CHAPTBE XLI.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1624, 30 November 1882, Page 1 (Supplement)

CHAPTBE XLI.

" Yes," said this Quaker, when, after greeting us with his usual tranquil gravity, he had led the way into a private room ; " I did have such a person in my house for several weeks. It is a long time— twenty years, at least — since I found a woman seated on my doorstep, One night, about nine o'clock. It was raining heavily at the time, and, as the poor creature had a child with her, and appeared to be quite exhausted, I took her inside before asking any questions. My wife, who was then alive, did what she could for the mother and child ; and when the former, had been somewhat recovered, she appeared to be a woman of goodly education ' and manners. She told us that she was a w,id,ow, her husband having died soon after; their arrival in the colony, and that, (haying- been left destitute," she had gradually come down to, the state'in , which I had -found her. ' «• ; << " ' ""There'' was nothing -improbable in her story ; ' for Melbourns wa.s 'a'fihat thne/,a ivery * different place from, what it is, nbw. ix'Evel:ything was .at^ixes and f eevenSj and peoplis were, for the mp^tjpajrt, too , intent v upon\ money* getting rtp'tal^e;rmioh r tp'ta1^e;rmioh hee i d',b'f !i tne' misfortunes, , of ; th^n^gh,bo|%:' f -$f af I>ifc a^ogr mff j^ysejx ,ja^>Jihey^ime''^;and'ihe^uajker 'plea- \ /spuj;,f# i e;yGrJ(heleßgs^

himself remarkable, in those rough times, for his energy and charity, and, when I wrote to him concerning the woman, he came at once to see her. After a short time, he removed her to the care of some people of her own persuasion, and the last I heard of her was, that she had beert married to a man who had been for some time resident in the colony, and who was about to move up country to a sheep-station." " And his name was — ?" " His name was Addison, and the name of the station was Yaramboona." " What was the lady's name ?" " The name of the woman' I do not remember ; it was an unusual one." "Was it the same as my( friend's here — Eaymond?" asked the Count, putting the question that was on the tip of my tongue. " Nay," said the Quaker ; " that was not the name." " How old was the child ?" I asked. " Some two or three years." " And a boy, I think you said?" "Yea; a boy." "And now — one question more," said the Count. "What was the name of the priest you spoke of ?" " Oimonde," said Stone, and, with the reply, there flashed into my memory Father Ormonde's acknowledged connection with the marriage of Walter's mother — his unwillingness to answer any questions on the point, and I said to myself that, in all probability, Waller had been the hoy the Quaker spoke of. Who, then, was his mother? I dared not speculate further, and I answered not the question in my mind. "There is another little matter I wish to speak of," said the Count, as, having obtained all the information the Quaker could give, we rose to go. " You have a young gentleman in your office, with dark curly hair, and a red face ?" " Yea," said Stone, wheeling round in his chair, with a changed countenance. " Eeuben Harrison — what of him ?" " Only this, that, just before you came in, he was good enough to inform me that he proposed coming to visit your daughter at my house." " Thou will not permit it, friend L" said the Quaker, hastily. "It was to put my daughter beyond his reach that I placed her in thy dwelling." " That, of course, is sufficient,"* said the Count — "even if Mr. Eeuben Harrison were otherwise an eligible associate for my own daughter : which is far from being the case !" " I may not gainsay thee, friend," answered Stone, with a mournful shake of his head. " Verily the lad is an evil-disposed lad, and I begin to be a-weary of striving with him. But I will yet persevere," added the good old man, rising square and massive to his feet. "For his dead father's sake I will persevere, and perhaps, at the eleventh hour, he may be brought into the right way." For some moments after we gained the street, the Count walked in silence by my side, evidently revolving in his mind the circumstances which had just become known to Ufi. "We must ride io Ormonde," he said, at , last, " to beg of him to throw what light he can on the matter, and Walter had better, at llio feauao time, try to elicit from Addison whatever he knows of the affair. A personal interview would be best for that purpo&e, and the journey to Yaramboona would serve to divert Walter's mind. You are going to sec him now, and you might suggest this to him ; but breathe not a word of the hypothesis which I believe has suggested itself to you, as it has to me. Eemember that it is only hypothesis. Stone puts it at twenty years since Addison was married, and says that his wife had then a boy of two or three years old. Walter's] age is — how much?" " Twenty-three, I understand." " Which just tallies, you sec, with the Quaker's statement. Walter is not Addisons son, depend upon it. I am* glad of it, too, and shall be still more glad if matters turn out as I expect. But no more of that at present. Au revoir ! and commend me to Walter. I will write to Ormonde as soon as I get home." Leaving the Count to pursue his way alone, I turned off in the direction of M'Phun and Maslerman's offices, and as I went, I resolved to urge upon Walter the desirability of setting out for Yaramboona as soon as he could obtain leave of absence from, his employers. "Not," I said to myself, " that I expect to learn anything from Mad Addison that cannot be as well communicated by the priest, but the change will serve to sustain Walter's spirits. He bears up wonderfully, it is true, but the blow has been a severe one, nevertheless." "As I ascended the stairs, I met Shuter coming down. " Glad to see you," he said. " Very man I wanted. Just been to see Walter Addison. Looks down in the mouth still. Wants rousing up. Eeniernber the club I told you of, eh ? Meets to-night ; bring him along with you, we'll cheer him up, never fear." I thought the idea a good one. " Come upstairs again," I said, " and hear what Walter thinks of it." " G-reat hurry," was the reply. " Can't wait a minute," but, as • Walter made no objection to the proposal, an appointment"for the evening was quickly settled, and Mr. Shuter took himself off. Upon Walter's astonishment at what I had to tell him it is needless to dwell ; suffice it to say that he agreed at once to start for Yaramboona as soon as possible. " It fortunately happens that we are rather slack just now," he said, "so I am sure M'Phun will make no objection. I'll ask him directly ho comes in." The required permission was readily obtained, and, as it was decided that Walter should start next morning, I remained in town with him till late in 'the afternoon, when, as I alighted at the suburban terminus, I was somewhat surprised to see Eeuben Harrison upon the platform. He saw me, too, and, following me out of the station, swaggered up to me with an air of vulgar familiarity. " Good evenin' to you," he said. " Goin' to Count Justianny's, I suppoße? I'm goinj out that way myself. If he's to,o grqat a toff to ask me to his house, he can't prevent me from havin' a look at the cage that holds the , bird, eh!" and Mr. Harrison favoured mo with a hideous leer. " I flatter myself, I'm all right with the gal," he went on. '" The gals all like me — bless their little 'carts ! — but old Stone don't think I'm strait-laced enough for a son-in-law. Blest if I ' don't think I'll" have a try at the psalm-singing business,^ just to smooth the old -boy ddwnia'bit'j bu,tonly; let me get hold of the gal and' the sugar)!"— , and by way of finishing -the feentence, 1 , the ruffian laid a dirty forefinger against a 9 wollen nose, and winkeda little black eyer^""'*"!,^^ Keeping pace with me as I waUbd'on.'nGf' appeared to wait for an answer, but, finding, that' l remained silent,,he assumed/ anwoul*d-< be-confidential tone. V> -'''J^, 1 v'.T^'t ' ' '""ComW, n^w.'^fe'said^^'l'daresaVxou'.can^ give me ,a, lift! You was *a| 'jo srig '\f eUer^onse , yourseh*,- you knpV.'Vnd^ySu^igfit^caflCT^' 1 bit of a notiejbet^een ,me an^.' l Eut^"np'w|lfthd| 'V^stonisJ^ent^a^

bad recovered from his suprise, lie picked it up by the'small end, and advanced upon me, white and breathlesss with ragei but, seizing the cane before it could descend, I twisted it in an instant from his hand, and arrested a torrent of vile language upon his lips, by pinning him against the fence by the throat. " Another filthy word you scoundrel," I said, " will cost you some of your teeth!" and as, though he had the advantage of youth, he was much my inferior in strength and weight, he quickly saw that he had no chance, and elected to beg ray pardon. "Let this be a lesson to you, my friend," I said, as I released him, " not to thrust your acquaintance on those who do not desire it." The road was a quiet one, but three or four persons had by this time assembled, and, either emboldened by their presence, or trusting to his activity, when out of my clutches, Harrihad no sooner picked up his hat and stick, than he shouted after me, with an oath, that he wpuld be e|fen with me yet for what I had done. " I should not have supposed Ruth would have favoured the addresses of such a fellow," said the Count, with a grim smile, when I mentioned the occurrence to him ; " but truly thcie is no accounting for a Avoman's fancy 1" " There is no need to account for it in this instance." I replied, "I have reason to know that Euth Stone's affections are very differently placed. " I am glad to hear it," returned the Count. " I like the quiet little woman exceedingly, and should be very sorry to see her fall into the clutches of that imbecile ruffian. Are you going anywhere this evening ?" " Yes, Walter and I have been invited to a meeting of the Kangaroo Club. I understand the proceedings are of a comic character — sheer nonsense, in fact, but I thought they might serve to amuse Walter for the evening. He starts for Yaramboona in the morning. I suppose you are too much of the ' potent, grave, and reverend Signior' to patronise the Kangaroo Club." " I cannot do so to-night, for I am going to visit the Observatory, and was in hopes you would have been able to accompany me. But even sheer nonsense, as you have called it, has its advantages, and they are far from the wisest men who affect to despise complete relaxation. To most people, my astronomical evening and your nonsensical one, would seem to be wide asunder as the pole's, and yet I would not venture to affirm that my time will be more wisely spent than yours. Old iEsop hit the right nail on the head with his illustration of the unstrung bow. Here is Paola," added the Count ; "I will leave you to tell her of Walter's journey." " Walter's journey 1" repeated Paola, entering the room as her father left it. " Where to?" She bowed her head without a word when L had explained to her the nature of Walter's errand to Yaramboona, and stood for a few moments motionless as a statue, in her habitual attitude — resting her hand on the back of a chair. Then a tear stole from under the long eyelashes, and, gliding over the pale cheek, fell upon her fingers. Impatievtiy Bhe dashed it off, and turned away to leave the room again. " Her feelings are strong," I said to Euth, who had entered the room with her, " but her will is stronger !" " Yea," answered the Quakeress, " she hath a proud spirit — over-proud, I fear me ; but verily I am grieved for her," and the speaker sighed with a sympathy which I suspected was rendered all the more lively by the recollection of her own position with regard to Shuter. "By-the-way, Euth," I said, "you must forgive me for what may seem sn impertinent question. I was accosted, as I came home this evening by Mr. Eeuben Harrison, and, from what he let fall he appears to believe that — well, that he occupies a high place in your regard. I am nearly three times your age, Buth, and I use the privilege of my seniority to hope that such is not the case." A flush had come to the soft, fair cheek 1 at the mention of Harrisons name, but it was a flush of anger, and ,the blue eyes sparkled with a very uh-.Quakerlike light as she answered : " Nay ! A thousand limes nay I I hate — that is, I do not care for him in the smallest degree. How could you think I did.?" " I did not think so, Ruth, but Harrison spoke so confidentially that I was somewhat staggered. I asked the question," I added, in a low voice, "in the interests of a- certain friend of mine." Again the blood sprang into the girl's face — but this time from a different cause. " I must leave thee now," she said, with a shake of her hand. " But be assured that thy friend's interests are in no danger 1" she added, shooting back over her shoulder, as she left the room, a glance half-shy, halfroguish, nf " I do not think they are," I said to myself. " And, what is more, I think my friend, Shuter, is a decidedly lucky man. That girl is strangely attractive, with her quaint combination of plain dress and good looks — prim speech, and arch expression. Yes ; Shuter is a lucky man, and Harrison a consummate liar t"