good sir," exclaimed the doctor, placing himself between Mr. Sleech,whose doubled fist was raised to strike Mr. Wallace, "let me entreat youto becalm. This violence will do you no good, and is discreditable toyou."
The unfortunate man stopped and gasped, and had not the doctor held himup, he would have sunk to the ground. He was placed in a chair.Restoratives were administered, and at length he recovered.
"I yield," at last he said; "I played for a high stake, and I have lost.They will have pity on me. That wretched boy of mine, his fate haswell-nigh broken my heart."
In a few days Mr. Sleech and his family returned to the old red brickbuilding with the high roof in the High Street of Lynderton, which hehad inhabited since he entered business.
The bells rang merrily out when Captain Everard and his daughter,accompanied by Madam Everard and several friends, drove up the avenueonce more to Stanmore. Harry Tryon, however, never became its master.The charms of Miss Coppinger had for some time before captured the heartof the gallant captain, and in a short time after this she became hisbride, and, ultimately, the mother of a considerable number of fine sonsand girls, of whom, notwithstanding, Mabel was not in the slightestdegree jealous, as she by that time could boast of an equal number ofher own. The fortune her godfather had given her, and a very handsomesettlement made by Mr. Kyffin, enabled her to accept Harry Tryon's hand.At the same time, the Baron de Ruvigny consoled himself for his pastdisappointments by marrying Sybella Coppinger, and both he and Harryjoined Mr. Coppinger's firm, and by the time a permanent peace was oncemore restored to Europe, had become among the first merchants of London.With regard to Captain Falwasser, or Rochard, as he also calledhimself, he was a true patriot, though a royalist, and had for somepolitical cause been compelled to leave France before the outbreak ofthe revolution. He had been introduced to Mr. Pitt, and had beenemployed by him in gaining information of proceedings in France. Forthis purpose he had engaged the famous smuggling lugger, from which hecould land without observation on either coast. Disguised in a varietyof ways, he had been able to traverse France. Had he been captured, heknew well that his life would have been sacrificed. For many years hepersevered, and at length, escaping all dangers, settled down atLynderton, where he was ever an honoured guest at Stanmore. PaulGauntlett once more took up his former office at the park, which he heldto a green old age; and Jacob Tuttle came home with the loss of an arm,and married his faithful Mary.
Roger Kyffin's Ward Page 48
