Chapter XXV.

Hobart hurried along, intent on getting to his offices. Had he looked up as he passed Fixer's place, he would have seen the light still burning in his office window; but he is too anxious concerning his own affairs to notice anything. He reaches his own office at last, enters the door, and goes at once to his own room, which is on the upper floor. The first thing he sees is a letter on his table, marked "Private." Hurriedly he tears it open, and reads.

"Curse you for ever," he exclaims. "Then I am indeed undone."

The letter which Hobart now throws on the table runs as follows:—

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My Dear Hobart,—

When you receive this I shall in all probability be sailing off this coast. Your defective memory has again served you a scurvy trick, and that immediately that I am away from you. I feel awfully sorry that I cannot be here to assist in the celebration of your nuptials in a becoming manner; but there, you will have all the police force to do that, and as you have been so very considerate of their feelings on all occasions since your elevation in Timaru, they will be sure to think that one good turn deserves another. It was most unkind of you to let me go to Dunedin without giving me notice of your intentions, for then I could have to some little extent prepared for the voyage I am about to take, It was also too bad of your first wife to turn up just as you were getting married; she might have waited until you got the marriage portion. Poor old Parks, too; what a disappointment for him losing such a treasure of a son-in-law, to say nothing of the terrible grief Miss Parks must endure. As to Frank Perryman, I don't think he requires any sympathy, for he must be a great gainer by the whole transaction, as of course he will now have the business, and can if he pleases marry Clara. However, it but seldom occurs that one of your profession gets what the majority of its members deserve; so you will have the satisfaction of knowing you are the glorious exception. I have left everything in my office in perfect order, and now I will say, ta, ta. I would have waited a little longer, but you see my evidence against a partner might be required; so, on the principle of honesty among thieves, I go.

Yours,

Felix Fixer.

For some time after reading this letter, Hobart walked excitedly up and down his office. "Frank Perryman marry Clara! Why does he taunt me with that too? But he shall not—not if I—" and here he paused, as if the alternative in his mind was too terrible to be spoken. "I will see Clara; aye, if the house be full of police. One more interview, and as she was always true to me in the hour of trouble she may listen to me now, though she would not when last I spoke. Ah! but I had almost forgotten the key of the safe."

Hobart at once proceeded to Perryman's room, but to his dismay he found the door was looked. For some time he used every effort to force the door, but all to no purpose, and at last he turned page 261away, and felt as though all the world had conspired against him. "I will go home at once," he said, "and after I have seen Clara I will retire up-country for a time, and then I must be guided by events." Descending the stairs, he reaches the street door, and is just in the act of turning to leave when, from the shadow of the next doorway steps a policeman, who, placing his hand on Hobart's shoulder, says:—

"I arrest you, John Hobart, on the charge of bigamy."

"Hands off, sir; you can arrest without mauling me."

"I could," replied the policeman, "but as it is simply a matter of pleasing myself, I prefer letting you know your actual position. I remember you before, John Hobart;" and before he knew what the policeman was about the villain was handcuffed.

"What, would you handcuff a peaceful individual? You shall hear of this again," cried the prisoner indignantly.

"I will take all chance of that, Mr Hobart. But come on, I have been looking forward to the pleasure of putting you in the cell with some drunkards, who will no doubt sympathise with you," and before long Hobart found himself the inmate of H.M.'s lock-up, where we will leave him.

Bad news, they say, flies apace, and there is every reason this time to believe it, for the next morning all in the small town of Timaru knew of John Hobart's incarceration, but few, if any, felt any compassion for him.

"Frank," said Maud, "what a disgraceful affair, and what a bad job for poor Clara. How unwise of him; surely he must have been mad."

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"I fear, Maud, there was method in his madness, but he never anticipated such a termination as this. As to Clara, when you know all, as you must soon, you will alter your opinion."

"I don't know, Frank; any sister must regret her brother being in such a position, no matter how bad he may be."

"John Hobart, Maud, is no relation to Clara whatever. She is but the victim of one of his vile plots, and her only feeling towards him must be one of loathing;" and as Frank finished speaking he left the room.

"Louie," said Maud later on, "I can't understand Frank this morning. What do you think he said when I spoke of this affair of Hobart's!" and Maud repeated her brother's remarks.

"Maud," said Louie, "what Frank said was quite true, and now, as you must know very soon, I may as well be your informant," and Miss Branscombe forthwith related all she knew, and all that passed between her and Clara.

"I would not have believed such a villain existed," said Maud, "and in our very midst. I shudder at the thought of it. Poor Clara! no wonder she was serious under such circumstances. Did she know he was married."

"I believe not, nor do I think she knew he went to get married, for as I told you she has gone to meet her father."

During the same day Clara and Matthew Grant returned from Christchurch. Frank met them, and begged them, under the circumstances, to accept his hospitality.

"We shall be well able to find room for you," he said, "and will do our best to make you comfortable. By the bye, Miss Grant," he continued, turning to Clara, in whose ears the name sounded strangely, "the letters you asked me to write for have arrived and are now at the office. I will bring or rather send them up to you as soon as I go down."

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The meeting between Grant and Clara had been most affecting, for the poor father's joy knew no bounds, while Clara herself was too deeply moved for some time to speak; but the old man's genial kindly nature reassured her, and she had related all to him, saying as she finished, "You will forgive me, father, for leaving as I did. I verily believed you had in your passion done what he said."

"Forgive you, my child? Aye, were it ten thousand times as bad as you can deem it; but I see no wrong, you were only the victim with me of the plots of one of the basest scoundrels alive. But now justice will be done, for I saw his marriage, and knew the whole of the circumstances of it; and on the last night we were together I had intended to tell you all, but as you will no doubt remember, you asked me to leave it till the following day."

"True," said Clara, "I remember but too well. Had it not been for my waywardness all this trouble would have been spared you;" and as she thought of this tears flowed from her eyes.

"Cry not, my girl; if I have suffered, it has done me good, and but for your misfortunes I should not regret it. We shall now, please God, have some happiness, and the past will in the future teach us submission, though it has been a bitter lesson; for out of much evil often comes good."

They were engaged in talking over past events when Louie entered the room to bring Clara some letters which Frank had sent up.

"Here is one for you, father," said Clara.

"For me, my child? How does anyone know of my whereabouts?"

When the old man had mastered the contents of the letter he had received, he exclaimed, "Clara, God is good; look you, page 264a letter from Squire Lurtonshaw, offering me at any time I like to accept it my old position of agent;" and the poor old man, who had so often given way to tears from anguish of heart, now cried for very joy and gratitude.

There, sure enough, was the letter, which was of course dated some time back, offering to Matthew the Squire's condolence for the wrong he had suffered, as one of his kinsmen had been the instrument, and offering as some amends the situation again which he had formerly held. "You need not," the letter said, "hesitate to take it. The agent who now holds the position is the one that succeeded you, and now he only retains his position in the hopes you will return, as he has long since wished to retire."

"Father, this is indeed good news. Ought we not to be thankful for so many blessings?"

"Aye, my child, we should indeed, but God is most gracious to those who to the end are of faith;" and they both, from excess of joy, wept tears of gratitude.

With Frank and Louie things now seemed to progress well. They seemed to understand each other, and Frank often wondered why he did not as of old seek for the company of Clara, who was always with her father, comforting and cheering him when they spoke of the future. Time went on, but none of them knew or apprehended the blow that was to fall on poor Frank; but soon people began to notice Fixer's absence, and then all at once, as though a thunderbolt had descended, Fixer's letter was found by Pierce, and delivered to Frank. This explained all, for he had made a clean breast of the whole affair. His letter was full of sympathy, although he apologised for daring to offer it. Fixer said that Mr Perryman might doubt his sincerity, but he assured him nevertheless it was not feigned. "I assure you," the epistle went on, "had I not listened to Hobart in the land scheme all would have been well. Of page 265course, this second marriage would not have occurred had I been near to prevent it. You will doubtless remember the evening of Hobart's party. The anecdote which I related was simply to keep him in check, for he had actually dared to hint to me at the time such intentions. What I related was true in its entirety, for I was, as I said, a witness."

Poor Frank, after scanning this news, at once went home, and was met by Maud and Louie, who immediately noticed his woe-begone appearance.

"Frank," said both, "oh, what is wrong? You look so ill; what has happened?"

"Wrong," answered Frank, "alas! all is wrong, for I am ruined through that accursed Hobart."

A full explanation followed, and now it was the turn for the house of Perryman to be in grief. Frank seemed on the verge of insanity.

"I would not care," said he, "but I fear I shall not be able to pay up in full, and then the name of Perryman, on which no man could ever cast the slightest imputation, will be sullied, and all through my own carelessness."

"Frank," replied Maud, "what I have is yours; but bear up. Meet your troubles manfully, and perhaps they may not be so bad as they appear.

Frank, however, seemed to lose all heart, and would be at home to nobody. He feared the sympathy of his friends as though he were the guilty party, and the thought that he would have to meet all his liabilities troubled his mind.

Later on the same day, Louie met Frank as he was coming from the garden. The affectionate girl showed too plainly how she had taken his misfortune to heart, for her eyes were red and swollen with weeping. He noticed this instantly, and his conscience smote him.

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"Louie, poor Louie," he thought, "what a fool I have been; she must love me; and now when it is too late, for I am a beggar, I feel I love her too."

"Frank," said Louie, almost in tears, "I am so sorry for you that I know not how to express myself. I wished to say that—as you know—I have—well, what I want to tell you is this: I have the money your dear father left me, and its interest, now about £1200. You are welcome to it, I assure you, and I trust you will show you believe me, and take it to help you out of this terrible calamity."

"Louie," said Frank, looking her full in the face, for there he saw more confirmation of his last reflections, "you are too good; but no, you shall not suffer for my thoughtlessness. I fear I have been very unkind to you, for I now see you love me, and have done so for a long time; and now, when it is too late, I find I love you."

Louie was so full of joy at hearing such a confession that for the time she forgot all else. She almost fell into his arms, and Frank, placing his arm around her, kissed her clear and loving face. For some seconds they stood thus, while both felt the joy of true love. Gently then she disengaged herself, and, looking up to him, she said—

"Frank, I know I love you, and how long I have done so I can't say; and now, if you do not refuse me this pleasure, you will add to my happiness, and I shall feel my love is returned. Take my money—or rather your money,—and if not as a gift, then as a loan, and some day I will take it back."

He tried hard to dissuade her from this, but he could not, and at last, to please and satisfy her, allowed her to give him an order for the amount.

"Do you know," Maud said to Frank some time after the interview just narrated, "poor old Whale, who seems as much page 267cut up as any of us, has been here every day, beging to see you. He has come up again. Do see him, the poor old fellow seems quite hurt when he is told you are at home to nobody. Just now, when I saw him, he said, 'Do ask him, Miss, to see me. I am no idle visitor, and you know I served your father for so long I would so like to show my gratitude for past favours.'"

"I will see him," said Frank, "although I would far sooner not; still, as he wishes it so much, and as he has been a true and honest servant, show him in, Maud."

She was only too glad to do this, and the poor old man could not have been more affected were it his own son. Maud was about to run off when she had shown him in, but he said—

"Pardon me, Miss Perryman, but I would, if your brother does not object, sooner you stayed, for what I have to say is, I am pleased, not bad news."

"Stay," said Frank, "by all means. Be seated, Whale."

"Thank you, sir, but I feel too excited to sit, for I have waited now for three whole days to tell you what I now am about to say, and I feel that I could not endure another day were I not to speak. You remember, Mr Perryman, when Mr Hobart first joined you, you were kind enough to entrust to me the drawing up of the deed of partnership."

"Yes," said Frank, "I remember."

"Well, sir, with respect to Mr Hobart, I did not like him any better scarcely than I do now, and I had my suspicions of him; for, sir, one day, when I had occasion to go to John's office on business for you, I disturbed him busy at work. I saw at a glance the paper which was before him; he had your name written all over it; and when be observed me looking, he turned it over, but he forgot to do the same with another document which bore your signature."

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"Good gracious," said Frank, "practising forgery."

"Aye, sir. I have always regretted I did not tell you. But to proceed. The deed of partnership, when drawn, had a clause which is often put in, I know, but one that I feel sure you are not aware is in this one, for it set forth that one partner should not draw on or from the firm, or execute any negotiable instrument, without the consent of the other being first obtained in writing."

"Is this so?" said Frank; "then I am more than ever to blame, for I not only neglected my business in the first place, but I neglect it now by not looking after my affairs. Whale," he added, "accept my heartfelt thanks for this. I do not say I shall take full advantage of this clause, still it will save the name, and for nothing else do I care."

After both Frank and Maud had again thanked him, Whale withdrew, more overjoyed perhaps than he had ever been; for he spoke truly when he said Frank's interests were his whole thought and care.

The same day brought Frierland down from Christchurch. He had heard of this misfortune to Frank, and had come to offer his assistance and condolence. The two talked the matter over; and though Frank declared he had no intention of taking any actual advantage of the saving clause, Frierland at last obtained his consent to his doing what he could for him in the business amicably. As the bills were not yet due, the matter, by Frierland's advice, was allowed to remain in statu quo, although Frank was anxious to have the affair settled.