| OCR Text |
Show VI (Mmi GY A' CONAN &oYL JblTERNATimAL PM3$SSOCM0N: CHAPTEIt X. (CoKTlNUMrt. "Guestal VlOSfl irueHts?" ho cried angrily, "What Is tho meaning of this exhibition?" "We havt been giving a little supper, papa. They were our guesU." "Oh, Indeed!" Tho doctor laughed sarcastically, "You think It right, then, to entertain young bachelors late at night, to moke and drink with them, to Oh, that I should ever have lived to blush for my own daughters! I thank Clod that your dear mother never saw the dny." "Dearest papa," cried Clara, throwing her anna about him. "Do not bo angry with us. If you understood all, you would see that there Is no harm In It." "No harm, mlsa! Who Is tho beat Judge of that7" "Mrs. Westmacott," suggested Ida, slyly. The doctor spring from h!s chair. "Confound Mrs. Westmacott!" he cried, striking frenzlcdly Into tho air with his hands. "Am I to hear of nothing but this woman? Is sho to confront mo at every turn? I will enduro It no longer." "But It was your wlBh, papa." "But I will tell you now what my second sec-ond and wiser wish Is, and wo shall seo If you will obey It as you havo the first." "Of course wo will, papa." "Thon my wish Is that you should forget for-get the odious notions which you have Imbibed, that you should dress and act as you used to do, before ever you saw this woman, and that In future you confine con-fine your Intercourse with her to such civilities as are necessary between neighbors." "We aro to give up Mrs. Westmacott?" Westma-cott?" "Or give me up." "Oh, dear dad, how can you say anything any-thing so cruel?" cried Ida, burrowing her toway golden hear Into her father's shirt front, while Clara pressed her cheok against his whisker. "Of course wo shall give her up, if you prefer It." "Of course we shall, papa." Tho doctor patted the two caressing heads. "These aro my own two girls again," ho cried. ''It has been my fault as much as yours. I have been astray, ond you have'tollowed me In my error. It was only by seeing your mistakes that I havo become conscious of my own. Let us set It aside, and neither say nor think anything more ab0Ut,U-" i . . t L CHAPTER. XI. X BLOT FJtOM TIIK IH.U1S. fO BY TUB CLEV-rrness CLEV-rrness of the two girls a dark cloud was thinned away and turned Into sunshine. Over oife of them, alas, another an-other cloud was gathering, which tould not be so easily eas-ily dispersed. Of these three houao-' houao-' " holds which fate had thrown together, two hod already been united by ties of love. It was destined, however, that a bond of another an-other sort should connect the Westma-cotts Westma-cotts with tho Hay Denvers. Between the admiral and the widow a very cordial feeling had existed since tho day when tho old seaman had hauled down his llag and changed his opinions, granting to the yachtswoman all that he had refused to tho reformer. Ills own frank and downright nature respected the same qualities In his neighbor, and a friendliness sprang up between them which was more like that which exists between two men, founded upon esteem and a community of tastes. "By the way, admiral," said Mrs. Westmacott, as they walked together down to the station, "I understand that this boy of yours In tho Intervals of paying his devotions to Miss Walker Is doing something upon "change." "Yes. ma'am and there Is no man of his age who Is doing so well. He's drawing ahead I can tell you, ma'am. Some of those that started with him are hull down astarn now. He touched his flvo hundred last year, and before be-fore he's thirty he'll bo making the four figures." "The reason I asked Is that I have small Investments to make myself from time to time, and my present broker Is a rascal. I should be very glad to do It through your son." "It Is very kind of you, ma'am. Ills partner Is away on a holiday, and Harold Har-old would like to push on a bit and show what he oan do. You know tho poop Isn't big enough to hold tho lieutenant lieu-tenant when the skipper's on shore." "I suppose ho charges the usual half per cent?" "Don't know, I'm sure, ma'am. ' I'll swoar he does what Is right and proper." prop-er." "That Is what I usually pay ten shillings shil-lings In the hundred pounds. If you bob him before I do, Just ask him to get me Ave thousand In New Zealands. It Is four Just now, and I fancy It may rise." "Five thousand!" exclaimed tho admiral, ad-miral, reckoning In his own mind. "Lemme seel That's twenty-five pounds commission. A nice day's work, upns my word. It is a very handsome order, ma'am." "Well, I must pay some one, and why not him?" "I'JI tell him, and I'm sure he'll lose no time." "Oh, there lu no great hurry. By the way, I understand from what you said just now that he has a partner." "Yes, my boy Is the Junior partner. Pearson is the senior. I was Introduced to him years ago, and he offered Harold Har-old the opining. Of course we had a pretty stiff premium to pay." . 7 " iBBJBBk" Mrs. Westmacott had stopped, and was standing very stlllly with her red Indian faco even grimmer than usual. "Pearson?" said she. "Jeremiah Pearson?" "The same." "Then It's all off," she cried. "You need not carry out that Investment." "Very well, ma'am." They walked on together side by sldtj, she brooding ovr some thought of her own, and he a little crossed and disappointed disap-pointed at her caprice and the lost com mission for Harold. "I tall yon what, admiral," she cx-clalmod cx-clalmod suddenly, "If I were you I should get your boy out of this part' nershlp." "But why, madam?" "Because he Is tied to one of the deepest, deep-est, alyest foxes In the whole city -of London." - "Jeremiah Pearson, ma'am? What can you know of him? He bears a good name." "No one In this world knows Jeremiah Pearson as I know him, admiral. I warn you because I have a friendly feeling both for you and for your son. The man Is a rogue and you had best avoid him." "But these are only words, ma'am. Do you tell me that you know him bottft'fv than tho brokers and Jobbers In the city?" "Man," cried Mrs. Westmacott, "will you allow that I know him when I tell you that my maiden name was Ada Pearson, and that Jeremiah Pearson Is my only brother?" The admiral whistled. "Whew!" cried he. "Now that I think of It, there Is a likeness." "He is a man of Iron, admiral a man without a heart. I should shock you If I were to tell you what I have endured en-dured from my brother.. My father's wealth was divided equally between us. His own share he ran through In flvo" years, and ho has tried since then by every trick of a cunning, low-minded man, by base cajolery, by legal quibbles, quib-bles, by brutal Intimidation, to Jugglo me out of my share as well. There Is no villainy of which the man is not capable. ca-pable. Oh, I know my brother, Jeremiah. Jere-miah. I know him and I am prepared for him." "This Is all new to me, ma'am. 'Pon my word, I hardly know what to say to It. I thank you for having spoken bo plainly. From what you say, this Is a poor sort of consort for a man to sail with. Perhaps Harold would do well to cut him adrift." "Without losing n flay." "Well, wo shall talk It over. You may bo sure of that. But here we are at the station, so I will Just see you Into your carriage and then home to see what my wife says to the matter, "jjJ As he, trudged bPmowayd. Ucual.4 "and perplexed, he was surprised to hear1 a shout behind him, and to see Harold running down tho road after him. "Why, dad." he cried. "I have Just come from town, and the flrBt thing I saw was your back as you marched away. But you are such a quick walker that I had to run to oatch you." Tho admiral's smllo of pleasure had broken his stern face Into n thousand wrinkles. "You are early to-day," said he. "Yes, I wanted to consult you." "Nothing wrong7" "Oh no, only an Inconvenience." "What Is It, then?" "How much have wo In our private account?" "Pretty fair. Some eight hundred, I think." "Oh, half that will be ample. It was rather thoughtless of Puarson." "What then?" "Well, you see, dad, when he went nway upon this little holiday to Havro ho left me to pay nccounts ond so on. He told me that there was enough at the bank for all claims. I had occasion on Tuesday to pay away two cheques, ono for 180 and tho other for 120, ond here they nro returned with a bank notice no-tice that we have already overdrawn to the extent of some hundreds." Tho admiral looked very grave, "What's the meaning of that, then?" ho asked. "Oh, It can easily be set right. You see Pearson Invests all tho spare capital cap-ital and keeps as small a margin as posslblo In tho bank. Still It was too bad for him to allow mc even to run at risk of having a cheque returned, i" have written to him and demanded his authority to sell out some stock, and I havo written an explanation to thes people. In the meantime, however, I havo had to Issue several cheques: so I had bettor transfer part of our private account to meet them." "Quite so, my boy All that's mine Is yours. But who do you think this Pearson Is? IJe is Mrs. WestmacotfH brother." "Boally. What a singular thlngl Well, I can see a likeness now that you mention men-tion It. They have both the same hard typo of face." "She has been warning me against him says he Is the rankest pirate lu London. I hope that It Is all right, boy, nnd that we may not And ourselves our-selves In broken water." Harold had turned a little pale as ho heard Mrs. Westmacott's opinion of his senior partner. It gave Bhnpe and sub-stance sub-stance to certain vague fears nnd suspicions sus-picions of his own which had beon pushed back as often os thoy obtruded themselves as being too monstrous and fnntnstlo for belief. "Ho Is a woll-known man In tho city, dad," said he. "Of course ho Is of course he Is. That Is what I told her. Thoy would have found him out there If nnythlng hurt been amiss with him. BIhss you, there's nothing so bitter as a family quarrel. Still It U Just as well tnat you havo written about this affair, for wo may as well have all fair and above board." But Harold's letter to his partner was crossed by a letter from his partner to Harold. It lay awaiting him upon the breakfast table next morning, and It sent the heart Into nls mouth as he read it, and caused him to spring up from his chair with a wblto faco and staring eyes. p. - " -W.1. .yl" A " -1 S-r --?-- Aj-jadatAJE-JJIaMBBBBBI V "My boy I My boy P "I am ruined, mother rufnedP Ha niof' gazing wildly In front of him, while the sheet of paper fluttered down to the carpet. Then ho dropped baok Into the chair, and sank his faco Into his hands. His mother had her arms round him In an Instant, while the admiral, with shaking fingers, picked up tho letter let-ter from the floor and adjusted his glasses to rend it. "My Dear Denver," It ran. "By the time that this reaches you I shall be out of tho reach of yourself or of any ono else who may desire an Interview. You need not search for me, for I assure you that this letter Is posted by a friend, and that you will hove your trouble In vain If you try to find me I am sorry to leave you In such a tight place, but one or other of us must be squeezed, nnd on the whole I prefer that It should be you. You'll find nothing noth-ing In the hank, nnd about 13,000 tin-'accounted tin-'accounted for. I'm not sure that the besf thing you can do Is not to realize what you can nnd Imitate your senior's sen-ior's example. If you act at once you 'may get clean away. If not, It's only that you must put up your shutters, but I am afraid that this missing monoy could hardly be Included ns an ordinary debt, and of course you are legally responsible re-sponsible for It Just aa much as I am. Take a friend's advice and got to Amerlcn. A young man with brains can always do something out there, and you can live down this little mischance. It will he a cheap lesson If it teaches you -, tnke nothing upon trust In buslnesn, nnd to Insist upon knowing exactly what your partner Is doing, however senior he may be to you. "Yours faithfully. faith-fully. JEREMIAH PEARSON," "Great heavens!" groaned the admiral, admir-al, "he has abssonded." "And left me both a bnnkrupt and a thief." "No, no, Harold," sobbed his mother. "All will be right. What matter about noneyI" "Money, mother! It Is my honor." "The boy Is right. It Is his honor, and my honor, for his Is mine. This is a sore trouble, mother, when we thought our life's troubles Svere all behind us, but wo will henr It as we have borne others." He held out his stringy hand, "and the two old folk sat with bowed grey heads, their Angers Intertwined, strong In each other's love and sympathy. sym-pathy. "We were too happy," she sighed. "But It Is God's will, mother." "Yes, John, It Is God's will." -"And yet It Is bitter to bear. I could havo lost all, the house, money, rank I could have borne It. But at my age my honor the honor of an admiral of 'the fleet." "No honor can bo lost, John, when' jfo dishonor has been done. What havo you done? What has Harold done 7 There Is no question of honor." The old man shook his head, but Harold Har-old had already called together his clear practical sense, which for an Instant In the presence of this frightful blow had deserted him. t "The mater Is right, dad," said he. "It Is bad enough, heaven knows, but we must not take ton dirk a view of f. After all, this insolent letter Is In Itself evidence that I had nothing to do With tho schemes of the base villain who wrote It." . '.'Thoy may think It prearranged." sV'They could not. My whole life cries 7Jt against the thought. Thoy oould W'ffilTRme in' tho "faco 'and entertain ft.' "No, boy, not If they have eyes In their heads," cried the admiral, plucking pluck-ing up courage at tho sight of the flashing flash-ing eyes and brave, defiant face. "Wo have the letter nnd we have your char-.aater. char-.aater. We'll weather It yet between them. It's my fault from the beginning begin-ning for choosing such a landshark for your consort. God help me, I thought I was finding such an opening for you." "Dear dad! How could you possibly know? As he says in his letter. It has given me a lesson. But he was so much older and so much more experienced, that it was hard for mo to ask to examine ex-amine his books. But we must waste n time. I must go to the city." "What will you do?" (to ub continubd.) |
