A Girl of the Commune Page 3

  CHAPTER III.

  Cuthbert Hartington had been back in town but two days when he receiveda letter from Mr. Brander apprising him of the sudden death of hisfather. It was a terrible shock, for he had no idea whatever that Mr.Hartington was in any way out of health. Cuthbert had written only theday before to say that he should be down at the end of the week, forindeed he felt unable to settle down to his ordinary course of life inLondon. He at once sent off a telegram ordering the carriage to meet himby the evening train, and also one to Mr. Brander begging him to be atthe house if possible when he arrived.

  Upon hearing from the lawyer that his father had been aware that hemight be carried off at any moment by heart disease, but that he hadstrictly forbidden the doctor and himself writing to him, or informinganyone of the circumstances, he said--

  "It is just like my father, but I do wish it had not been so. I mighthave been down with him for the last three months of his life."

  "The Squire went on just in his usual way, Cuthbert. I am sure that hepreferred it so. He shrunk, as he said, from knowing that people he metwere aware that his days were numbered, and even with me after our firstconversation on the subject, he made no allusion whatever to it. He wasas cheery and bright as ever, and when I last met him a week ago, even Iwho knew the circumstances, could see no difference whatever in hismanner. I thought he was wrong, at first, but I came to the conclusionafterwards that his decision was not an unwise one. He spared you threemonths of unavailing pain; he had no fear of death, and was able to goabout as before to meet his friends without his health being a subjectof discussion, and in all ways to go on as usual until the call came.His death was evidently painless; he sat down in his easy arm-chairafter lunch for his usual half-hour's nap, and evidently expired in hissleep. The servant found him, as he believed, still asleep when he camein to tell him that the carriage was at the door, and it was only ontouching him he discovered what had happened. They sent the carriage offat once to fetch Dr. Edwards. He looked in at my office and took me overwith him, and I got back in time to write to you."

  The shock that the Squire's sudden death caused in Abchester, was, afortnight later, obliterated by the still greater sensation caused bythe news that the bank had put up its shutters. The dismay excitedthereby was heightened when it became known that the manager haddisappeared, and reports got about that the losses of the bank had beenenormous. The first investigation into its affairs more than confirmedthe worst rumors. For years it had been engaged in propping up the firmnot only of Mildrake and Co., which had failed to meet its engagementson the day preceding the announcement of the bank's failure, but ofthree others which had broken down immediately afterwards. In all ofthese firms Mr. Cumming was found to have had a large interest.

  On the day after the announcement of the failure of the bank, Mr.Brander drove up to Fairclose. He looked excited and anxious when hewent into the room where Cuthbert was sitting, listlessly, with a bookbefore him.

  "I have a piece of very bad news to tell you, Mr. Hartington," he said.

  "Indeed?" Cuthbert said, without any very great interest in his voice.

  "Yes; I daresay you heard yesterday of the failure of the bank?"

  "Dr. Edwards looked in here as he was driving past to tell me of it. Hadwe any money in it?"

  "I wish that was all, it is much worse than that, sir. Your father was ashareholder in the bank."

  "He never mentioned it to me," Cuthbert said, his air of indifferencestill unchanged.

  "He only bought shares a comparatively short time ago, I think it wasafter you were here the last time. There were some vague rumors afloatas to the credit of the bank, and your father, who did not believe them,took a few shares as a proof of his confidence in it, thinking, he said,that the fact that he did so might allay any feeling of uneasiness."

  "I wonder that you allowed him to invest in bank shares, Mr. Brander."

  "Of course I should not have done so if I had had the slightest ideathat the bank was in difficulties, but I was in no way behind thescenes. I transacted their legal business for them in the way of drawingup mortgages, investigating titles, and seeing to the purchase and salesof property here in the county; beyond that I knew nothing of theiraffairs. I was not consulted at all in the matter. Your father simplysaid to me, 'I see that the shares in the bank have dropped a little,and I hear there are some foolish reports as to its credit; I think asa county gentleman I ought to support the County Bank, and I wish you tobuy say fifty shares for me.'"

  "That was just like my father," Cuthbert said, admiringly, "he alwaysthought a great deal of his county, and I can quite understand hisacting as he did. Well, they were ten pound shares, I think, so it isonly five hundred gone at the worst."

  "I am afraid you don't understand the case," Mr. Brander said, gravely;"each and every shareholder is responsible for the debts of the bank tothe full extent of his property, and although I earnestly hope that onlythe bank's capital has been lost, I can't disguise from you that in theevent of there being a heavy deficiency it will mean ruin to several ofthe shareholders."

  "That is bad, indeed," Cuthbert said, thoroughly interested now. "Ofcourse you have no idea at present of what the state of the bank is."

  "None whatever, but I hope for the best. I am sorry to say I heard areport this morning that Mr. Hislop, who was, as you know, the chairmanof the bank, had shot himself, which, if true, will, of course,intensify the feeling of alarm among the shareholders."

  Cuthbert sat silent for some time.

  "Well," he said, at last, "this is sudden news, but if things are as badas possible, and Fairclose and all the estate go, I shall be better offthan many people. I shall have that five thousand pounds that came to meby my mother's settlement, I suppose?"

  "Yes, no doubt. The shares have not been transferred to my name as yourfather's executor. I had intended when I came up next week to go throughthe accounts with you, to recommend you to instruct me to dispose ofthem at once, which I should have done in my capacity of executorwithout transferring them in the first place to you. Therefore, anyclaim there may be will lie against the estate and not against youpersonally."

  "That is satisfactory anyhow," Cuthbert said, calmly. "I don't know howI should get on without it. Of course I shall be sorry to lose thisplace, but in some respects the loss will be almost a relief to me. Acountry life is not my vocation, and I have been wondering for the lastfortnight what on earth I should do with myself. As it is, I shall, ifit comes to the worst, be obliged to work. I never have worked because Inever have been forced to do so, but really I don't know that theprospects are altogether unpleasant, and at any rate I am sure that Iwould rather be obliged to paint for my living than to pass my life intrying to kill time."

  The lawyer looked keenly at his client, but he saw that he was reallyspeaking in earnest, and that his indifference at the risk of the lossof his estates was unaffected.

  "Well," he said, after a pause, "I am glad indeed that you take it soeasily; of course, I hope most sincerely that things may not be anythinglike so bad as that, and that, at worst, a call of only a few pounds ashare will be sufficient to meet any deficiency that may exist, still Iam heartily glad to see that you are prepared to meet the event in sucha spirit, for to most men the chance of such a calamity would becrushing."

  "Possibly I might have felt it more if it had come upon me two or threeyears later, just as I had got to be reconciled to the change of life,but you see I have so recently and unexpectedly come into the estatethat I have not even begun to appreciate the pleasures of possession orto feel that they weigh in the slightest against the necessity of mybeing obliged to give up the life I have been leading for years. By thebye," he went on, changing the subject carelessly, "how is your daughtergetting on in Germany? I happened to meet her at Newquay three weeksago, and she told me she was going out there in the course of a week orso. I suppose she has gone."

  "Yes, she has gone," Mr. Brander said, irritably. "She is just as bentas you were, i
f you will permit me to say so, on the carrying out of herown scheme of life. It is a great annoyance to her mother and me, butargument has been thrown away upon her, and as unfortunately the girlshave each a couple of thousand, left under their own control by theirmother's sister, she was in a position to do as she liked. However, Ihope that a year or two will wean her from the ridiculous ideas he hastaken up."

  "I should doubt whether her cure will be as prompt as you think, itseemed to me that her ideas were somewhat fixed, and it will need a gooddeal of failure to disillusionize her."

  "She is as obstinate as a little mule," Mr. Brander said shortly."However, I must be going," he went on, rising from his chair. "I droveover directly I had finished my breakfast and must hurry back again tothe office. Well, I hope with all my heart, Mr. Hartington, that thismost unfortunate affair will not turn out so badly after all."

  Cuthbert did not echo the sentiment, but accompanied his visitorsilently to the door, and after seeing him off returned to the room,where he reseated himself in his chair, filled and lighted his pipe, puthis legs on to another chair, and proceeded to think the matter out.

  It was certainly a wholly unexpected change; but at present he did notfeel it to be an unpleasant one, but rather a relief. He had for thelast ten days been bemoaning himself. While but an heir apparent hecould live his own life and take his pleasure as he liked. As owner ofFairclose he had duties to perform--he had his tenants' welfare to lookafter, there would be the bailiff to interview every morning and to gointo all sorts of petty details as to hedges and ditches, fences andrepairs, and things he cared not a jot for, interesting as they were tohis dear old father. He supposed he should have to go on the Bench andto sit for hours listening to petty cases of theft and drunkenness,varied only by a poaching affray at long intervals.

  There would be county gatherings to attend, and he would naturally beexpected to hunt and to shoot. It had all seemed to him inexpressedlydreary. Now all that was, if Brander's fears were realized, at an end,even if it should not turn out to be as bad as that, the sum he would becalled upon to pay might be sufficient to cripple the estate and toafford him a good and legitimate excuse for shutting up or letting thehouse, and going away to retrench until the liabilities were all clearedoff. Of course he would have to work in earnest now, but even thethought of that was not altogether unpleasant.

  "I believe it is going to be the best thing that ever happened to me,"he said to himself. "I know that I should never have done anything if ithadn't been for this, and though I am not fool enough to suppose I amever going to turn out anything great, I am sure that after a couple ofyears' hard work I ought to paint decently, and anyhow to turn out asgood things as some of those men. It is just what I have always beenwanting, though I did not know it. I am afraid I shall have to cut allthose dear old fellows, for I should never be able to give myself up towork among them. I should say it would be best for me to go over toParis; I can start on a fresh groove there. At my age I should not liketo go through any of the schools here. I might have three months withTerrier; that would be just the thing to give me a good start; he is agood fellow but one who never earns more than bread and cheese.

  "There isn't a man in our set who really knows as much about it as hedoes. He has gone through our own schools, was a year at Paris, andanother at Rome. He has got the whole thing at his fingers' ends, andwould make a splendid master if he would but go in for pupils, but withall that he can't paint a picture. He has not a spark of imagination,nor an idea of art; he has no eye for color, or effect. He can paintadmirably what he sees, but then he sees nothing but bare facts. He isalways hard up, poor fellow, and it would be a real boon to him to takeme for three months and stick at it hard with me, and by the end of thattime I ought to be able to take my place in some artist's school inParis without feeling myself to be an absolute duffer among a lot offellows younger than myself. By Jove, this news is like a breeze on theeast coast in summer--a little sharp, perhaps, but splendidly bracingand healthy, just the thing to set a fellow up and make a man of him. Iwill go out for a walk and take the dogs with me."

  He got up, went to the stables, and unchained the dogs, who leapt roundhim in wild delight, for the time of late had been as dull for them asfor him; told one of the stable boys to go to the house and say that hewould not be back to lunch, and then went for a twenty mile walk overthe hills, and returned somewhat tired with the unaccustomed exertion,but with a feeling of buoyancy and light-heartedness such as he had notexperienced for a long time past. For the next week he remained at home,and then feeling too restless to do so any longer, went to town, tellingMr. Brander to let him know as soon as the committee, that had alreadycommenced its investigations into the real state of the bank's affairs,made their first report.

  The lawyer was much puzzled over Cuthbert's manner. It seemed to himutterly impossible that anyone should really be indifferent to losing afine estate, and yet he could see no reason for Cuthbert's assumingindifference on so vital a subject unless he felt it. He even discussedthe matter with his wife.

  "I cannot understand that young Hartington," he said; "most men wouldhave been completely crumpled up at the news I gave him, but he took itas quietly as if it had been a mere bagatelle. The only possibleexplanation of his indifference that I can think of is that he must havemade some low marriage in London, and does not care about introducinghis wife to the county; it is just the sort of thing that a man with hisirregular Bohemian habits might do--a pretty model, perhaps, or somepeasant girl he has come across when out sketching."

  "He never did care particularly about anything," Mrs. Brander said, "andit may be he is really glad to get away from the country."

  "That would be possible enough if he had a good income in addition toFairclose, but all that he will have is that five thousand that came tohim from his mother, and I should say he is likely enough to run throughthat in a couple of years at the outside, and then where will he be?"

  "I can't think, Jeremiah, how you ever permitted his father to do such amad thing as to take those shares."

  "I know what I am doing, my dear, don't you worry yourself about that.You have been wanting me for a very long time to give up business andgo into the country. How would Fairclose suit you?"

  "You are not in earnest," she exclaimed, with an excitement very unusualto her. "You can't mean that?"

  "I don't often say what I don't mean, my dear, and if Fairclose comesinto the market, more unlikely things than that may come to pass; butmind, not a word of this is to be breathed."

  "And do you really think it will come into the market?" she asked.

  "As certain as the sun will rise to-morrow morning. We only held ourfirst meeting to-day, but that was enough to show us that the directorsought all to be shut up in a lunatic asylum. The affairs of the bank arein a frightful state, simply frightful; it means ruin to every oneconcerned."

  "It is fortunate, indeed, that you did not hold any shares, Jeremiah."

  "I was not such a fool," he said, shortly, "as to trust my money in thehands of a body of men who were all no doubt excellent fellows andadmirable county gentlemen, but who knew no more of business thanbabies, and who would be mere tools in the hands of their manager; and Ihad the excellent excuse that I considered the legal adviser of a bankshould have no pecuniary stake whatever in its affairs, but be able toact altogether without bias."

  There was an ironical smile on his lips, and his wife said, admiringly--

  "How clever you are, Jeremiah."

  "It did not require much cleverness for that," he said, with somecomplacency. "You can reserve your compliments, my dear, until we areestablished at Fairclose. All I ask is that you won't ask any questionsor allude to the matter until it is settled, but leave it entirely in myhands. So far things are working in the right direction."

  "Perhaps it will be a good thing for Cuthbert Hartington after all," shesaid, after sitting for some minutes in silence.

  "No doubt it will," he said. "At any rate as he
does not take it toheart in the slightest degree, we need not worry ourselves over him."

  "It is funny," she said, "but sometimes the idea has occurred to me thatCuthbert might some day take a fancy to one of our girls, and I mightsee one of them mistress at Fairclose; but I never dreamt I might bemistress there myself, and I can't guess, even now, how you can think ofmanaging it."

  "Don't you trouble to guess, at all, my dear; be content with the plumwhen it falls into your mouth, and don't worry yourself as to how Imanage to shake the tree to bring the fruit down."

  Three weeks later it became known definitely that after calling up theremainder of the bank's capital there would be a deficiency of nearly amillion, and that every shareholder would be called upon to contributeto the full extent of his ability, to cover the losses. One or twoletters from Mr. Brander had already prepared Cuthbert for the finalresult of the investigation, and he had already begun to carry out theplan he had marked out for himself. He had, as soon as he had returned,astonished his friends by informing them that he found that instead ofcoming into his father's estates, as he had expected, it was not likelyhe would ever touch a penny from them, as his father had been ashareholder in the Abchester Bank, and so he believed everything wouldbe swept away.

  "Fortunately," he went on, "I have got enough of my own to keep my headabove water, and, I dare say you fellows won't believe me, but I mean togo to work in earnest."

  The announcement was made to a dozen men who were smoking in Wilson'sstudio, he having returned the day before from Cornwall.

  "Well, youngster, I won't commiserate with you," he growled. "I havebeen wondering since I heard from King last night what had kept youaway, what on earth you would do with yourself now you have come intoyour money. I often thought it was the worst thing in the world for youthat you had not got to work, and if you are really going to set to now,I believe the time will come when you will think that this misfortune isthe best thing that ever happened to you."

  "I am not quite sure that I do not think so already," Cuthbert replied."I am not at all disposed to fancy myself a martyr, I can assure you. Imean to go over to Paris and enter an Art School there. I know what youfellows are. You would never let me work."

  There was a general chorus of indignation.

  "Well, how much do you work yourselves? You potter about for nine monthsin the year, and work for four or five hours a day for the other three."

  "Saul among the prophets!" Wilson exclaimed. "The idea of CuthbertHartington rebuking us for laziness is rich indeed," and a roar oflaughter showed the general appreciation of the absurdity.

  "Never mind," Cuthbert said, loftily. "You will see; 'from morn tilldewy eve,' will be my idea of work. It is the way you men loaf, and callit working, that has so far kept me from setting to. Now I am going toburst the bonds of the Castle of Indolence, and when I come back fromParis I shall try to stir you all up to something like activity."

  There was another laugh, and then Wilson said, "Well, it is the bestthing you can do to go abroad. I don't believe you would ever make afresh start here."

  "I have made fresh a start, Wilson; our respected brother Terrier here,has undertaken to teach me the rudiments, and for the next three monthshis studio doors will be closed to all visitors from ten to five."

  "Is that so? I congratulate you, Cuthbert; that really looks likebusiness, and if Terrier can't teach you how to use the brush and put oncolor no one can. Gentlemen, we will drink the health of the new boy.Here is to Cuthbert Hartington, and success to him." Glasses were raisedand the sentiment heartily echoed.

  For three months Cuthbert worked steadily; to his own surprise, not lessthan to that of his instructor, he found the hours none too long forhim. During that time he had received a letter from Mr. Brander thatsurprised him.

  "Dear Mr. Hartington,--In accordance with your instructions I at onceinformed the Receiver of the bank that you were prepared to hand overthe Fairclose estates for the benefit of the creditors, instead ofwaiting for the calls to be made, and that you wished the matter to bearranged as speedily as possible as you were shortly going abroad. Thenecessary deeds will in a few days be prepared. You will doubtless besurprised to hear that I have arranged with the Receiver for thepurchase of the estates by private treaty. I have long been intending toretire from business, and have been on the lookout for an estate in thecounty. I hope this arrangement will not be displeasing to you."

  As Mr. Brander had the reputation of being a wealthy man, and his wife'swishes that he should retire from business and purchase an estate in thecounty were public property, Cuthbert was not surprised, but at the sametime he was not altogether pleased. He had never liked the lawyer. Hehad no particular grounds for not doing so, but he had as a boy aninstinctive notion that he was a humbug.

  "I wonder," he said to himself, "whether he has all along had an eye toFairclose, and whether he really did his best to dissuade my father frommaking that disastrous investment. At any rate, it does not make anydifference to me who is there. It might have been some stranger, somemanufacturing fellow; I would rather think of Mary being at the oldplace than a man of that sort. He would have been more likely thanBrander to be hard on the tenants, and to have sold off all the thingsand have turned the place inside out. I don't say that under ordinarycircumstances I should choose Brander as a landlord, but he will knowwell enough that there would be nothing that would do him more harm inthe county than a report that he was treating the Squire's tenantsharshly. Well, I suppose I had better write him a line saying that I amglad to hear that he has bought the place, as I would naturally preferthat it should be in his hands than those of a stranger."

  A fortnight later, Cuthbert, in looking over the "Abchester Guardian,"which was sent to him weekly, as the subscription was not yet run out,read the following paragraph: "We understand that our greatly respectedtownsman, Mr. J. Brander, has purchased the house and estate ofFairclose, which has come into the market owing to the failure of theAbchester Bank, in which the late Mr. Hartington was most unfortunatelya shareholder, and which has involved hundreds of families in ruin. Thegreatest sympathy is everywhere expressed for Mr. Cuthbert Hartington.We understand that the price given by Mr. Brander was L55,000. Webelieve that we are correct in stating that Mr. Brander was the holderof a mortgage of L15,000 on the estate."

  "Mortgage for L15,000," Cuthbert repeated, "impossible. Why should myfather have mortgaged the place? He could have no occasion to raise themoney. His tastes were most simple, and I am sure that he never livedbeyond his income. He paid me a handsome allowance, but, thank God, Inever exceeded it. What in the world can this mean! I will write toBrander at once. No, I won't, I will write to the liquidator. If therewas such a thing he is certain to have looked into it closely, for itwas so much off the sum available for assets."

  By return of post Cuthbert received the following letter:

  "Dear Mr. Hartington--In reply to your question I beg to confirm thestatement in the newspaper cutting you send to me. Mr. Brander was theholder of a mortgage for L15,000 on your father's estate. I looked intothe matter very closely, as it came as a surprise upon us. Everythingwas in proper order. Mr. Brander's bank-book showed that he drew outL15,000 on the date of the mortgage, and the books of the bank confirmhis book. Notice had been given to them a week previously that he wouldrequire that sum in notes and gold, and it was so paid over to him. Hisbooks also show payment of the interest, and his receipts for the samewere found among Mr. Hartington's papers. There was, therefore, noshadow of a doubt possible as to the genuine nature of themortgage.--Yours truly, W. H. Cox."

  Although satisfied that for some reason or other his father had borrowedthis sum on mortgage from his lawyer, Cuthbert was no less puzzled thanbefore as to the purpose for which it had been raised, or what hisfather could possibly have done with the money. He, therefore, wrote toMr. Brander, saying that though it was a matter in which he had himselfno pecuniary interest, he should be glad if he would inform him of thecircumstance which
led his father to borrow such a sum.

  "I thought," he said, "that I knew everything about my father's moneyaffairs, for he always spoke most openly about them to me, and he neverlet drop a word as to the mortgage or as to any difficulty in which hehad involved himself, or any investment he had thought of making; and Iam, therefore, entirely at a loss to understand how he could haverequired such a sum of money."

  The lawyer's answer came in due course.

  "My dear Mr. Hartingon,--I was in no way surprised at the receipt ofyour letter, and indeed have been expecting an inquiry from you as tothe mortgage. It happened in this way: Some three years ago your fathersaid to me, 'I want to raise L15,000 on the estate, Brander.' I wasnaturally greatly surprised, for acting for him as I did, I was, ofcourse, aware that he lived well within his income. He went on, 'Ofcourse you are surprised, Brander, but as you must know well most menhave a skeleton in a cupboard somewhere. I have one, and as I am gettingon in life I want to bury it for good. It makes no difference to youwhat it is, and I have no intention of going into the matter. Itsuffices that I want L15,000.' 'Of course there is no difficulty aboutthat, sir,' I said, 'the estate is unencumbered, and as there is noentail you are free to do with it as you like. 'But I want it donequietly,' he said, 'I don't want it talked about that I have mortgagedFairclose. The best plan by far would be for you to do it yourself,which I have no doubt you can do easily enough if you like.' I said thatI would much rather have nothing to do with it, as I have alwaysconsidered it a mistake for lawyers to become principals in moneytransactions with their clients, and had always refused to do anythingof the sort. However, he put the matter so strongly that he at lastinduced me, against my better judgment, to consent to advance the money,and at his earnest request I handed him the money in notes, so that noone, even at the bank, should be aware that such a sum had passedbetween us. Of course the mortgage was drawn up in the usual form andduly executed and witnessed, and I have no doubt that the liquidator ofthe bank will be happy to show you your father's receipt for the moneyand the receipts given by me to him for the interest. As you say thematter does not pecuniarily affect you now, but at the same time I amnaturally anxious you should satisfy yourself thoroughly that thetransaction was in every respect a bona fide one."

  Cuthbert sat for some time with the letter before him.

  "I suppose the dear old dad must have got into some scrape or otheryears ago," he said to himself. "What it was it is no use wondering,still less inquiring about. I am surprised he never told me, but Isuppose he could not wind himself up to the point, and I have no doubthe intended to tell me some day, and would have done so if he hadn'tbeen carried off so suddenly. Anyhow, he knew me well enough to be surethat when I heard of this mortgage, and learned how it had been donethat my love and respect for him would be sufficient to prevent mytrying to search into his past. He little thought that the mortgagewould not affect me to the extent of a penny. Well, there is an end ofit, and I won't think any more about the matter the secret is dead andburied; let it rest there. And now it is time to be off to my work."