The Mynns' Mystery

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

  FOR GERTRUDE'S SAKE.

  "Beg pardon, Miss Gertrude, could I speak to you for a minute?"

  "You will excuse me a moment, Mrs Hampton?"

  "Oh, of course, my dear. Don't stand upon ceremony with me."

  Gertrude rose with an anxious expression of countenance, and followedthe old housekeeper from the room.

  "Is anything the matter, Denton?"

  "No, my dear, only that Master George rang for the spirits, and I'vetaken 'em down the garden where they're sitting under the big cedar."

  "They?"

  "Yes, my dear, Mr Saul's there. He saw him in the garden, I s'pose,and didn't come up to the house. And I thought, perhaps, a word fromyou might keep him out of temptation, my dear; for them spirits do tempthim."

  "Yes, yes, I'll go, Denton," said Gertrude quickly; and she hurried downthe garden, her steps inaudible on the closely shorn lawn, and cameround behind the bushes in time to lay her hand upon that of thewould-be suicide.

  "What the dev--"

  "George, dear."

  "Oh, it's you, Gertie. Well, what's the matter?"

  "Mr Saul Harrington," said the girl, flushing, as she turned upon thevisitor, "have you forgotten Doctor Lawrence's words?"

  "I? Oh, no," said Saul uneasily, "but doctors exaggerate, and dearGeorge here is all the better for a refreshing draught."

  "It is not true," she retorted angrily. "George, dear, indeed, indeedit is not good for you."

  "Nonsense, my darling," he cried, drawing her to him so that she stoodclose to his chair, and he placed his arm about her waist. "You are tooparticular. Here, just a little more."

  "No, no," said Gertrude fiercely. "You are so much better now. Don't,don't! for my sake, don't?"

  "Hang it! I want only one glass," he began angrily, with his browgrowing knotty with a network of veins. "Don't be so confoundedly--"

  "George, dear, for my sake," she whispered.

  The change was magical.

  "Ah, well, then, I will not, pet. But it would not have hurt me."

  Saul Harrington's countenance was a study during this colloquy; his facegrew more sallow, and a peculiar nervous twitching set in about thecorners of his eyes. At one time he seemed to be suffering intenseagony, but by an effort he preserved his calmness, and a faint, sardonicsmile played about his lips, as his companion assumed the manner of onebetrothed toward Gertrude, but those lips looked white all the same.

  "Don't--for my sake, don't," he said to himself, unconsciously repeatingthe girl's words. "It makes me feel half mad."

  "All right," said the convalescent. "I'll take care, then, Gertie. Doyou hear, Saul? Spirit except in homoeopathic doses is tabooed, sotempt me not."

  "I tempt you," said Saul, laughing merrily, but with the vocal chordshorribly out of tune; "I like that. My dear Gertrude, here is a manfrom the States, who has been in the habit of taking whiskey as we takemilk; he has been leading me into all kinds of excesses, playingMephistopheles to me till I have had hard work to keep out of trouble,and then he turns upon me and says, `tempt me not.'"

  "Don't talk about it, please," said Gertrude imploringly.

  "Not I, you happy pair," said Saul, rising, and again laughingunpleasantly as he took up his glass.

  "Here's a speedy and a happy union to you both."

  He drained his glass, and set it down in silence, as Gertrude's facecrimsoned, and then grew pale, while the master of The Mynns frowned.

  "Isn't that what you English people call bad taste?" he said sourly.

  "Surely not, my dear boy. I am only Cousin Saul, and have a right tobanter a little. There, I'm off back to town."

  "I thought you were going to stay and have a hand at cards, and I wantto have a game at billiards on the new table."

  "Cards, billiards? For shame, man, when the lovely Thais sits besideyou. Why don't you take the good the gods provide you?"

  "Eh? What do you mean. Hang it all, don't begin quoting poetry to afellow. What does he mean, Gertie? Oh, I see. Very good. But that'sall right. She and I understand one another, and we shall have plentyof time to court after we're married. Eh, Gertie?"

  "I must go back to Mrs Hampton now," said Gertrude gravely.

  "Hang Mrs Hampton! How glad I shall be to see her back. But don'ttell her, Gertie."

  She gave him a sad look, and bent down to whisper:

  "Remember."

  "Yes, I'll remember," was the reply, as her hand was caught and held fora few moments before she could withdraw it.

  Saul Harrington's teeth gritted together as he drew in his breath hard.

  "The jade!" he said to himself. "Womanlike. It means diamonds andcarriages, does it, my cunning little schemer? Well, we shall see."

  He watched her furtively as she went off slowly; but he could not seethe tears welling up to her eyes and brimming over, as with bended headshe returned to the house, and in place of going upstairs directly, wentinto the dining-room, to stand for a few minutes with hands claspedgazing up at the searching eyes of the picture; and her lips moved asshe whispered softly:

  "It is so--so hard, dear; but for your sake I will, and bring him backto what you wish him to be."

  "Bless her little heart!" said the master of The Mynns, with a sneeringlaugh, which made Saul start. "Nice little lassie, isn't she? Do youknow, old fellow, I believe you wish you were in my shoes."

  "Bah!"

  "There, you look it again. But it's no good, Saul, my son. It was theold man's wish, and that's sacred to her, and, besides, she has taken tome wonderfully. I'm sorry for you, but it's fate, my boy, fate."

  "Your fate?"

  "Yes. But never mind, old boy. I'll stand by you, and it's somethingto make up for your disappointment."

  "Disappointment, man! What disappointment?"

  "Yours," said the other mockingly. "That settles it. You're a cleverfellow, Saul Harrington, but a wretched failure at hiding yourfeelings."

  "Or else you are a little too clever at divining," retorted Saul.

  "Perhaps so, old fellow. But never mind that. I've made up my mindabout that investment."

  "And you decline."

  "No; I shall sell out or raise, or do something; and you may tell yourfriends to do what is necessary."

  "You mean it, George?"

  "Of course, I mean it. You have not known me long, but you ought tohave seen by now that I never play over money matters. By the way,shall you bring some one here to settle the business?"

  "No, I shall take you to the city."

  "When?"

  "Oh, not for a week or so. There will be papers to prepare--a sort oftransfer."

  "Well, hadn't I better do it all through old Hampton?"

  "If you do, the business will never come off."

  "Because it is too risky."

  "Hampton will say it is."

  "Ah, well, we shall see about that."

  They stayed talking for long enough in the garden, and then went intothe house to play billiards till dinner time, when Saul proposedleaving, but was overruled, and he stayed to keep up the principal partof the conversation, and in spite of all that his friend had said, hemasked his own feelings so admirably as to throw whoever suspected himoff guard.

  "I'm going to persuade George to come up soon," he said; "and I'm goingto beg for a little music, Gertie."

  He said this as he held the door open for the ladies to pass out. Buthe did not keep his word, for the gentlemen sat long over their coffee,and then adjourned to the study.

  "Don't fidget, my dear," said Mrs Hampton, over their tea. "MrHampton is going to stay down to the last, and he'll speak out if Georgeattempts to take too much."

  Gertrude felt pleased, and yet hurt for her betrothed's sake, but shesaid nothing, only felt that all was going on as she could wish, whiledown in the study the two young men exchanged glances which seemed ineach case to say:

  "Old Hampton's down here on guard over th
e whiskey-bottle."

  "I may smoke," said the young host, aloud.

  "Of course, my dear sir," said the old lawyer placidly, "of course; butyou must not indulge in what Mr Saul Harrington here is taking withimpunity."

  "Never mind. I shall be quite right soon, and then I can set you all atdefiance. Oh, by the way, Mr Hampton, my funds at the bank are low. Iwant you to place two thousand pounds more to my credit."

  The old lawyer knit his brows a little, but received his orders calmlyenough.

  "Am I to dispose of those A Shares, Mr Harrington?"

  "Yes, that will do; they bring in no interest worth having."

  "It shall be done, sir. But it will be nearly a fortnight before thetransfer can be made."

  "That will do. There is no hurry. Shall we join the ladies now?"

  "By all means."

  About an hour later Saul Harrington took his leave, looking friendlinesspersonified, as he promised to be down again soon.

  "And disabuse your mind of those fancies, George," he said, as theywalked down to the gate.

  "What fancies?"

  "About Gertie. Had it been as you say, I had a couple of years for mysiege. To show you that you are wrong, I want you to make me apromise."

  "What is it?"

  "Let me be best man at your wedding."

  "I was going to ask you."

  "Then that's settled. Good-night. I'll put matters in train for theinvestment."

  "Thanks, do; you see I am in earnest."

  "It takes some thinking out," said Saul, as he walked slowly toward thestation, cigar in mouth, "but it's worth working for. Poor miserableidiot! And he believes he's cleverness refined."

  "I don't quite see through Master Saul's game," said the object of histhoughts, as he lit a fresh cigar, and after walking up and down thepath a few times, went into the study, where he threw himself upon acouch, and lay looking through the soft wreaths of smoke.

  "He's as jealous as a Turk, and he'd do anything to come between me andlittle Gertie. But, poor little lass, she's caught--limed. That's safeenough. The brute! He led me on and on that night, over that badchampagne, and hardly touched it himself. Wanted to show me up here;and it only made the little darling fonder of me. He's plotting, buthe's a shallow-brained ass, and one of these days I shall come down uponhim a crusher. Now, what does he mean about that money. I don't wantto lose two thousand, but would with pleasure to get him out of the way,for he's like a lion in one's path, and I never feel sure. Next heir,eh? Next heir. And my coming kept him out of the cake."

  "Well, Master Saul Harrington," he said, after a pause, "you may be veryclever, but one gets one's brains edged up a bit out in the West, and ifyou mean mischief over that money, pray, for your own sake, be careful,for two can play at that game."

  He rose slowly and marched across to the cabinet, one of whose drawershe unlocked; and as he stood with his back to the window, a dimly-seenface appeared at a short distance from one of the panes, and was mademore indistinct by a tuft of the evergreen which grew at the side, andhalf behind which the owner of the face was concealed.

  The watcher gazed eagerly in, but was unable to make out whether theoccupant of the room was examining letters or counting over money--thelatter suggested itself as correct.

  But he was wrong, for the possessor of The Mynns was slowly andcarefully thrusting cartridge after cartridge into the chambers of alarge revolver, one which had been his companion far away in the West.

  "`A friend in need is a friend indeed,'" he said, as he closed thedrawer. "It may be imagination, but when one has a fortune, a goodlyhome, and a pretty girl waiting to call one `hub,' a fellow wants tolive as long as he can. If it's fancy, why, there's no harm done."

  As he spoke, the face at the window was still watching, but so far fromthe pane as to be invisible from within.