TIE & TRICK,

Waikato Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 2400, 26 November 1887, Page 1 (Supplement)

TIE & TRICK,

Novelist.

BY HAWLEY SMART, Arrnon nr “Bkkkzik LAMixoN,” "Bkokkn Bonds,” "Social Sinnkks,” “ Tur, Gukat Tontisk,” "At Fault,” &c., &c.

CHAPTER XXXIV. A CAMP REVEL. Rksipknck in tlic Count’s retreat was not bo monotonous to liis enforced guests as might bo supposed. Lovers arc generally content when they can spend the bulk of the day in each other’s society, and Wheldrake thought himself amply repaid for his sacrifice by the knowledge that Maude still loved him, and had never ceased to love him. Mrs Fullerton was devoting her entire energies to the subjugation of Jim Glanlield, and a woman with a promising flirtation in hand is always tolerably contented with surrounding circumstances. As for Sir Jasper, if ever he felt tinrn hang a little on his hands, he had nothing to do but to express Ids disbelief in Wheldrake’s innocence, and then he had both the women about bis ears. They were not only linnly convinced that bo bad never been guilty of foul play at Wrottslcy, but in their enthusiasm went so far as to say they were ipiite sure be never could bare been guilty of anything wrong. Was it likely that a man who had risked his own life to safe that of one of his traducers would stoop to such pitiful conduct ! It was sublime, it was heroic, it was a piece of splendid chivalry, such as one rarely saw in these degenerate days ; and Sir Jasper usually had to retire discomfited, from the flood of feminine eloquence ho had brought down on himself. As Jim Glanlield remarked, who happened to he present on one of these occasions, “Gad; when a woman does believe in a man, she don’t do it by halves. Wheldrake did a very generous and plucky thing, but he is not quite a Curtius, you know.” But if there is one person severely exercised by this tiffmeo life it is Mr Jackson. Sir Jasper and the ladies bad the two rooms in the hut, Wheldrake and Glanfield shared one of the two tents, I’atroceni himself taking the other; hut Jackson was left to lie down anywhere on the plateau he fancied. The old man groaned in the morning, for he had been accustomed to more luxurious lying, and the softest turf is wondrous hard when yon are accustomed to a mattress. Jackson, too, was one of those line obi English servants whose belie! in feather bed* and unopened windows was still unshaken, and to be called upon night after night to take to the bare ground and the open air instead was trying to a man of his years, Foreign ways, foreign dishes, foreign hotels, and a foreign language had all been severe trials to the old man; now everything had culminated. “ This rift' raft,” he muttered, 11 can’t even be said to have ways, they have no regular time for meals, but cat any time, sleep anywhere, and speak n heathenish tongue that no educated man can understand. It’s a dead waste of life living up here. Waste of life, indeed ! Good heavens! what put that into your headwaste of life, and us encircled hy cutthroats, who would have no more temple about knocking ns on the head than they would a bullock? Don’t suppose they have such a thing in this miserable country. I’d give a quarter’s wages for a bcafsteak and a jug of Wrottslcy ale. Sleep 1 I never get any sleep. hat s the use of this red wine of theirs to a man accustomed to take his maltiegulai ? What with lying on the bale ground and .keeping an eye on this precious lot of

scoundrels into whose hands we have fallen. I have well-nigh forgotten what a comfortable sleep is.” If the safety of the party depended upon old .lackson’a vigilance, they were most decidedly in a bad way; whatever that faithful servitor might say about Ids sleeplessness his nose at nights gave stentorial denial to; in short, if Ids hosts had shot him tor inteforing with their slumbers they might have pleaded justification for what they had done. Still Jackson was firmly convinced that he was watching the course of events with extreme vigilance; he would walk across and glare curiously at the cookery as if he detected poison in the boiling of a cutlet. He would listen to their conversation, look over their card playing, watch the rapid gesticulations which they used in their speech to each other, and from all or any of these draw the most astounding deductions of their intentions with regard to himself and his companion. At present he was boiling over with a desire to find someone to whom lie could confide his suspicions. Mr Glanficld was of no use : he had tried him ami pronounced him a gentleman deficient in gumption. There was Mr Wheldrake, but then there was that matter of thirteen nines in the pack of cards which was not calculated to inspire confidence. Should he confide in his master? No : Sir Jasper clearly didn’t understand these fnrriners or else he would never have given his best dry champagne to a robber thief. There was Miss Maude, but she was too young. It was not likely that the old butler would think otherwise of Miss Eversleigh ; he had known her all her life, and under these circumstances old servants are very slow to recognise we have attained years of discretion, regarding us as children long after we are responsible for our actions in the eye of the law. There was Mrs Fullerton. “ Nice lady is Mrs Fullerton,” said old Jackson to himself, 11 hut flighty, flighty. They are all; there’s a good deal of ginger-beer about women ; they are all pop, effervescence, and froth, and, like that sparkling but frivolous liquid, they don’t stick to yon. What I want, in a desperate situation like this, is a real port wine man, and tlie trouble is there ain’t one on the premises. Well, it isn’t the first time the honour and safety of the family’s been in the hands of the butler. Thomas Jackson, you’ll do your duty until such times as help comes, or these murdering thieves will make an end of you,’’and then the old gentleman, in his enthusiastic pursuit of further information, tumbled over sleeping men, who cursed him with southern fervour, blundered in upon Wheldrake and Maude in the midst of one of those sunshiny passages of “love’s young dream,” or drew a complimentary “ what docs the old idiot want now ?’’ from Glanficld, whom he had disturbed in a pleasant Me u tele with Mrs Fullerton. The whole scene was so utterly out of his province, so utterly foreign to any previous experience, that the old man might he said to live in a perpetual state of nightmare, firmly convinced that the safety of the entire party depended upon his coolness and decision, and that there was not one man of the entire band who was not hourly plotting their destruction. Glanfield and Wheldrake had many a discussion over the state of affairs. Wheldrake, basking in Maude’s smiles which, in defiance of her father, she persisted in shedding upon him, looked at things through roseate spectacles. He would not believe but what Hammerton would do his best for them . “ I tell you, Jim,’’ ho said for the twentieth time, “although I did it under a misconception, it was the best bit of luck that ever befell me. It lias brought Maude and me together again, and that is all tlie world to mo. Hammerton is perhaps just as well out of Fatrooeni’a roach, ami in spite of all that is past, and all that he has made me suffer, I can afford to forget and forgive. Von race a hit Jim, and have seen plenty of play in your ( time; well, yon know what I mean when I say I believe in my star against. Hammcrton’s. I always beat him, I won his money to start with ; I won, unwittingly it is true, the bride ho had marked out for himself; ho took the next trick; he took away my character, he look away my nlHimeod wife ; pretty well a tie so fur. When it comes to drawing tlie lots here, again I win; it was not fair, as we know now, but the juggling that was exercised against me at Wrottslcy was exercised in my favour on the mountain side. I threw that advantage away. I let him take my place. What’s the result ? I win back the bride I thought I’d lost, No ; something tolls mo wo shall all come safe out of this moss.” “ It’s all very well,” replied Glanfield, “ but when they once cut up rogues I never believe in them again. Yes, it has been a pretty match between you so far, hut you look like winning in a canter now. Once out of this scrape, and if you don’t marry Maude Eversleigh you will have thrown the race away.’’ “I think you may congratulate mo, Jim. Hammerton ought not to bo very long over his mission.” “ Not if the beggar can run straight, but when they once turn tricky as he’s done they always go round corners to get at any thing. Hammerton is just rook enough to ho unable to refrain from attempting to get a little the best of it. That’s whore our danger lies. Ho’U try to overreach Patroceui, and it will take a very much cleverer mau than he is to do that.”

“ Nonsense, old follow ; he knows how much depends upon it. Ho would surely act loyally to us, at all events,- in this matter. Ho must know what any trickery on Ids part might lead to.” 11 Yes, ho knows, old man,' 1 replied Olaniiokl, as ho pitched away the stump of his cigar. “ They know they will bo kicked out of the club, and lose all social caste, when they’re troubled with his complaint. As I said before he can’t run straight. However, there is no use talking about it ; I'm off to bed. But Fred Hamraorton in his auxicty to got the best of his follow creatures, will come some terrible cropper before he has done, Good night.” Wholdrako paced up and down smoking his eigarettcc between the tents and the hut. For some little time ho had some idea, perhaps, of a light muslin dross fluttering out to join Idm in Ids walk. It had happened so the last two or three evenings, and very pleasant Wheldrake had found it, but ho was not destined to bo so gratified to-night. As he turned out about the twentieth time, still fondly hoping to see the flutter of Maude’s robe iu the moonlight, lie was confronted by the portly person of old Jackson, “They’re agoing it, air, they are. They’re aworking of themselves up, they are, as hardened and perhaps as finished a sot of blackguards as over a respectable man sot eyes on. But human nature, sir is human nature, wherever you find it. Tho criminal classes at home, as is well known sir, always wind themselves up fur their iniquities, and that’s just what they’re doing. They’ve got a hamper of wine from somewhere or other, and IheyTo a swillin’ and a guzzlin’ like wild beasts, they are. They haven’t got a mug amongst them, much less a glass. They're passing the bottle, nut from hand to hand like Christians, hut from month to month, and there’s two or three of them down there whose mouth seem to hold a quart, or there abouts. At tho rate they’re goiu’ it won’t take 'em long to bo equal to doing our little job. Don’t you think, sir, we’d butler all retire into the hut and make the best light we eau of it

“ No, no, I think yon mistake, Jackson. Those follows I’ve no doubt aro having a big drink, but I don’t think they are likely to trouble themselves about us for the next two or three days at all events.” “ Well, I hope you may be right, sir,” replied Jackson, “ if you can sleep under these circumstances you are are much to be envied. As for me. I couldn’t do it. This blessed grass-plat is not what you call a thing' to make one drowsy. Then, sir, I’m accustomed to my supper with a good pull of old alo and a glass of something hot and comfortable to top up with. These savages never offer one anything to eat after sundown.” “What, they didn’t ask you to join their party, Jackson r” said Wheldrake, much amused.

“It’s not very likely, sir,” replied Jackson, drawing himself up, “that I’d sit down with the likes of them. The juniors is pretty vulgar when wa first get 'em, as a rule, but, dash me, I never saw them taking to drinking out of a bottle.” “Now, Jackson, I wish you good night,” replied Wheldrake. “ I’ll guarantee you come to no grief this night.” “It’s all very well, Mr Wheldrake, but if you think you can calculate upon what a lot of wild beasts like these will do when the drinks in ’em, I can only say you and I ain't of the same opinion. Good night, sir, and may we all be alive to-morrow morning.” After which cheerful refrain tlie hardly-tried Jackson proceeded to prowl about the plateau for an eligible place on which to stretch the .big horse-rug ho carried over his arm. The feast to which the old butler foresaw such a sanguinary termiuntion was no phantom of his brain. Pietro had received from Naples only that afternoon a very comfortable hamper of wine, and had invited bis more immediate cronies to make merry with him. No dalliors with their liquor these, no sippers, no dilatory drinkers who quaffed their wine from pitiful glasses ; but men who drank deep draughts of the blood-red wine, and thought the mouth of a bottle sweeter to kiss than that of a woman. Little recked they of Jackson and his misgivings. Little heeded they of their captives, or thought about what was to come to them. They were engrossed with their pastime, and when tho last flask was finished slept whore they had fallen on tho field of battle, as men with the proud consciousness of having done their duty. And when Jackson, after another sleepless night, woke with a,-tart such as a startled horse might give, ho found the nasal symphony played by his anticipated murderers well nigh drowned the sweet concert of tho birds.

CHAPTER XXXV. “NEWS FROM NAPLES.” During the next few days neither Sir Jasper nor any of his party saw anything of the Count. He was still in the camp they knew, as they caught an occasional glimpse of him, although he avoided coming near them. No restriction was placed upon their actions within certain limits, but beyond tins, it was sternly intimated to them by Sarini, they were not permitted to go, and that any attempt to overstep such limits would be at their own risk. That the Count was in communication with Naples both Wheldrake and Glanficid felt pretty certain. They noticed that messengers both came and went, and it was fair to presume that Patroeeni had emissaries of his own in the city, who were vigilantly watching both the movements of Hammertou and the police, About these latter the Count had certainly as yet no cause to disturb himself. They had made no sign whatever, and the English Consul had been loud in his remonstrances about their apparent apathy. The captives knew nothing ; but then there was little to know. Still Sir Jasper did think that Patroeeni might at all events have let them know how the negotiations progressed. He fumed and fidgetted a good deal. His daughter was carrying on a love affair of which he had strongly expressed his disapproval under his very nose. He could not take her away ; he could not send Wheldrake away ; and it was impossible to prevent the lovers being continually together. Ho could not be constantly reminding Wheldrake that ho had not cleared the stain from his name in his (Sir Jasper’s) opinion. Glanlield might think so, but then Glaufiold, despite the evidence of his own eyes, had refused to believe in the evidence of bis friend’s guilt in the first instance. The sole proof of his innocence rested on the word of an unscrupulous adventurer, who had shown them pretty conclusively that ho was no stickler at trifles. Well, there was one consolation, his girl and Cyril could not be married up here on the mountain side, and surely Maude would scarcely give her hand to a man in direct opposition to her father’s wishes. Still after the first day or two, when the nsvelty of the situation had worn off, when the terms of the ransom had been all fixed and there was nothingto do, but to await the delivery of the stipulated sum, Sir Jasper felt distinctly bored. The discovery that Wheldrake and Haramertou had changed places had given a temporary fillip to tilings, insomuch as Patroeeni had seemed disposed to resent such tampering with his arrangements in ruthless fashion. There had been an imminent prospect of death coming to two of the party at short notice. Men don’t feel the hours roll slowly by when they fancy their comrades have but few of those hours loft to live.

Bat now tho storm had blown over, the whole thing was reduced to the wearisome monotony of a prison—in fact, so bored was tho baronet, and so disgusted at the way the remainder of the party had paired off, that he could have found it almost in his heart to sit down to cabbage with his butler. Jackson soon discovered that his master listened more patiently to him than did anyone else, and the reason was not hard to see—he was pretty nearly the only person Sir Jasper had to talk to. Wheldrake under tho circumstances naturally gave him a wide berth. One cannot talk comfortably with a man whom one knows regards one as a card-sharper, and that feeling tho baronet never could keep out of his discourse, with either Glanfield, his daughter, or his sister; and as they all were strong iu tho opposite opinion conversation with them invariably ended in acrimony. Tho baronet, therefore, listened wit boon siderablo amusement to Jackson’s account of the bandit’s revel of the previous night. “I’ll toll you what, Jackson, men who pass tho bottle as freely as our friends there do, according to your account, oau’t bo very good guards. Why, I should think there was nothing to prevent our walking out of the camp last night ?” “That’s just it, Sir Jasper,” replied the old butler, looking furtively round. “There’s the sentries, of course, but though they don’t make beast of ’emselves they’re not above taking a goodish pull at what’s going. If wo could induce them to take their nightcaps strong enough,” continued Jackson, mysteriously, “why, Sir Jasper, I don’t see much to prevent our all walking quietly back to Naples without paying our fares to the time this furrin impostor proposes." Tho baronet said nothing hut remained wrapped in thought for a few minutes. Men in their youth scatter money as a farmer sows seeds. This is popularly known as sowing their wild outs, and the garnering of that crop is a hitter harvest home to most of them; hut later on, when the fully uud vanity

is, or ought to be, shaken out of ns [ when we have learned how very much easier it is to spend a sovereign than to make one, wo begin to feel some reverence for the science of accumulation, for a science it is, as is clearly shown by tiio pronounced failure of many who, either honestly or dishonestly, devote themselves to its pursuit. Now, Sir Jasper was as free-handed a man as ever lived No one could accuse him ol what Byron calls that “fine old gentlemanly vice of avarice.hut when it comes to a matter of saving thirty thousand pounds, the most reckless man would take the matter into grave consideration. That a man like Jackson should think their escape perfectly feasible was very natural. Ho had never been in such a position before. Ho know that four hours' walking had sufficed to bring them from the palce where they had been made captives to tho Camp. He had a sort of foggy idea that once past the sentries nothing would be easier than to regain the high road to Naples, and once there they would be in safety. He forgot that they mast bo between six and eight miles from tho high road ; that they had no conception whatever of the way 7; and that they would hardly be able, with such a determined pursuer as Patroceni on their track, to call themselves free men until they should find themselves within tho suburbs of the city. But it did soira odd that these drawbacks did not immediately strike Sir Jasper, to say nothing of the vengeance that an attempt to escape would infallibly draw down on the heads of some of the party. It was perhaps not altogether tho possibility of saving his £30,000, but tho terrible ennui produced by imprisonment and inactivity, that at length induced Sir Jasper to listen to Jackson's .scheme. Still when he came to think over it the baronet began to have misgivings. Possible their escape. So he thought—for men, but he did not feel that tho ladies were to bo depended upon for a forced midnight march, and, of course, to depart without them was out of the question. If he could not got on with Glanfield just now in consequence of that little difference of opinion between them on the subject of Wheldrake’s conduct at Wrottslcy, still ho had an immense belief in that gentleman’s shrewdness and common sense, and, therefore, thought it as well to sound him at once on the subject. If they were to escape it must undoubtedly be all together ; and, therefore, sooner or later it was incumbent upon him to take them all into his confidence. He began with Mr Glanfield, who promptly rendered further confidences totally unnecessary. No sooner did Sir Jasper unfold Jackson’s story to him and his (Sir Jasper’s) own deductions as to what advantage might be taken of this deep revelry of thoir captors than Mr Glanfield cut him short ■with a very decided opinion on the subject. “No go Sir Jasper. They get pretty boozy every night, most of’em, no doubt; but they’re like those chaps on board ship, they seem to do it in watches. Lot number one on guard, lot number two getting drunk, lot number three sleeping it off—those that get drunk have time to recover, and are all there when it is their turn to keep guard. Lord, Sir Jasper, if we did slip through their sentries (and it’s a big if), we should bo missed before we had gone ten minutes, find ourselves totally lost iu about the same length of time, one or two of us probably rolled over like rabbits before we gut a mile from the camp, and the remainder back there again by the end of the half-hour, It’s not good enough, baronet. You can’t suppose I funk, but the minute we got out of sight of these sentries we are just like what the Americans call ‘turned round’ on the Prairie—we don’t know where to head for.”

“ No- you’re right. I suppose it isn’t worth it; wo can’t afford to chance women’s lives, though I should think at the worst they would send them back to Naples.” “ One u-ould think so,” replied Glanfield. “ But about our illustrious selves don’t you make any mistake, Sir Jasper. Tilings are all very quiescent now, but should Hammortou bungle matters, our friend Patroccui will be a man of his word, and some of us will have seen the end of our tether. Dull work, but we’ve nothing to do but watch aud rvait.” That same afternoon Maude was strolling about the plateau talking to Wheldrake, and she also began to speculate ou the probabilities of their release. “ How long do you think it will bo,” she asked, “ bofor wo hear of Fred and what ho is doing for us ? I can quite understand that a large sum like this cannot bo raised without some little delay, but still ho might lot us know that the matter is in hand.” “Hush, my darling,” rejoined Wheldrake, as he threw a quick glance around, “ I have had a Hue of nows this morning. It is uot from Hammortou, nor is it of much importance. Whether the Count or Sariui have seen it I don’t know, but it is so guarded that the writer evidently thought it was very probable that they would.” “ Who is it from, and what does he say ? ” inquired Maude, eagerly. “ Well, it’s from my servant, Chisel, and I can thoroughly rely upon him in this scrape. How it has come to me I tell you honestly I don’t exactly know. I can only say one of our precious hosts, named Pietro, gave it to me, with many shrugs and winks, and polite hints that tho postage had not been paid. Now we are in such a ticklish position that I am afraid to trust anyone. My correspondent la, however, as cautious as myself. There was next to nothing in his note, aud he does not even hint at an answer. All he said was this : “ Sir,— I take advantage of a chance opportunity to let you know that I met Captain Hammertou at Messrs Toldi aud Kratz the other morning, and I believe all arrangements for your speedy return to Naples will be very shortly concluded.” “Now,” continued Wheldrake, “Icall that real good news. It shows that everything is going ou all right. That Chisel should have been able to get a letter to me at all is a sign that we are ouce more in communication with our friends. That he does not say any more is, in my eyes, a thorough guarantee of his being a very safe correspondent. That note, you see. compromises nobody, while a rash epistle, falling into Patroceni's hands, might aggravate our position to a very great extent. To put it mildly, our detention might be made very much more uncomfortable. If you were confined to the hut, and I was confined •” “ Oh, Cyril, Cyril, don’t talk in such a dreadful way.” “ Yes, Maude, you’re right. The days would be very long if we could no longer see one another.” “ Ah 1 yes, sir ; you ran away from me for some mouths, and all because you had no belief iu my love. Don’t you know that when a girl gives her heart to a man she will hear of nothing to his disparagement, much less believe it? If you were found guilty of breaking every command in tho Decalogue you would find me still by your side. When a woman gives hersolt to a man, his honour becomes hers, and tho world would hold her craven if she did not stand by him in his time of trouble.” “ Yes, you were true to me when circumstances looked cruelly against me. What I have heard here has been quite sufficient to convince Glaufield at all events of my innocence, hut your father, Maude, is still dogged iu his disbelief, aud he has so far justice ou his side. I can disprove the charge made against mo

only on the evidence of the man who made it; and lie, according to his own admission, has quarrelled with your cousin, and accuses him of having introduced the false cards into my notecase. This may absolve me before many men, hut others like your father will say there is no smoke without fire ; that Count Patroceui will probably say anything that suits him at the time, and that tlie play, probably all around, with tho exception of Glanfield, was more scientific than straightforward. “You don't mean to say, Cyril,” cried Maude, with checks aflame and Hashing eyes, " that anybody would dare uoir to say that you played unfairly that night at Wrottslcy !” “Only too many,” replied Wheldrake, slowly. “Ido not want to hurt your feelings by conjecture ; but the real story of that business, the virtual clearing of my name, will not take place till I have discovered who the confederate was .amongst the household. Somebody must have removed those false cards every morning from the table, and that somebody must have been perfectly aware who employed him to do so. It will he painful, very painful, but I have no alternative.”

“ I dou’t understand, how can clearing yont good name be painful !” said the girl, looking up at him with a puzzled expression on her face. “ Can’t you see, dearest, that though I did not use false cards, still there is no doubt they were used, I can only clear myself by fixing the guilt on somebody else.” “ But why should yon hesitate,’’ cried Maude, “it is your character against Count Patroeeni’s, and really I don t think that hia character will be much damaged by a trilling crime of this nature being added to the list of his offences.” “ You still do not quite understand me. I do not think Patroceui was tho culprit.” ‘‘Why? Who else could it be? Yon surely do not suspect either Mr Glanfield or Fred ?” “Certainly not Glanfield; hut I must certainly say when I establish my innocence it will be at your cousin’s expense.”

For a minute Maude was silent. Then she suddenly exclaimed—- “ But you must do it. Such a monstrous injustice cannot be permitted as that you should bear the disgrace and odium of Fred’s crime. I am grieved, dreadfully grieved, but the truth must be made evident, if possible.” “I must convince your father of my innocence,” said Wheldrake, “and when we got back to England I don’t think that will be difficult. I have hoard a good deal of what went on in the house amidst the servants, after I left. Old Jackson, it seems, hold a species of enquiry on his own account. He is not quite tho man to manage a thing of this sort. Fie told Glanfield that he had discovered the culprit, but could not make him confess; my impression is, Jackson simply thought he higi discovered the culprit, that he put tho saddle on the wrong horse, and accused someone who had nothing at all to do with it. I’ll engage that Chisel, my valet, would very soon get to the bottom of the matter, if, as I suspect, the confederate was a servant. When wc get back to England I shall not be long before I convince Sir Jasper of my innocence.” “ And that,” said Maude, “ will, I trust, not bo very long now.” “No, judging by the note I read to you, Hammerton, is doing his best for us, and everything bids fair to be speedily arranged; and now good night, and pleasant dreams to you,” and with a warm embrace the lovers parted, {To he continual.)