exchange
upon us for £100,000."
The old man was paralyzed. "It cannot be possible," he said. "Great
heavens! £100,000!"
"Those are the figures sent us," said the cashier, "and we received a
mighty invoice of Nevada bullion by the last ship from New York. There is
no mistake."
Then an effort was made to see if another man named Sedgwick had any
credit, but nothing was found. Enjoining upon the banker the utmost
secrecy in regard to his being at the bank, the old man went away.
The question with him was what to do. His business was not very
prosperous, because he had not capital enough. Then, too, he was in debt
to Jenvie. He wanted the lion's share of that money, and, more than ever,
he wanted Jack to marry Grace.
Then what did Jack mean by bringing a prize-fighter home with him? He was
worried. Finally he determined to consult with Jenvie, his partner. He
knew he did not like Jack, and he had, moreover, received hints from him
that he was getting along well in making a match between Rose and a rich
broker named Arthur Stetson, who had met her and been carried away by her
beauty.
So, calling Jenvie into their most private office, Hamlin bolted the door
to prevent interruption, read him the letter received from Devonshire,
and told him of the astounding discovery he had made at the ---- bank.
The question was, what course to take.
"I believe Rose likes Jack," said Jenvie. "She grieved exceedingly when
he went away, though she hid it so superbly that only her mother knew
about it, and she has rejected every suitor since except Stetson, and
I fear when the climax comes she will reject him. The chances are, when
Jack comes they will rush into each other's arms. At the same time, I do
not want him for a son-in-law. But I would like to get some of the money
into the firm, for we need more capital badly."
They plotted all that day, and next morning decided that on the arrival
of Jack they would welcome him; let the matter between him and Rose take
its course, but in case of an engagement would prevent an immediate
marriage, if possible, and see, in the meantime, what could be done
toward working Jack for a part, at least, of his money. With that
arrangement decided upon, when a message came from Hamlin's home that
Jack had returned and had gone to the hotel, they were ready, and in
company went to greet him and escort him home.
Sedgwick had to be invited also, and that suited them, for they both
desired to know what kind of a man he was. Both were satisfied, too, that
he had no money, or he would have obtained a credit where Jack had
obtained his exchange. When, at the first dinner, Grace had drawn from
him that he had been in Texas and had seen cowboys, they both guessed
where he had caught the trick which he had put in practice in Devonshire,
and, thenceforth, save as a careless friend that careless Jack had picked
up, they dropped Sedgwick from their calculations.
How Jack got his money was the greatest mystery; and so a few days after
his coming, his father said to him: "Jack, I hope you have come home to
stay. Look around and find some business that you think will suit you,
and I will buy it for you if it does not take too much money."
"Thanks, father," said Jack; "much obliged, but I have a few pounds of my
own."
"How much are miner's wages in Virginia City?" asked the old man.
"Four dollars a day; about twenty-four pounds a month," said Jack.
"And what are the expenses?" was the next question.
"Four shillings a day for board; three pounds per month for a room, and
clothes and cigars to any amount you please," said Jack.
"Why, you could not have saved more than £150 or £160 per annum at those
rates," said the old man.
"No," said Jack; "a good many may not do as well as that; but I had a few
pounds which were invested by a friend in Con-Virginia when it was three
dollars a share, and it was sold when it was worth a good bit more."
The old man had learned the secret. He asked one more question. "Did your
friend Sedgwick do as well as you did?"
Jack thought of Sedgwick's injunction, so answered:
"He made a good bit of money, something like £20,000, but he turned it
over to his father in Ohio. I think the plan is to buy a place near the
old home. He only brought a few hundred pounds with him. Indeed, he only
ran over to oblige me. We were old friends; at one time we worked on the
same shift in the mine."
The old man was satisfied. Moreover, he saw his opportunity.
"What a wonderful business that mining is," he said. "Stetson, the broker
over the way, is promoting a mining enterprise in South Africa. According
to the showing, it is an immense property. Here is the prospectus of the
company. Put it in your pocket, and at your leisure run over it."
Jack carelessly put the pamphlet in his pocket. That evening he was with
Rose and remained pretty late. When he sought his room he could not
sleep, so he ran over the statement. It was a captivating showing. The
mine was called the "Wedge of Gold." It was located in the Transvaal. The
main ledge was fully sixteen feet wide, with an easy average value of six
pounds per ton in free gold, besides deposits and spurs that went much
higher. The vein was exposed for several hundred feet, and opened by a
shaft 300 feet deep, with long drifts on each of the levels. The country
was healthy, supplies cheap, plenty of good wood and water, and the only
thing needed was a mill for reducing the ore. The incorporation called
for 150,000 shares of stock of the par value of one pound per share, and
the pamphlet explained that 50,000 shares were set aside to be sold to
raise means for a working capital, to build the mill, etc.
Browning read the paper over twice, then tumbled into bed, and his dreams
were all mixed up; part of the time he was counting gold bars, part of
the time it seemed to him that Rose was near him, but when he spoke to
her, every time she vanished away. Between the visions he made the worst
kind of a night of it, and next morning told Jim that he was more beat
out than ever he was when he came off shift on the Comstock.