| Show ama W U 0 70 mo q ST 7 0 lay q P PRE I 1 XI CONTINUED blat wl at an honest man should do I 1 will write to all our clients and bredl tors assemble them lay the whole mat ter before them read them the letter and put myself absolutely in their hand it boy yardarm to yardarm yard arni and have it over I 1 must go at once he put on his top cc ceat at and his hat but I 1 have ten minutes yet before I 1 can catch the train there s one little thing which I 1 must do before I 1 start he I 1 ad caught sight through the ions long glass folding door of the gleam of a white te blouse and a straw hat in the tennis tennia ground clara used often to meet him there of a morning to say a few words before he hurried away into the city he ile walked out now with the quick firm step of a man who has tah tak en a momentous resolution but his face was haggard and his lippa uppa pale clara said he as ohp sh came toward him with words of gge greeting eting I 1 am sor ry to bring ill III news to you but things have gone wrong in the city and and I 1 think I 1 ought to release you from your engagement clara stared at him with her great questioning dark eyes and her face be came as pale as his how can the city affect you and me harold it Is 1 dishonor I 1 cannot ask you to share it dishonor the loss 1 of some miser able gold and sliver silver coins oh clara it if it were only that we could be tar far happier together in a lit tie cottage n the country than with all the riches of the city poverty could not I 1 cut me to the heart as I 1 have been cut this morning why it is but twenty minutes s nee rice I 1 had the letter clara clars and it beems to me to be some old old thing which happened tar far away in my past life some horrid black z clou u 1 which shut out all the freshness and the peace from it but what is it thena what do you f fear ear worse than poverty 9 to have debts that I 1 cannot meet tu to be hammered down upon change and declared a bankrupt to know that others have a just claim on me and to feel that I 1 dare not mee their eyes Is not that wore worse than poverty 7 yes harold a thousand fold worse but bu I 1 all this may be got over Is there nothing morea my partner has fled and left me re i 3 pon sible tor for heavy debts and in such a position that I 1 may be required by the law to produce some at least of this missing money it has been con aided to me to invest and he has em I 1 ezzler it I 1 as his partner am liable lor tor it I 1 have brought misery on all whom I 1 love my father my mother but put you at least shall not be under the you are free clara there Is ne no tie between us it takes two to make such a tie harold said she smil ng and putting her hand inside his arm it takes two to make it dear and also two to break it Is that the way they do business in the city sir that a man can always at his own sweet will tear up his en ga gement you hold me to it claraa no creditor so remorseless as I 1 harold never never shah shall you get from that bond but I 1 am ruined my who life is blasted and so you wish to ruin me and blast my life also no indeed sir yo i i shall not get away so I 1 ghaly but seriously now harold you would hurt me if it were not so absurd do 5 sou ou a woman s is like this sun shade which I 1 carry in my hand a thing only fitted for the sunshine and of no use when the winds blow and the clouds gatherl I 1 would not drag you down clara should I 1 not be dragged down in deed if I 1 left your side at such a time it Is only now that I 1 can be of use to you help you sustain you you have always been so strong po so above me you are strong still but then two will be stronger besides sir you have no idea what a woman of business I 1 am papa says so and he knows harold tried to speak but his heart was too full he could only press prem the white hand which curled round his sleeve she walked up and down by his side prattling merr ly and sending I 1 I 1 tie gleams of cheeriness through the gloom which girt him in to listen to her he e might have thought it was ida and not her staid and demure sister who was chatting to him it will voll soon be cleared up she said and then we shall feel quite dull of course all business men have these lit tie ups and downs why I 1 suppose of all the men you meet upon change there here is not one who has not some such tory to tell if everything was always smooth you know then of course every one ond would turn stockbroker and you w would 0 u id have to hold your meetings in I 1 hyde ay de park how much is it that you need I 1 pan ever get not less lesi than thirteen thousand pounds claras clara s face fell as she heard the amount what do you propose do ing inga I 1 shall go to the city now and I 1 shall ask all our creditors to meet me to 7 shall read them pearson s tetter ietter and put myself into their hands and they what will they therdo doa what that cun can they do doa they will serve writs for theft money anix and the firm will be declared bankrupt and the meeting will be to morrow you say will you take my advice what is it clira to ask them foi fol a few days of de lay NN V ho I 1 lo 10 vb vs what i cw ew turn mat may til tal e 1 hat turn can they taked I 1 hat halt nc of raising the money af t us have a few days Q A i 1 we should have that in the or dina V course of business the legal torn gitles would take tl em some it 1 t tie I 1 ne but I 1 must go clara I 1 must not f pm pin to shirk my place now must be ar iy 17 y offices Ys YAs fear ear you are right god bless you tind g lard you I 1 shall be here in the wilde ness but all day I 1 shall be by 3 bur dur office table at t n spirit nd it if ever you should be bud sud YOU ou will hear my little wh sper in ye ur ear and know that there Is one client whom you will never be able to get rid of never as long as we both live dear CHAPTER XII FRIENDS US IN LAID OW PAPA SAID clara that morn ing wrIn wrinkling klind I 1 er brows and putting her finger ups to gether with the ike air of an experience experienced person of bustnes i I 1 want to bave A talk to you about money matters yes my beai eai he ile laid doarn do n hie big paper and looked a ion ton j kindly tell me again papa how much mone I 1 have in my vers own right you dav oltan told me before but I 1 alway io fo set get h ires you have two h b dred and fifty pounds a yea unde 3 our aunt aunts s will and idaa ida has one hundred and fifty now I 1 th tb nl I 1 f A I 1 live very well on fifty pounds a vea papa I 1 am not very extra as agana n t an ana i I 1 make my own dresses if T had u ving machine very likel dear deir in that CP 1 I 1 ae iv A e two hundred a year whick I 1 u without if it it were r q a i but it is i e e si oh do help m like a good 1 f I ir I 1 n nd d papa in this matter for n N ho e heart is set upon it harold is in fore gore need of money an and d through no fault of his own with a woman oman s tact and eloquence she told the whole story put yourself in my place papa what is the money to me I 1 never think of it from year years s end to ears end but now I 1 know how pro dous clous it is I 1 could not have thought that money could be so valuable see what I 1 can do with it it may help to save him I 1 must have it by to mor row oh do do advise me as ta what I 1 should do and how I 1 should get the money the doctor smiled at her eagerness you are as anxious to get rid of money as others are to gain it said he in another case I 1 might think it rash but I 1 believe in your harold a d I 1 can see that he has had villainous treatment you will let me deal with the matter you it can be done best between men your capital clara Is some five thou sand pounds but it is out on a mort gage and you could not call it in oh dear oh apar but we can still manage I 1 hav as much at my bank I 1 will advance it to the danvers as coming from yoi yo and you can repay it to me or the interest ot of it when your money becomes due oh that is beautiful how sweet and kind of you but there is one obstacle I 1 do not think that you would ever induce har ear old to take this money clara s face tell fell don I 1 you think so really I 1 am sure that he would not then what are you to doa whit horrid things money matters are to ar range I 1 shall see his father vie e can man age it all between us oh do do papa and you will do it soona irmiere here Is no time like the present I 1 W will 11 g go 0 in at once he scribbled a cheque put it in an envelope put on his broad straw hat and strolled in through the garden to pay his morning call it was a singular sight which met his eyes as he entered the sitting room of the admiral A great sea chest stood open in the center and all round upon the carpet were little piles of jerseys oil sk ns books sextant boxes inspru ments and sea boots the old seaman sat gravely amidst this lumber turn ing it over and examining it intently while his wife with the tears running quietly down her ruddy cheeks sat up on the sofa her elbows upon her knees and her chin upon her hands rocking herself slowly backward and forward hullo doctor said the admiral holding out his hand there s foul weather set in upon us as you may have heard but I 1 have ridden out many a worse squall and please god wo w shall all three of us weather this one also though two of us are a little more cranky than we were my dear friends I 1 came in to tell you how deeply we sympathize with you all my girl has only just told me about it it has come so suddenly upon u uc doctor sobbed mrs hay denver I 1 thought I 1 had john to myself for the rest of our lives ilves heaven knows that we have not seen very much of each other but now he talks of going to sea again aye aye walker that s the arlly 1 way out of it I 1 was thrown up in the wind with all aback I 1 give you my word that I 1 lost my bearings more corn plemely than e ee er since I 1 strapped a middy s dirk to my belt you see friend I 1 know something of shipwreck or battle or whatever may come upon the waters but the shoals in the city of london upon which my poor boy has struck are clear beyond me pearson had been my pilot there and now I 1 know him to be a rogue but I 1 ve tak en my bearings now and I 1 see my course coure right before me what then admiral oh I 1 ban bale e one or two little plans hav ha e on I 1 e vs for the boy why hang it val man I 1 ly ay be a bit stiff in tl ti jo s but lei ill 11 be ly wit ness tl if at I 1 can do my t lve ave miles t in n der tho the three hours ahl then my edez are as good PS as ever exe t just for the newspaper my head Is r sar gar I 1 in three and sixty but I 1 m as goo a m man at as ever I 1 was to too good a ma to 0 I 1 e up for another ten years I 1 d ie e th better for a mack gmack of the salt water vater aea aga i and a whiff of the breeze tut mot e it its s not a four years C uise th s si t n e be back every mont i a or t two R 0 it its s no more than if I 1 went f tor r a 3 v vis ly t in the country he ile was talk talking ing bi t and heaping his sea boota boots an sextants back into his chest and you really think my d ir tr friend of hoisting your penn pennant int my pennant walker no no hr itar majesty god bless her has too mani man youn young men to need an old hulk like me i I 1 sheild be plain mr hay denver if df the merchant service I 1 daresay that I 1 might find some owner who would give me a chance as second or third officer it will wili be strange to me to feel the ralli of th bridge under my fingers once more tut tut this will never do this will never do admiral the doctor sat down by mrs hay denver and patted her hand in token of fi til endly sympathy we must wait until your son has it out with all these people and then we k shall know what damage is done and I 1 how best to set it right it jt will be time enough then to begin to muster our re to meet it 4 our resources the admiral laughed there s the pension I 1 m afrasi walker that our resources won t t I 1 need much muster ng oh come there are some shiell which you may not have thought of for exan pie admiral I 1 have always intended that ny 1 girl should have flys flye thousand from me when she married of course your boys boy s trouble is her trouble and the money cannot be spent better than in helping to set it right she has a lit tie of her own which she wished to con tribute r but I 1 thought it best to work it it this way will 3 sou ou take the check mrs denver and I 1 think it would b best it if you said nothing to harold about it and just used it as the occasion god bless you walker you are a true friend I 1 won t forget this walk er the admiral sat down on his sea chest and mopped his brow with his red handkerchief what Is it to me whether you have it now or then it may be more useful now there theres only one stipulation II 11 things should come to the worst and it 1 the business should prove so bad tha nothing can set it right then hold back this check for there Is no use in pour ing water into a broken basin and if the lad should fall he will want some thing to pick himself up again with he shall not fall walker and yo i 1 shall not have occasion to be ashamed of the family into which your daughter is about to marry I 1 have my own plan but we shall hold your money my fr end and it will lengthen us to tee feel that it is there well that is all right said doc tor walker rising and if a little more should be needed we must not let him go wrong for the want of a thousand or two and now admiral I 1 m off tor for my morning walk won wont t you come too 11 0 I 1 am going into town well good bye I 1 hope to have bet ter news and that all will come right good bye mrs denver I 1 feel as it if the boy were my awn and I 1 shall not be easy until all is right with I 1 him TO BB CONTINUED |
