"You will never have a secret again from me, my darling?" he said.
"I never, never had one," she answered, for it was impossible for her to understand that this brief delay in her confidence could be considered a secret. "Now for my other news," she said.
"Now for your other news," he repeated.
"John, what is the thing you desire most in the world?"
Of course this young man being sincerely attached to this young woman, answered,--
"You, Charlotte."
"John, you always said you did not like Uncle Jasper, but see what a good turn he has done us--he has persuaded my father to allow us to marry at once."
"What, without my brief?"
"Yes, without your brief; my dear father told me this morning that we may fix the day whenever we like. He says he will stand in the way no longer. He is quite sure of that brief, we need not wait to be happy for it, we may fix our wedding-day, John, and you are to dine here this evening and have a talk with my father afterwards."
Hinton"s face had grown red. He was a lover, and an attached one; but so diverse were the feelings stirred within him, that for the moment he felt more excited than elated.
"Your father is very good," he said, "he gives us leave to fix the day.
Very well, that is your province, my Lottie; when shall it be?"
"This is the twentieth of February, our wedding-day shall be on the twentieth of June," she replied.
"That is four months hence," he said. In spite of himself there was a sound of relief in his tone. "Very well, Charlotte; yes, I will come and dine this evening. But now I am late for an appointment; we will have a long talk after dinner."
CHAPTER XIII.
HIS FIRST BRIEF.
Hinton, when he left Charlotte, went straight back to his chambers. He had no particular work to hurry him there; indeed, when he left that morning he had done so with the full intention of spending the entire afternoon with his betrothed. He was, as has been said, although a clever, yet certainly at present a briefless young barrister.
Nevertheless, had twenty briefs awaited his immediate attention, he could not have more rapidly hurried back as he now did. When he entered his rooms he locked the outer door. Then he threw himself on a chair, drew the chair to his writing table, pushed his hands through his thick hair, and staring hard at a blank sheet of paper which lay before him began to think out a problem. His might scarcely have been called a pa.s.sionate nature, but it was one capable of a very deep, very real attachment. This attachment had been formed for Charlotte Harman. Their engagement had already lasted nearly a year, and now with her own lips she had told him that it might end, that the end, the one happy end to all engagements, was in sight. With comfort, nay, with affluence, with the full consent of all her friends, they might become man and wife.
John Hinton most undoubtedly loved this woman, and yet now as he reviewed the whole position the one pleasure he could deduct for his own reflection was in the fact that there was four months" reprieve.
Charlotte had herself postponed their wedding-day for four months.
Hinton was a proud man. When, a year ago, he had gone to Mr. Harman and asked him for his daughter, Mr. Harman had responded with the very natural question, "What means have you to support her with?"
Hinton had answered that he had two hundred a year--and--his profession.
"What are you making in your profession?" asked the father.
"Not anything--yet," answered the young man.
There was a tone of defiance and withal of hope thrown into that "yet"
which might have repelled some men, but pleased Mr. Harman. He paused to consider. He might have got a much, much better match for Charlotte from a temporal standpoint. Hinton was of no family in particular; he had no money worthy of the name. He was simply an honest fellow, fairly good-looking, and with the heart of a gentleman.
"You are doubtless aware," replied Mr. Harman, "that my daughter will inherit a very large fortune. She has been sought for in marriage before now, and by men who could give something to meet what she brings, both with regard to money and position."
"I have heard of Mr. S."s proposal," answered Hinton. "I know he is rich, and the son of Lord ----; but that is nothing, for she does not love him."
"And you believe she loves you?"
"Most certainly she loves me."
In spite of himself Mr. Harman smiled, then after a little more thought, for he was much taken with Hinton, he came to terms.
He must not have Charlotte while he had nothing to support her with.
Pooh! that two hundred a year was nothing to a girl brought up like his daughter. For Hinton"s own sake it would not be good for him to live on his wife"s money; but when he obtained his first brief then they might marry.
Hinton was profuse in thanks. He only made on his part one stipulation--that brief, which was to obtain for him his bride, was in no way to come to him through Mr. Harman"s influence. He must win it by his own individual exertion.
Mr Harman smiled and grew a trifle red. In his business capacity he could have put twenty briefs in this young fellow"s way, and in his inmost heart he had resolved to do so; but he liked him all the better for this one proviso, and promised readily enough.
Hinton had no business connections of his own. He had no influential personal friends, and his future father-in-law felt bound in honor to leave him altogether to his own resources. A year had nearly pa.s.sed since the engagement, and the brief which was to win him Charlotte was as far away as ever. But now she told him that this one embargo to their happiness had been withdrawn. They might marry, and the brief would follow after. Hinton knew well what it all meant. The rich city merchant could then put work in his way. Work would quickly pour in to the man so closely connected with rich John Harman. Yes. As he sat by his table in his small shabbily furnished room, he knew that his fortune was made. He would obtain Charlotte and Charlotte"s wealth; and if he but chose to use his golden opportunities, fame too might be his portion. He was a keen and ardent politician, and a seat in the House might easily follow all the other good things which seemed following in his track. Yes; but he was a proud man, and he did not like it. He had not the heart to tell Charlotte to-day, as she looked at him with all the love she had so freely given shining in her sweet and tender face, that he would not accept such terms, that the original bargain must yet abide in force. He could not say to this young woman when she came to him, "I do not want you." But none the less, as he now sat by his writing-table, was he resolved that unless his brief was won before the twentieth of June it should bring no wedding-day to him. This was why he rejoiced in the four months" reprieve. But this was by no means his only perplexity. Had it been, so stung to renewed action was his sense of pride and independence, that he would have gone at once to seek, perhaps to obtain work; but something else was lying like wormwood against his heart. That story of Mrs. Home"s! That explanation of Jasper Harman"s!
The story was a queer one; the explanation, while satisfying the inexperienced girl, failed to meet the requirements of the acute lawyer.
Hinton saw flaws in Jasper"s narrative, where Charlotte saw none. The one great talent of his life, if it could be called a talent, was coming fiercely into play as he sat now and thought about it all. He had pre-eminently the gift of discovering secrets. He was rooting up many things from the deep grave of the hidden past now. That look of care on Mr. Harman"s face, how often it had puzzled him! He had never liked Jasper; indefinite had been his antipathy hitherto, but it was taking definite form now. There _was_ a secret in the past of that most respectable firm, and he, John Hinton, would give himself no rest until he had laid it bare. No wedding-day could come to him and Charlotte until his mind was at rest on this point. It was against his interest to ferret out this hidden thing, but that fact weighed as nothing with him.
It would bring pain to the woman he loved; it might ruin her father; but the pain and the ruin would be inflicted unsparingly by his righteous young hand, which knew nothing yet of mercy but was all for justice, and justice untempered with mercy is a terrible weapon. This Hinton was yet to learn.
CHAPTER XIV.
LODGINGS IN KENTISH TOWN.
After a time, restless from the complexity of his musings, Hinton went out. He had promised to return to the Harmans for dinner, but their hour for dinner was eight o"clock, and it still wanted nearly three hours of that time. As Charlotte had done before that day, he found himself in the close neighborhood of Regent"s Park. He would have gone into the park, but that he knew that the hour of closing the gates at this early period of the year must be close at hand; he walked, therefore, by the side of the park, rather aimlessly it is true, not greatly caring, provided he kept moving, in what direction his footsteps took him.
At last he found himself on the broad tram line which leads to the suburb of Kentish Town. It was by no means an interesting neighborhood.
But Hinton, soon lost in his private and anxious musings, went on. At last he left the public thoroughfare and turned down a private road.
There were no shops here, nor much traffic. He felt a sense of relief at leaving the roar and bustle behind him. This road on which he had now entered was flanked at each side by a small cla.s.s of dwelling-houses, some shabby and dirty, some bright and neat; all, however, were poor-looking. It was quite dusk by this time, and the gas had been already lit. This fact, perhaps, was the reason which drew Hinton"s much-preoccupied attention to a trivial circ.u.mstance.
In one of these small houses a young woman, who had previously lit the gas, stepped to the window and proceeded to paste a card to the pane.
There was a gas lamp also directly underneath, and Hinton, raising his eyes, saw very distinctly, not only the little act, but also the words on the card. They were the very common words----
APARTMENTS TO LET
INQUIRE WITHIN.
Hinton suddenly drew up short on the pavement. He did not live in his chambers, and it occurred to him that here he would be within a walk of Regent"s Park. In short, that these shabby-looking little lodgings might suit him for the next few uncertain months. As suddenly as he had stopped, and the thought had come to him, he ran up the steps and rang the bell. In a moment or two a little servant-maid opened the door. She was neither a clean nor a tidy-looking maid, and Hinton, fastidious on such matters, took in this fact at a glance. Nevertheless the desire to find for himself a habitation in this shabby little house did not leave him.
"I saw a card up in your window. You have rooms to let," he said to the little maid.
"Oh, yes, indeed, please, sir," answered the servant with a broad and delighted grin. ""Tis h"our drawing-rooms, please, sir; and ef you"ll please jest come inter the "all I"ll run and tell missis."