CHAPTER XI.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 176, 24 June 1873, Page 3

CHAPTER XI.

When day's oppression is not cased by night ; But daj bj night, and night by day oppressed. Ten o'clock in the morning ; the ehopkeepers of Aberhirnant have got their shutters down at last -they aro hcabcils mostly, the Aberhinunt folk j the bank door is just opened, and John, the clerk, stand*? on the steps looking up m.d down the sheet. Presently, Mr Rowlands 1 ciirri^o drove ujj*2 the door. Within it are the banker and his daughter, STell me, John,' cried Winny, ' what is this dreadful story I hear of a joung man being lost among the mountains last night, and from our carriage too, and what has been done to search for him ? Tell me, quick.' 'Indeed, Miss Winny, there was a young man Jiut there I'll tell your father all about it. I can't tell you ; he may say to you what he likes.' 'Oh,' Mr Rowlands, bach, what have I done * cried John, following him into the inner office, and shutting the door. 1 He was a nice young man too ; and I've killed him.' 'Nonsense 1 ' iaid the banker, turning pale— 'nonsense" ' But I have, Mr Row lauds ; as suiely as if I had done it with im own hands All night long, I\e seen him lying stark in the snow ; an 4 his eyes fall on me where\cr 1 go ! Oh, Mr Rowlands, it cannot bo Iw ho have done this ! It ■was jou, Mr Rowlands— you who set me on ;it was for your sake I did it How can you rocoftJpenso me for it ?> ' It only wanted that,' said Rowlands—' only that to make the thing unendurable What can be done ? The young man is lost ; we must save the bank. On Monday, the Plasuchaf rents will be paid in, and we shtdl be safe for a while' , ' Those bottom bonds have been presented for the Arthur s Bride,' suggested John. 'They must bo met at once; fhe hundred pounds odd. 1 ' O that sin]), that ship! I wish she were at the bottom of the «en.' ' And why not ? ' cried John ; ' it's the best place for a ship for sure. Uhcj're no good now ; nobody makes any money bv them. All the good, careful men who mean to make money are throwing their ships away now, master. A word to the captain— eh, master 9 ' _ ' John, lam ashamed of you to say such things, lulls is not <such a rogue as you take him to be.' 'No ; he's not a rogue ; he's a very clever man ; and goodhearted too— yes. indeed. But for all that, he'd lose your ship for you, Mr Rowlands, bach, if you made it worth his w lulc ' '.Have you any conscience, John ?' ' Well, "indeed, you see, master, I've only two pounds a week; and I haven't anything to spare for luxuries. Perhaps, if you'd given me the rise you promised me years ' Wait and see,' said the banker—' wait and see. Perhaps, if I get over this Eh ! w ho's that ? ' E\ery creak of the swing-door of the bank, every footstep no it sounded on the pavement outside, went to Rowlands' heart ; and when the footstep passed by, or the customer m the bank turned out to be a man who wanted to pay some money in, or to cash a cheque for five pounds ten, Rowlands felt as though he had escaped a great calamity. But the next footstep brought back the Barae fear, and thus went round the day in eager w atching and listening. The suspense had told upon the banker already; it was destined to tell jet more. ' It's the Hen Doctor,' said John, popping his head into Eoti lands' room. Rowlands tnrned pale for a moment The thought ot the Hen Doctor and the notes he held tormented him constantly. Tt was the one pressing immediate danger. The others might be fought off; this couldn't. And yet so weary was ho of this wretched fight with fate, that he hesitated before ho went out to speak to the Hen Doctor. To rest in his own chair, his arms upon the table, his head leaning upon them, eeeiued to him the utmost happiness and solace he could expect to have. His mind was quite unstrung ; his very limbs were unnerved, and refused their office ; and yet he must move about briskly, rub his hands and cry ha, ha ! With a great effort he roused himself, and went into the bank counting-house. t ' Umph ! ' said the doctor ; 'so you keep going on still ? ' Yes, doctor; we manage to get on without your pills or your draughts either.' 'Yah' perhaps you'll find I've got a dose for you still— yes, mdoed Look here, Rowlands ; I want my money for the ship.' ' What ship s" ' What ship ' The Menevia's Pride, as you know very ■well. I have two ounces [two sixteenth shares] of her. She's lost ; give me my money.' ' She isn't lost, I tell jou; there's no proof of it.' ' If there fp, will you pay me P ' ' Of course I will ' ' Down on the nail ? ' 'Down on the nail, if you like.' ' Very well. Now, just read this, Mr Rowlands, bacli.' The Hen Dootor put into his hand a paper which contained a certified extract from the ship's registry in the custom-house, giving the substance of Captain Elhs's report. 'That's no proof,' said Rowlands j 'I've heard all that before — that's no proof.' 'No proof!' exclaimed the doctor in a fury, 'what is proof? What proof will you have, eh? Come, will you pay me, yes or no m a minnte — come ! ' ' I shall pay, of course, 111 1 it's? right.' ' Rnpht or wrong, will you pay ? Come, now, in a minute.' Had the banker been strong, he would have 6hown the Hen Doctor the door ; but he was not strong, he was very weak ; he could put on the appearance of strength, but, in truth, his strength had vanished with his solvency. The Hen Doctor was angry and vociferous ; he held notes to ' the amount of two thousand pounds and upwards ! he was quite strong, of course ; could not compel payment even were the Pride really lost, without legal preliminaries ; but then the banker was shaky. There are so many shaky people in the world, that a man of fierce headstrong temper and indomitable will may run his course, knocking them down right and left, like skittles, as ho goes. Rowlands made a rapid mental calculation. An eighth of three thousand will bo three hundred and seventy-five pounds — a serious one, but better than a run. He drew himself up w ith. dignity. ' Doctor, I've always paid on the nail all my life, and I'm not going to begin with legal objections now. Give me your bond in the sum of three thousand pounds, as an indemnity to lepay me if the Pride reappears, and you shall have the money.' ' Well, thank you, Mr Rowlands, back, I like you better than I did before.' ' Shall we pass it to your credit ?' ' Credit ! No, by Jupiter ! No credit for me ; let me have the money here in my hand. Gold, too — sovereigns. I'm going to pay for the house I've bought in Pen street, and the fools will never think of weighing the money.' ' John,' said Rowlands feebly, ' three seventy-five.' ' Well, thank you, Mr Rowlands ' — putting the money into hii hat — ' I'll go and see Gwer, and tell her how handsomely you have settled with me, and you'll have her to see directly ; yes, by Jupiter.' ' Now, that you've done your business with that horrid old doctor, tell me John, tell me, papa, what about the young man that was lost? ' said Winny. 'There's nothing more about him, Miss Winny ; ho'll not be found till the snow clears anay. He took to the Sam Helen, and he must have perished with cold before the morning.' ' The Sam Helen ; is not that the Roman road that runs over the mountains, and crosses the Llanfeehan road ?' ' Indeed, I don't know about its being Roman, Miss Wmny. Helen'B Way they call it, and Helen was a wise woman, they say ; and people say you may meet her now among the hills carrying a cross ; but that tho man who sees her never lives to see another woman ' ' Then I will go, papa ; I will drive to the Sam Helen and set all the shepherds and all the farmers and everybody to look for him. Alive or dead, we will find him ; and I shall offer a reward t in your name— a hundred pounds if alive, fifty if dead.' 'My dear, my dear ! ' said the old banker, ' I won't pay it.' ' Then / will, out of my own money. What was his name, do jou know, John ? ' ' Here is his portmanteau, Miss Wmny. I brought it here, not knowing what to do with it.' At the sight of the brown leather portmanteau, sho felt a shock quite new to her. It gave a reality and disinctness to her imagination of tho young man, lone and lost amongst the hills ; he was no shadow to. her now, but a real existence; and the thought nervrd her to attempt his rescue. A name was painted on the portmantoau in large black letters : Gerard Robertson. Presently, a little crowd gathered in the market-place — if market-place it could bo called, which was merely the widening of the cross street in which ttood the bank — a crowd gathered round the horse-block — it had been the baso of the village cross langsyne — whilst Owen, tho crier, after ringing his bell throe limes, announced in sonorous accents that a ' Sais' had bern lost on the Sam Helen, arid that if brought to Mr Rowlands' house alive, a reward of a hundred pounds would be paid 'Cant punt!' [a hundred pounds] exclaimed tho Hen Doctor, who stood loafing there with his hands buried in hie pockets. ' Yah 1 where will he get the money P Yah ! it will break the bank ; yes, by Jupiter.' 'Doctor,' said a sweet voice behind him, you must comt with me m the carnage nowyat once. lam going to look for the poor young Englishman, and we should have a doctoi at hand ' , . „ ' Cant punt, cant pint ' ' the dootor muttered to himself , « I'll go, Mils Wmny ; yes, by Jupiter.'