Novel

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 375, 16 July 1903, Page 2

Novel

CHAPTER XL—- & • v ,Wrlb * straws*, in his J - 1 :-.jpy>g he opened a wall, ana * ;>i-- jtodk-«^ : s>mftad. box, •>'"- tabrihg-n" Tfeautrruliy pair of JLstols. Bat when he hpdjpoked at; them, e laid" them down,- aritf'raaned hie hack -" upon f&afc. He wasjjig§ii«profoundly. * : " Simbagwaa it since I 5»-Sift had those . . piatoltffc TOfiy Hedworth£|»Belf gav<i - . tham to" him oa bia birthday, :%. and GiltiSft had. delighted £V>i*"» the gift. too had •:■ >■, to HEa that old birthday- present for the '"":--purpose of putting an tad to hia own life. Bnt that was sentiment! Hedworth - : would never, know, and never care. Gilbert would be out of the way, and lying quiet in the grave, he would sot wince beneath his brother's triumph, or endure the sneers and jeering laughter of the ' ' crowd. There waa no otter way. Stay ! He had one thing to do before he made his exit mm the ecene. He - could make some aort of will—no, he had not time for thai. He could write a letter to Hedworth which could be need in the courts—at least he thought it could. Hedworth would probably" have to arrange all hia business affuis. He could at lesat make it plain that he wanted -to - repair the wrong that he had done. There was jost thia one thißg that he could do, and then—the ead! He took a pen ind a sheet of pape* and., wrote. It did not matter how he ex» pressed himself; no one criticises a man's . style on the day of his death. . * I understand your message,' he wrote, . ' but I think it would be better if we did • sob meet. I believe you are mj chief j creditor; do not let it be forgotten by my - wife and executors ttat I owe you fire » thousand pcunds as well as the other j sums which are 1-gaily due to .-you. I j charge my executors to pay you this amount, a3 the sum which my father l * desired me, on hia death-bed, to give you- * I regret—if there ia any uae in Baying I regret—that I hare hitherto dishonestly i kept it back. ' 1 defite also to record that although I ence, under a misapprehension, accused joe of theft, I dieccv red very eoon after- •* wards that I had been mistaken. I allow* d it to be assumed, however——' Then he broke down. The records of his own sins and errors were top terrible . j for him. He buried his face in.his hands j" *•, and sobbed bke a stricken child. ' My God I* he cried in his agony, ' I have indeed strayed very far away from Thee!* He wrote no more. After a time, he slipped from his chair to his knees, and - there, with face bidden, be remained for upwards o f an hour. Wfcat passed between him and his God in those moments, Gilbert could never .Bay. He only knew that his whole life waa passed in review, - that hia weakness, its errors, its follies were ho longer hidden even from his own ejes; and that he oraed humbly, not only t •' at he had sinned, but that it was fair he should bear Mb punishment. Th«t waa the conclusion "to which he haacoxe when the dawn looked whitely through the window-pane. He Lad bees a cur, a scoundrel: he had robbed his blotter: he had falsely maligned hia brot' er's name. And now God bad btought him to justice. Well, he would at all events face the future like a man. He would not Bully his own name and darken the lives o! his children by.the crime if self-slaughter. H» would. bear the brunt of the bbw that was about to ... fall upen his household, and place himself *- " unreservedly in Hedworfb's bands. He would do all in his power—all that Hedworth might require—to repair the many v rongs that have been dona. He had been seen but little by his family doring the next day, and the next; he wn said to be very busy, and sat for the moat part in his office or in tbe study, writing, lookiDg over papers, casting up accounts, with the resolute Icokof a man who has made up his mind to carry some troublesome business to an end. And on the evening of the meeting at Strode, he ordered the carriage at au early hour, and asked Euphrasia, with unwonted gentleness, whether she would not like to ccme with hiut to hear John Sigerson »?ak. Hewaß almost astonished at the il crily with which she replied. They drove to Strode in almost complete silence. Gilbert was absorbed in melancholy thought, and Effia was more nervons than, etc had been in all her life. The Eame thought waa pressing heavily upon the hearts ot both. What did Hedworth mean to do ? CHAPTER XII.—WHAT HEDWORTH s DID. ' Ho, I think I would lather not go on eji the platform to-night,' said Gilbrrt Pollard tp a little group of stewards at the f ntrauce to the Corn Exchange, where Mr. Sjjerson's lecture was to be delivered, * I will sit well in front, and can second a

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vote of thanks, if you like; but i will f stay., with -Mjss/ during the ".speeches;' | W 25 %d. \ § | 'Euphrasia'-looked "at him in surprised He was pale, but perfectly calm, and yet ■she knew that he must nece asarily' be suf- '■ faring from great anxiety and suspense. He had more force of character,'she vkwj- '- than she bad expected ; and she hoped most heartily that.thelong-standiag feud • between, him and Hedworth might; be j ultimately .adjusted. where, did he;. think tihat Ke waa to ; ineet Hedworth, If he Bat in £the front roV of y \ke crowded audience? «Had we not. better !sifc farther back ?' she. said to him, fjor on the platform ' , ' You mean that I should be more conspicuous on~ the~platform, or that fcd- 1 worth may not have a ticket to the reserved seats,* said-Gilbert," smiling at her, although his lips were pale: ' I think- ' it wilt be all right; I will take eare to let him Bee that I am here. I have to apologise to you,. Euphrasia, for iny extreme excitement of. speech and manner the other mgnt."~i ■ wasnot quiltfmyself; you must excuse mo if I behaved un civily.' Effie was smitten dumb. She thought that Gilbert was Singularly unlike him- . self. His .eyes, were odd y restless, and brilliant; there was a nervous quiver .at the corner of his white lips. She wondered vaguely whether he could be ill, and . .do, if..the, flight of HgsLworth were too much for him. It was wi.fch .ajfeeling of absolute sickness that - she'aaw a file of black-coated .gentlemen, | smiling' other, take : $ pJfctfcSu*; then came a'. ■ pausey and a;deafeaiag clamour~*>f shouts,r and *cci§mi*iQns7;iyj jjgi Sere. of> the "immaculate as that'even'of" Gilbert, his beard flowing over a snowy expanse of »■ linen, his' eyes bright 'with?"aeunny yet* somewhat cynical humour, as he took his seat among-the, magnates of the land. H*i saw Effie at once, and bowed, but took no notice of Gilbert,. Effie:now ventured to logk jat |G Iber t EL he recoghisea r 4is brother or not I. His eyeawere riveted on Hedworth'B face, his brows were knitted in a frown 6f utter perplexity. Presently he turned and looked at Effi°, as if appealing to her fox help.-. > -'Are my eyes deceiving me?' be said to her,-as the formal .business, of the meeting proceeded. ' ' * • No/ she answered. »It is Hedworth' ..'I always said he was a brave man,' said Jflilbert quietly; and then he folded .. his arms across his chest, and. prepared himself to listen, to what the speaker .had to""Bay. Effie noticed that he raised his eyes again.- Hedworth, oh the ; con- ' trary, inspected him constantly, critically, _ almost smilingly, until he made Euphrasia so angry that she favoured, him. with a very haujhty look of displeasure, and so. imperial a frown that even he was astonish td, and wendered what' had lent that hawk-like expression to hie gentle dove: , ..„ The chairman spoke, Lard S*ndemann spoke, then Mr. Sigerson was called upon for the lecture which he had promised to deliver. And a very goed lecture it was -* There was not much literary art about it.y certainly; it.was a plain, straightforward; narration of the exploring expedition which be had undettaken in conjunction with L?rd Fandemann, and it entirely absorbed the attention of the audience.' Perhaps they wou!d have been "even more; interested if Lord Sandrmaun had de« livered the lecture, for. the English public dearly.hwes a lord ;;Dut Lord Sandemani was ifflcted with a lisp, which mads it quite impossible for* him to deliver lectures, so that Mf. Sigersoa spoke for his Lordßhip a 8 well as for-himself. And for a simple, manly, unaffected account ot a .perilous journey, of. adventures more numerous than cou'd be counted, and of risks which only a party of ttrong and patient men could have surincutited. John , Sigeraon'B lecture could not easily have been surpassed. * '■'-■ 3^';--£ , : But he had one Bensat?on | for' fhisaudience on which tfce committee had''not' I counted. When his lecture was overhand , the storm of oft-repeated applause was *t'" t last dying away, Mr. Sigerson once more , lifted up his stentorian voice, and asked permission to say a few mere words—net on the subject of the lecture, but about r himself. . I? ' Thei crowd bbcame?silent.-at once, ag } much out of curiosity as politeness. Mr. , Sigerson's adventuies were thrilling in x the extreme, but what Bhould Llr. Sigerson say abcut himself? This was the farst ltcture that he had delivered, save j one before tie Geographical Society in London; and nobody .expested him to favour his audience with a sermon or an I autobiography. Yet what vas he going to say r 9 He came forward, almost close to the •. velvet bar of the platform, where the i, orchids and lilies and palaiß made quite a i forest of blossoms and- foliage; and it

seemed to some keen observers as if his town face had riffe,.loathe looked, as if upwards MiBB Eaphrisiis JMorison, with; it had already lf&etf evident thailc >waa acquainted. MtW c Moris»n hersMi py-'be-by, was also J^pp ; : ; '• * I am goißg to aa£|f|fe,. indulgence of my hearers for a very few moments/ said tha lecturer, 'because I think it only right to inform them that I seem to be here under false pretence. You have received me most kindly, bat as a stranger I am not a stranger in this part of the country k, indeed, I see -before me many fanrisarifaces, Imaf even :l&k in spnie hot'distant quarterV'for frfendly re&K?nition.' Here he looked again at Effi9 Morißon, and a 'little' half-headed applause filled up the momentary halt in the Bpeech. ' n Sigeison, drawing himself up to his full height* with a gesture of; great; dignity,; 'J>nt 1 am very near it. . I am, a Fareham Tmah r>l (more 'applause, this Time of a decided character). ' You will say you do, not know a Fdreham man whose name is! Sigerson. I wish to make public the fact —and first oFSU to those. wM'used to know- me in my thoughtless youjh—that ' jmy name is net Sigepon -at #|as Lord SaadenJsUn ray" frieiidp have

long been aware. My name is Hed worth Pollard, and I have the honour of being the son of a well-known and muchrespected mill-owner in this district. Matthew Pollard, who was laid in his prave—unhappily for me—ten years ago. * I make this statement,' said Hedworth, taking his audience captive with... his frank manner an 1: bis honest blue eyes, .' because I believe that there have been misconceptions respecting my conduct, and - aspersions on my perse nal character from which I desire to clear myself.; My brother, Mo. Gilbert Pollard, whom I am delighted to see amongst you, has very kindly remitted to me a letter which he desires me to use in any way I please, I am, therefore, justified, I think, in reading to yoa a sentence or two, which I am sure' he.is prepared to corroborate in person My brother writes: 'lt would be only just to give me an opportunity of repudiating; in public certain slanders on your early life and character of which I have become aware. I hereby dsclare? on oath if necessary, that they are absolutely false, and that anyone repeating them will expose himself to a charge of malicious libel. My father, Matthew Pollard, died in perfect amity with both cf üb, And the private legacy with which he entrusted me for your benefit has been

paid into your account at the National ~'}'% lord, ladies; -and 1 troubling .you with eo entirely personal a matter, but my "brother and I have been "consider- , ably troubled by the ill-natured and untruthful 1 reports to which I have alluded, and wish to take this opportunity of • showing you that I -am hot "unmindful of your goodwill- or careless of my character -irt* "the dB»r; old which", I 'have: known bo long,- and which,hag always been more of a home to me than any other corner of the globe.' *ibwh hurriedy, acd for some minutes-there'' Was such a storm of clapping and cheering as had never been heard in the Strode Exchange before. Women waved their hanckerchiefs, and men knocked..on the floor with their "sticks. In - the midst"' of the'tumult, Gilbert Pollard was seen upon the platform, trying to make himself heard . above tne din. Finally the nois a abated, and he suffered to proceed in peace. But only a few words reached the impatient listeners' ears. 'I wish to corroborate all that my brother has said—r-''-:.. .A j&*» (To be continued.)