"Does I understand you to say, Evan, that no other family but that of the master"s put this three-fingered hand with a knife on to their things?"
"That"s so, mother; leastways it"s what the butler says about it."
"Then if that"s the case," Mrs. Holl said thoughtfully, "any one who has got this crest, as you calls it, on his things must be a relation of the Captain."
"I suppose so, mother; he might be a long distance off, you know, because this ere affair took place hundreds of years ago, and there may be a lot of the same family about in different parts."
"So there might," Mrs. Holl said, in a disappointed voice.
"Why, mother," Harry said, "one would think it made some difference to you, you speak so mournfully about it."
"It don"t make no difference to me, Harry," Mrs. Holl said, "but it makes a lot of difference to you. You know I told you two or three months ago how you come to be here. I don"t know as I told you that round the neck of your mother, when she died in that room, was a bit of silk ribbon, and on it was a little seal of gold, with a red stone in it, which I put by very careful for you, though what good such a thing would do to you, or anybody else, I didn"t see. Well, on that red stone there was something cut; and father he took it to a chap as understands about those things, who got some red wax, and hotted it, and dropped some of it on a paper, and then squeezed this "ere stone down on it, and looks at the mark through a eye-gla.s.s, and he tells father that it was a hand with three fingers holding a dagger."
"That was curious, mother," Harry said, "very curious. Can you fetch me the seal and let me have a look at it? I don"t remember ever having seen it."
The seal was fetched by Mrs. Holl from a pill-box, in which it was carefully stored away in the corner of a drawer. Harry examined it closely.
"It looks like a hand holding a dagger," he said, "but it"s too small for me to see whether it has three fingers or four. Evan, will you run round with it to the little watchmaker"s in the next street, and ask him to look at it with one of the gla.s.ses he sticks in his eye when he is at work, and to tell you whether it has three fingers or four."
Evan returned in a few minutes with the news that the watchmaker at once said that the hand had but three fingers.
"Well, from that, Harry," Mrs. Holl said, "if what this man have been and told Evan is right, you must be some relation to Captain Bayley."
"A cousin, fifty times removed, perhaps," Harry laughed, "but at any rate, it is pleasant to be able to think that I come of a good family."
"You knew that before, Harry," Mrs. Holl said severely, "for I told you over and over again that your mother was a lady, though she was in bad circ.u.mstances, and I think, after charring in respectable houses for the last twenty years, I ought to know a lady when I sees one. Well, there"s nothing as you think I could do about it?"
"I should think not," Harry laughed. "How the old gent would stare if Evan was to walk up to him and say, "Captain Bayley, I have got a foster-brother at home who, I think, is a relation of yours." That would be a nice piece of cheek, wouldn"t it?"
Evan laughed.
"However, mother, I votes as in future we calls Harry Harry Bayley instead of Harry Holl."
"You won"t do anything of the sort, Evan," the cripple lad answered hotly. "Holl"s my name, and you don"t suppose I am going to drop the name of the father and mother who brought me up, and have tended me all these years, for Bayley or any other name; besides, even if it should turn out that I am remotely connected with the family, there is no reason why my name should be Bayley, for, of course, if my mother had been a Bayley, she would have changed her name when she married."
Harry thought but little more of the matter, but Mrs. Holl turned it over frequently in her mind, and discussed it with John. John said, "He didn"t think much would come of it; still, he didn"t see as how there could be any harm in asking, seeing that she had set her mind on it."
So Mrs. Holl resolved to move in the matter. Evan, on being appealed to, said that he did not see how she was to get to speak with Captain Bayley; the footman wouldn"t be likely to show her in to his master unless she stated her business. But after much pressing, and declaring over and over again he wished he had never said a word about the hand with three fingers, Evan consented, if he found an opportunity, to ask Captain Bayley to see his mother. This opportunity, however, did not arrive, Evan"s duties never bringing him in contact with his employer.
At last Mrs. Holl became desperate, and one morning, after breakfast, she went to Captain Bayley"s house. The ring at the area-bell brought out the cook.
"What is it?" she said sharply.
"I am the mother, ma"am, of Evan, as works here."
"Well, come down, if you want to see him."
"I don"t want to see him, I want to see Captain Bayley."
"I will tell the footman," the cook said, "but I don"t think it likely as you can see the Captain."
The footman soon made his appearance. Fortunately he was very young, and had not yet acquired that haughtiness of manner which characterises his cla.s.s. Evan had before told him that his mother wanted to see Captain Bayley, and had begged him to do his best, should she come, to facilitate her doing so.
"Good morning," he said. "Your boy told me you would be likely enough coming. So you want to see the Captain; he has just finished his breakfast and gone into the study. Now, what shall I say you wants to see him for? I can"t show you in, you know, without asking him first."
The young footman was, indeed, curious to know what Mrs. Holl"s object could be in wishing to see his master. Evan had resisted all his attempts to find out, simply saying that it was a private affair of his mother"s.
"Will you say to him," Mrs. Holl said, "that the mother of the boy as works here under you is most anxious for to see him just for two or three minutes; that it ain"t nothing to do with the boy, but she wishes particular to ask Captain Bayley a question--if he will be so good as to see her--that no one else but hisself could answer."
"It"s a rum sort of message," the young footman said, "but, anyhow, I will give it; the Captain ain"t as hot-tempered as he used to be, and he can but say he won"t see you."
Captain Bayley looked mystified when the footman delivered Mrs. Holl"s message to him; then he remembered that it was Frank who had introduced her son to help in the house, and he wondered whether her errand could have any connection with him.
"Well, show her up, James," he said; "but just tell her that my time is precious, and that I don"t want to listen to long rambling stories, so whatever she has got to say, let her say it straight out."
"It"s all right," James said, as, descending to the kitchen, he beckoned Mrs. Holl to follow him; "but the Captain says you are to cut it short; so if you wants an answer you had best put your question, whatever it is, short and to the point, or he will snap you up in a minute, I can tell you."
Mrs. Holl followed into the library. She was at no time a very clear-headed thinker, and the difficulty of putting her question into a few words pressed heavily upon her.
"Now, my good woman, what is it?" Captain Bayley said, as she entered.
"I am going out in a few minutes, so come straight to the point, if you please."
"I will come as straight as I can, sir," Mrs. Holl said breathlessly, "but indeed, sir, I am a bad hand at explaining things, and if you snaps me up I shall never get on with it."
Captain Bayley smiled a little. "Well, I will try and not snap you up if you will come to the point. Now, what is the point?"
"The point, sir," Mrs. Holl said despairingly, "is a hand with three fingers a-holding of a dagger."
Captain Bayley looked astonished. "You mean my crest," he said; "why, what on earth are you driving at?"
"Evan saw it on the forks," Mrs. Holl explained.
"Yes, no doubt he did," Captain Bayley said; "but what of that? That"s my crest."
"Yes, sir, so Evan said, and when he told me it just knocked me silly like, and says I to him, says I----"
"Never mind what you said to him," Captain Bayley broke in, "what is it you want to say to me? What is there curious in my crest being on my spoons? Now just wait one minute, and tell me as plainly as you can."
Mrs. Holl waited a minute.
"Well, sir, it struck me all in a heap, because I"ve got in the house a thing with just such another hand, a-holding of a knife in it."
"Oh!" Captain Bayley said, "you have got some article with my crest on it in your house. How did you come by it? It must have been stolen."
"No, sir, I will take my davey as the young person as was my son Harry"s mother never stole nothing in her life."
"The young person who was your son Harry"s mother," Captain Bayley repeated, in a somewhat puzzled tone. "Are you talking of yourself?"
"Lor" no, sir, the young person."