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Show (fflMMm 'Y A' CONAN &OYL& JNTEHNirfOMl P'ir&l5S0CM70tt UHAl'TEIt XI -(Continued). "What nn honest man should dg, I will write to all our clients and jrrftf-tors, jrrftf-tors, assemble them, Iny tho whoU jln. ter before them, read them thrjk'eltlj1.f. and put myself absolutely lrVjBjW hands." . JlmJ "That's It, boy ynrdarm to ynruari:! ind have It over," "I must go nt once." Ho put on hU top-coat and his hat. "But I have te. minutes yet before I can catch thv train. There Is one little thing which I must do before I stnrt." lie had caught sight through the Ions glass folding door of the gleam of n white blouse nnd n straw hat Itffho tennis ground. Clara used ofti to meet him there of a morning to BWr few words before he hurried away Into the city. He walked out now with the quick, firm step of n man who has taken tak-en a momentous resolution, but his Bee was haggard and his lips pale. Js "Clara," said he, as she came townrd him with words of greeting, "I am sorry sor-ry to bring 111 news to you, but things have gone wrong in the city, and and I think I ought to release you from )our engagement." Clara stared at him with her great questioning dark eyes, and her face became be-came as pale ns his. - "How can the city affect you nnd me, Harold?" "It Is dishonor. I cannot ask yon-to ihare It." "Dishonor! The losi of some miserable miser-able gold and sliver colnsl" "Oh, Clara, if It were only that! Vt could bo far happier together In i"iUt-tle i"iUt-tle cottage In the country than wltj( all tho riches of the city. Poverty could not cut me to the heart, bb I have been :ut this morning. Why, It Is but twenty minutes since I had the letter, Clara, and it seems to me to be some old, 'old thing which happened far away In my past life, some horrid black cloud which shut out all the freshness and tho peaco from it." "But what Is It, then? What do you fenr worse than poverty?" "To have debts that I cannot meet. To be hammered down upon 'change nd declared a bankrupt. To knowftnt others have a Just claim ion me and to feel that I dare not meec their eyes. Is not that worse llian novortv?"ii-j Dut All thin may be got over. Is tlidro uui uit linn tuny uv but uvci, ad aiiciu nothing more?" "My partner hns fled and left me responsible re-sponsible for Heavy debts, and in such a- position that I may bo required by the law to produce some at least of this missing money. It has been confided con-fided to me to Invest, nnd he has embezzled em-bezzled It. I, ns his partner, am liable for it. I have brought misery on all whom I love my father, my mother. Dut you at leaBt shall not bo under tho shadow. You are free, Clara. Thcro la no tlo between us." "It tnkes two to make such a tie, Harold," said she, smiling and putting hor hand Insldo his arm. "It takes two to make It, dear, and nlso two to break It. Ib thnt the way they do busings In the city, sir, thnt a man can always at his own sweet will tear up his en-gnKement?' en-gnKement?' "You hold me to It, Clarn?" "No creditor so remorseless as)I, Harold. Never, never, shall you get from that bond." (T(sV T n S-M Hlllllnil Vffaa anUnla 1 I 1 I .. "nut I am rumen. My wholo llfcls blasted." "And so you wish to ruin me, and blast my life also. No, Indeed, sir, you tfhall not get awny bo lightly. Iul seriously now, Harold, you would hU"-' mo if It were not so absurd. Do y-thlnk, y-thlnk, n woman's love Is like this siin-shn.de siin-shn.de which I carry In my hand, a thine only fitted for the sunshine, and ot 'no use when the winds blow and the clouds gather?" J "I would not drag you down, Clarai' "Should I not be dragged down lr deed If I left your Bide at such a tlnje? It Is only now that I enn be of use i you, help you, sustain you. You hac always been so strong, so above n. You are strong still, but then twd wll be stronger, llisldes, sir, you have rd Idea what n woman of business I art Papa Bays so, nnd he knows." 1 Harold tried to speak, but his heaj win too full. Ho could only press tW white hand which curled round sleeve She walked up and down by hi side, prattling merrily, and sending II tlo gleams of chcerlness through t gloom which girt him In. To listen ' her he might hnve thought it was Id and not her staid and demure slstr who wns chatting to him, "It will soon be elenred up," she sal "and then we shall feel quite dull. (1 course nil business men hnve these 114 tie ups and downs. Why, I suppose t all the men you meet upon 'changf there Is not one who haB not some Buq story to tell. If everything wns alwaj smooth, you know, then of course ever ono would turn stockbroker, and yo would have to hold your meetings j Hyde Park. How much Is It that ytl need?" "More than I can ever get. Not lef than thirteen thousand pounds." Clara's fnco fell as she heard tt' s mount. What do you propose & Ing?" "I Bhall go to the city now, nnd I shn nsk nil our creditors to meet roe ti morrow. I shnll read them Pearson! Wtter, nnd put myBelf into their hands? "And they, what wll! they do'" j "What can they do? They will sqH writs for their money. And the firm wl Pe declared bnnkrupt." ( 1 "And the meeting will bo to-morrov you say. Will you tnko my advice?'!, "What Is It, Clqra?" ', "To ask them for a few days of d' lay. Who knows what new turn ma' tn may tke?" ,' 'What turn can they take? I have no means of raising tho money." "Lot us have n few days." "Oh, we should have that in tho ordinary or-dinary course of business. Tho legal formalities would tnkn thorn some llt-,tle llt-,tle time. Hut I must go, Clara, I must ,not seem to shirk. My place now must be nt my offices." VYcs, dear, you are right. Ood bloss you nnd guard you! I Bhall bo here In The Wilderness, but nil day I Bhall bo by your ofllco tnble nt Throgmoitori Btreet In spirit, and If over you should bo sad you will hear my littlo whisper In your ear, nnd tfnow that there la one client whom you will never bo able to get rid of never ns long ns we botJ. live, doar." CHAPTER XII. FIHKNDS Iff JJKKD. YV5 f) OW, PAPA," SAID kfl Clara that morn- WiAi lng, wrinkling her x"l MYSlT l)rows nnd putting if fjVi'fisWA 5 ,ler nnKer-t!ps to- (f-jPUlf KCt,ler w,th tno a,r v&. fXPV II ' an experienced SrOC In lerson of business. ?SI ?t "I want t0 nave u (Kp Tl4 J 'alk to you about 1 VA.fcVv.' money matters," I f-"" "vcs, my dear." i He laid down his paper and looked a question. i ''Kindly tell me ngaln, papa, how much money I hnve In my very own , right. You have often told me before, but I always forget figures." "You have two hundred and flfty I pounds a year, under your aunt's will." "And Ida?" "Ida -has one hundred and fifty." I "Now, I think I can live very well on flfty pounds year, papa. I nm not j vpry extravagant, and I could rmke my I own dresses If I had a sewlng-mnchlne." "Very likely, denr." "In that case I have two hundred a year which I could do without." "If It were necessary." "But It Is necessary. Oh, do help me, like a good, deaf, kind papa, in this matter, for my whole heart Is set upon It. Harold Is in sore need of money, and through no fault of his own." With a woman's tact and eloquence, she told the wholo story. "Put yourself In my plnce, papa. What 1b the money to me? I never think of It from ycnr'B end to year's end. But now I know how precious pre-cious It is. I could not have thought that money could bo so valuable. See what I can do with It. It may help to save him. I must have It by to-morrow. Oh, do, do advise me as to what .1 fhould do, and how 1 should get tho The doctor smiled at' her eagerness. "You nro ns anxious to get rid of money ns others are to gain It," said he. "In another case I tnlrfht ililnk It rash, but I believe In your Harold, at.d I can see that he has had villainous treatment. You will let me deal with the matter.' "You, papa?" "It can be done best between men. Your capital, Clara, Is some five thousand thou-sand pounds, but It is out on n mortgage mort-gage nnd you could not call It In." "Oh, dparl oh, dear!" "But wo can still manage. I hav ns much at my bank. I will ndvnnce It to tho Delivers as coming from you, nnd you can repay It to me, or the Interest of It, when your money becomes due." "Oh, that Is beautiful! How sweet nnd kind of you!" "But there Is one obstacle: I dq, not think that you would ever Induce Harold Har-old to take this money." Clara's fnco fell. "Don't you think so, renlly?" "I nm suro that he would not." "Then what nro you to do? What horrid things money matters are to arrange!" ar-range!" "I shall see his father. We can man-nge man-nge It all between us." ' "Oh, do, do, papa! And you will do It soon?" "There 1b no time like the present. I will go In at once." He scribbled a cheque, put It In nn 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 ns lie entered the sitting-room of ' tho admiral. A great sea chest stood open In the center, and all round upon tho carpet were little piles of JerseyB, oll-sfcins, bookB, sextant boxes, Instruments Instru-ments and sea boots. The old seaman Bat gravely amidst this lumber, turning turn-ing It over, and examining It Intently, while his wife, with the tears running quietly down her ruddy cheeks, sat upon up-on the sofa, her elbows upon her knees and her chin upon her hands, rocking herself slowly backward nnd forwnrrt "Hullo, doctor," said tho ndmlral, holding out his hnnd, "there's foul weather set In upon us, as you may have heard, but I have ridden out many a worse squall, and please God, we shall till three of (is weather this one also, though two of us aro a little more cranky than wo wro," 'My dear friends, I came In to tell you how deeply we syrrtpathlzo with you all. My girl has only Just told mo about It." "It has come so suddenly upon us, doctor," sobbed Mrs. Hay Denver. "I thought I had John to myself for the rest of our lives Heaven knows that we have not seen very much of eacli other but now he talks of going to sea again." "Aye, nye, Walker, that's tho only way out of It. I was thrown np in the wind with nil nback, I give you my word thnt I lost my bearings more completely com-pletely than over since I strapped a middy's dirk to my ' belt. You see, I friend, I know something of shipwreck or bnttlt. or whatever may como updn the valors, but the shoals In the city of London upon which my poor boy has struck nro clear beyond me. Pearson had been my pilot there, and now 1 know him to be n rogue. But I've taken tak-en my bearings now, nnd 7 co my course right beforo mo," ' "What-tr-cn, admiral'" "Oh,' I have ono or Uvo llttli plans. I'll have mini news for the boy. Whyk hnng It, Walker man. I may he a hit stiff In tho Joints, but you'll be my witness wit-ness that I onn do my twelve mlleu under un-der the three hours. Whnt then? My eyes are ns good as ever except Just for the newspaper. My bend is clear. I'm throe-nnd-slxty, but I'm ns good n man ns over I wns too good n mnn to lie up for nnother ton years. I'd be th? better for n smack of the Bait water ngaln, nnd n whiff of tho breeze. Tut, mother. It's not n four yenrs' crulee this time. I'll bo back every month or two, It's no more than If I went for n visit In the country." He wns talking boisterously, nnd heaping his ira-boots and sextnnts back into his cheat. "And you really think, my door friend, of hoisting your pennant ngaln?" "Sly pennant, Walker? No, no. Hr majesty, God bless her, has too mnny young men to need nn old hulk like me. I should be plain Mr. Hny Denver it the merchant service. I daresay thnt 1 might find some owner who would give me n chance ns second or third ofllcet. It will be strange to mo to feel the rnlls of the bridge under my fingers once more." "Tut! tut! this will never do, thlt wilt never do, admiral!" Tho doctor sat down by Mrs. Hny Denver nnd patted her hand In token of friendly sympathy. "Wo must wait until your son has It out with all these people, and then w shall know what damage Is done, nnd how beat to set It right. It will be time enough then to begin to muster our resources re-sources to meet it." "Our resources!" Tho ndmlral laughed. "There's the pension. I'm afraid, Walker, that our resources won't need much mustering." "Oh, come, there are some which you may not have thought of. For example, exam-ple, admiral, I hnve nlwnys Intended that my girl should hnve five thousand from me when she mnrrled. Of course, your boy's trouble Is her trouble, nnjl the money ennnot be spent better thnn In helping to Bet It right. She lias a little lit-tle of her own which she wished to contribute, con-tribute, but I thought It best to work It this way. Will you take tho check, Mrs. Denver, nnd I think It would be best If you said nothing to Harold about tt, and Just used It as the occasion served?" "Ood bless you, Walker, you aro n true friend. I won't forget this, Walker." Walk-er." The admiral sat down on his aea chest and mopped his brow with his red handkerchief. "What Is it to me whether you have it now or then7 It mny be more useful now. There's only one stipulation. If things Bhould come to the worst, and If the business should Yrovo bo bad that nothing can set It right, then hold back this check, for there Ib no use In pouring pour-ing water Into n broken basin, and If the lad should fall, he will wnnt something some-thing to pick himself up ngaln with." "He shnll not fall. Walker, nnd you shnll not hnve occasion to be nshamed of tho family Into which your daughter Is about to marry. I have my own plnn. But we shall hold your money, my friend, nnd it will rteengthen us to feel that It Is there." "Well, that Is nil right," said Doctor Doc-tor Walker rising. "And It n littlo more should be needed, we must not let him go wrong for the want of n thousand or two. And now, admiral, I'm off for nVy motViliter -rrnlh TVorft you OUms too?" "No, I am going Into town." "Well, gootf-bye., I hope to hnvo better bet-ter news and "that all will come right. Oood-byc, Mrs. Denver. I feel nn It the boy were my own, nti-i I shall not be easy until all Ib right with him." (TO HE CONTINUKI). ) |