CHAPTER VIII. FRESH TRIALS.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 268, 30 May 1888, Page 6

CHAPTER VIII. FRESH TRIALS.

Whin* Astlcy left the oflico ho thought tha hib reception was not at all what, lie had a rijihi) to expect after what Mr Broadley had .said. 'However/ thought he, 'perhaps the old fellow's lvead was too full ot business. We shall see what he will ho like to-morrow, fn the meantime I will look up some others. Lot me bee— l have tried a merchant and did not like him. Oh ! there's that letter of Bryants to a Mr Hall, solicitor. Suppose 1 ferret him out, and then 1 will go on to Dr. Johnson's.' Accordingly he called on Mr Hall and pre-

sen tod a lofctor which was written by an ol< friend of his. This gontloman scorned dc I lighted to sec him, and aftor asking after thei common friond, Bryant, and conversing 01 general topics for some time, asked him t dinner on the following Thursday. ' This is bettor,' thought Astley as ho lef the office of the hospitable solicitor — ' nov for the doctor.' At the doctor's ho met with a hoait; welcomo, and accoptcd an invitation t< [ dinner at an early date. Tho rest of tin clay he passed iti writinir. The next morning— Wednesday— he pre I sen ted himsolf at Mr Turner's otfioo a cloven punctually. If his reception hae been cold the previous day, it was btil colder now. ' Be heated, sir,' said Mr Turner, frigidly ' I have boon thinking a good deal abou you hi nco you were here, but 1 really d< not see in what way 1 can serve you.' Aslley did not understand the tone M: Turner "adopted at all, but simply replied ' Indeed, sir !' ' No,' said Mr Turner; then, suddenly ' were you not mixed up in pome disro putable divorce aflair in the old country and ' 1 Stop, sir !' cried Astley, indignatioi getling tho upper hand of discretion ' HoWUaie you speak to me like that ' Steady, young gentleman. I wassimplj about to ask ior an explanation,' said Mi Turner, doprccatingly. ' Arjk m<' tor an explanation !' oxclaimcc Astley, now thoioughly loused. 'By what light do you ask me to explain my con duct ?' ' My dear sir, is it not vory natuial thai I should dcfciro an explanation of conduci which appeals vile, before introducing yoi to my family ':" said Mi Turner. ' Look here, MrTumei ! Understand m< lightly,' siid Astley, sternly. llf the lettc I brought you f i oin Mr Bioadlcy i- not < sufhcient guaianteoot my cluuaetei . our ac quamtanco had better end heic. 1 shal ontei into no explanation iui ther ihan !>> haying I am entirely innocent ot the chat ge biouyht against mo.' 'Ah!' -aid Mi Turnei, superciliously ' -o you appear to have peisuadcd Mi Bioa'Ue^ ; but let me tell you, younj. ! uentleman, you will tind people in tin j colony not so easily laken in.' ' Sir ! thundoiod Astlcj indignantly; : d< i \ou really desiie to insult mo v ' ' You wili of coui-e, take it a- you please but until you can give me pioofs ot youi iunocenc, I nni-t believe you guilty. i am -oity tin- .should be so, a*> I would dc much to *ei\eMr Bioadley; but tins i-a-kmj; too much. And let me tell you, Mi Beiwick, tor your futuio guidance, that youi st,i)iy is fully known hoic, it hi\inp l)ecn if|)oite<l in our Id -6 mail's papcia And now, if jou do not deem it e\p<dient to explain mattei-, 1 mu-t lequest you tr leuxc me, ;i^ ni}' bunnies-, mtisl be attended to.' ' \nd I, Mr Turner,' -aid A-t ley, ' slul ha\e iinuh plea-mo in aceedinu, to ,\oui lequest,. I wish \ou good morning, sii.' '(!ood mommy,, sir,' said Mr Turnei roldh , (( ihj. Im.iginc pool Astley V toolings jus holefl the otiue whoie ho had been so ciuell\ rer-oi\c^l. As he passed tin ongh the clerk'. 1 elhee, he heard someone siy -it was Dalai --' Tliat's Berwick.' He did net take nmel notice a! the time, but it occurred to hnr ■itteiWiinK. When he (cached hi- hotel in no pleasant mood, he found two notelieu mo hU name. The lust ran a« follow — 'Uoti'sir, Sine** I -aw you \ester(ln\ I tine' l li.it 1 ->luill h,i\e to ko into the eoiuiti\ nn ineilialelj. Tlu i rcloic 1 inu-.t rccjuest ,\oir t( postj)oiie your visii to m> house, -Vouin tuilj A. II u.i..' This Wib trom hi^ lawyer fiiend. Tin othei was somewhat similar. 'It wotdd not be com cMiicnt for Mr iieruick to dme with him on Fiiduy owing to the -e\eie illness ot hi- wife," ran the doctors note. Astlc\\ lightly guessed that his sfcoiy liafi become kuo\vn to them, and with this result. It happened thus • Upon le.u mij tho olhee toi the day Mi Dakmmade it hi- husine— to tind out at v hat hotel A-tle\ was staving, and .it oneopi oec etted tint hei toi_ r et a look at him it po-siblu ainl hud out all he emu Id about him. l T pon (jvic-tionunj t he jnopiietoi. that woith\ had nothing to -<i\ eithei for oi apaiu-t oui \uuii'4 ttiend, othei than that he, appealed a nice, uood-licai tod lellow, inclined to be soiiablc; he wa- at that moment in the hilliai d-rooni, whcie Mi I). km miuht -cc him if he wi-hecl. Dakin lephed th it h^ did not want to -<■(.• him pai Oculailv. but that the landloid mi<;ht I point him out -o that he nii^ht know him I auain. Tin- was done, and he entered the billiaid loom and looked on while Astley plivd a »; vue with a M^i E-eombe, -witl) whom Hakin was slinhtly acquainted. A-tl(\\, who was in \ciy good sjiiiits. iiavinu been ehocicd by the welcome he } had i<<ei\cd at (.he hands ot hi- two new acquaintances, w,i- talking and lau^hine, uail\ and looked his be-t — i iranh, honest, hand-ome tcllow. Astley was handsome, D.ikm wa- not , and he tclt that- the com pan-on was untaxomable to him-elt. For tin- l ea-ou inoic than am other, he determined that A^rlcy ~houl<l not become ie (|uainted v it h Mr Turner .-family if hccould help it. That e\ening Dakin and A-tle\'-two new hionds met, and the doctor watelling them ot A-l ley's call and spoke ot him as 'a a eiy decent fellow „ and devili-h yood-looking.' Mi Hall then mentioned him in xeiy tiieudly terms as ha\in2i calloi ' upon him, and -aitl he had a-ked him to (,'innci. He iinit^d the other two to meet him. Dakin, who had conceived a -trouj; antipathy , approaching hatred, tr> our hero, detei mined to nip this apparently giowing regai din the bud, and at once- beyan to speak of A.stle> in a manner that could not be mi-taken, saving that he, for one, must decline the honoui of dining with him, and asking his friends if they knew lii^i previous histoi\. They were surprised, as well they might be, and asked Dakin what he meant. Dakin told them of fhe divorce, referring them to the homo papers, and fui ther stating that the matter was even mentioned in a lei-ter ot introduction which Berwick had that day presented to Mr Turner. But he did not mention what Mr Broadlcy had said in hi« favour— not one Word of Mr Bioadley's confidence in him, nor of his high unaltered and unalterable opinion of him. In short, ho made out such o case that his friends could but take notice of it, and they congratulated ihcmseJUeb and I each othei upon the lucky escape they had had. This comersation resulted in the letters which A.stlcy had found at his hotel.