"He did."
"Is it in your possession?"
"It is."
"Then I must ask you to produce it at once."
"Produce it? To whom?"
"To me. Miss Patterson has instructed me to request you to hand it over at once to my keeping."
"Then, if that is so, I am afraid that, for the moment, I have no choice but to ignore the young lady"s request. I will see Miss Patterson."
"Miss Patterson will decline to see you."
"She will decline to see me? On what grounds?"
"It is not necessary that she should state any grounds. Any communication you wish to have with Miss Patterson must be through me or her solicitor. Do I understand that you finally refuse to do as she requests, and hand me her father"s will?"
"If you were not a very young man, Mr. Elmore, I should say that you were a foolish one; but possibly youth is your extenuation. The will will be produced at the proper time, in the proper place, to the proper person; it will certainly not be handed to you."
"Then Miss Patterson"s solicitor will at once take steps which will compel its instant production."
"Miss Patterson"s solicitor? You really are a remarkable young man! I am Miss Patterson"s solicitor. It was her father"s wish that I should continue to act for her, as I acted for him."
"You will do nothing of the kind. If Mr. Patterson has left any legal powers to that effect, his daughter will resort to every process of law to effect your removal; your refusal to withdraw will not redound to your credit. You say you have been his legal adviser for more years than I am old. Mr. Patterson was a bad husband and a bad father. He utterly neglected his daughter; he did nothing to show that he had any of a parent"s natural feelings; although she respected his every wish and he had no complaint to make of her, he was wholly indifferent to both her welfare and her happiness; he saw as little of her and did as little for her as he could. In many respects he was to her both a reproach and a shame, the sole object of his existence being his own gross physical enjoyment. Without being, perhaps, what is called an habitual drunkard, he habitually drank too much, and was frequently intoxicated in her presence. He was an evil-liver--with his relations with notorious women you are probably better acquainted than I am; she, unfortunately, has good reason to know that they were of a discreditable kind. To crown an ill-spent career he has taken his own life, under circ.u.mstances which can hardly fail to be the cause of scandal, which may leave a brand on her for the remainder of her life, though she is still only a girl. You apparently pride yourself on having been confidential adviser to such a man through a great number of years. Is it strange, therefore, that she would rather that somebody else should advise her? Think it over; you will yourself perceive that it is not strange; I am sure that will be the feeling of a court of law. Now, Mr. Wilkes, I must again ask you to get out of that chair."
"And if I refuse?"
Rodney moved to the other side of the table, took Mr. Wilkes--who was not a big man--by either elbow, lifted him as if he were a child, and deposited himself on the chair in his place. The solicitor, who had made not the slightest show of resistance, stood ruefully rubbing his arms.
"I believe you have put both my elbows out of joint, you young ruffian."
Rodney was placidity itself.
"Have you never heard of Jiu-jitsu, Mr. Wilkes? You know even better than I do that you are a trespa.s.ser on these premises, and that a trespa.s.ser is a person towards whom one is ent.i.tled to use all necessary force."
Taking a bunch of keys out of his jacket pocket, he inserted one in the lock of the drawer which was in front of him. Mr. Wilkes surveyed the proceeding with obvious surprise.
"What keys are those?"
"These are my uncle"s keys. They were handed to me by Miss Patterson, with instructions to go through her father"s private papers and doc.u.ments, and so ensure their not being tampered with by persons who certainly have not her interest at heart."
"If you take my earnest advice, young gentleman, you will not touch anything which is in those drawers. If you are not careful you will go too far."
"I will not take your advice, Mr. Wilkes--whether earnest or otherwise. I observe, Andrews, that you are still there. There are one or two remarks which I wish to make to Mr. Wilkes in private. Once more, are you going to leave this room?"
The managing man looked at the lawyer as if for advice and help in the moment of his hesitation.
"Perhaps," said Mr. Wilkes, replying to his unspoken question, "you had better go. You will commit yourself to nothing by going."
"Whereas," observed Elmore, with his smiling glance fixed on the managing man, "you will commit yourself to a good deal by not going, because I shall not only put you out of this door, but into the street. So far as this office is concerned, that will be the end of you. I will take steps which will ensure your never entering it again."
After another brief moment of hesitation, with a glance of what was very like reproach towards the lawyer, Andrews quitted the room, with the air of one who was both bewildered and hurt. So soon as he had gone Mr. Wilkes observed:
"Mr. Elmore, you are taking a very great deal upon yourself; you certainly have the courage of youth, but be warned by me, don"t take too much. If it is shown that your uncle"s depositions are not what you are taking it for granted they are, your position will be rendered more difficult by the att.i.tude you are now taking up."
"I care nothing for any warning which comes from you, Mr. Wilkes. Why did my uncle commit suicide?"
"What do you mean by asking me such a question? Do you imagine that if I knew I should tell you?"
"Does that mean that you know?"
"It means nothing of the sort; but it does mean that if I had any such secret knowledge, the only person to whom I should breathe a word of it would be his daughter."
"That you certainly would not do. Miss Patterson"s heartfelt prayer is that she may never know. That he had some shameful reason is plain; if it can be kept from her it shall be; if it reaches her through you, you will deserve to be whipped."
"Mr. Elmore, I knew your father."
"That"s more, Mr. Wilkes, than I ever did."
"His end was like your uncle"s."
"So I learned from my uncle before--he ended. And it is because the shame of what he did seems to rest on me, in the mouths of such as you, that I am resolved to shield my cousin--if I can. I imagine that, in a strictly scientific sense, you are, in part, responsible for my uncle"s fate."
"How do you arrive at that--somewhat startling conclusion?"
"You aided and abetted him in what he did."
"Indeed! As how?"
"I happen to know that you were more than once his companion when he was in the society of certain notorious women, with whose character you were undoubtedly as well acquainted as he was."
"And if I was--what then?"
"If, on more than one occasion, A is in the company of B when B is in the act of committing a crime, what is the inference we draw as regards A?"
"You really are a remarkable young man!"
"More. On more than one occasion you have borrowed money from Mr.
Patterson."
"We have had business relations for many years."
"Did he ever borrow money from you?"
"No; because he did not do the cla.s.s of business I did."
"Exactly. At this moment you are his debtor in a considerable sum."