Taking the packet of notes out of his pocket-book, he went over their numbers. They were all consecutive, the nine of them; and so was the tenth, the one I had taken down. He pushed his night-cap back and stared at us.
"Did you two get larking yesterday and drop the letter on your way to the post?"
"We took it straight to the post, sir, and put it safely in."
"I don"t know that I"d answer for that," stormed the Squire. "Once dropped in the street, there"s no knowing who might pick it up, or what tricks might be played with it. Hold your tongues, you two. How else do you suppose it could have been done? We don"t live in the days of miracles."
Off went his night-cap, on went his coat. Ringing the bell, he ordered the phaeton to be got ready on the instant, to take him to the station: he was going to Worcester. Mrs. Todhetley quite implored him not to go; as good as went down on her knees: he would increase his cold, and perhaps be laid up. But he wouldn"t listen. "Hang the cold!" he said: "he had no cold; it was gone. People shouldn"t have it to say that tricks could be played on him with impunity, and stolen notes subst.i.tuted for honest ones."
"What a way he puts himself into!" laughed Tod, when he had ordered us off to make ready.
"I know somebody else who does just the same."
"You"ll get it presently, Johnny."
Away we went to the station, Bob and Blister spanking along and Tod driving; the Squire, wrapped in about a dozen rugs and comforters, sitting beside him. The groom, Dwarf Giles, was behind with me: he would have to take the carriage back again. A train came up pretty soon, and we reached Worcester.
Of all commotions, the Squire made the worst. When he got to the bank, Mr. Isaac was out: would not be in till three o"clock: and that put the finishing stroke to the pater"s impatience. Next he went to the Star, and told of the matter there, gathering half the house about him. The post-office was taken next. They seemed to know nothing whatever about the letter--and I don"t think they did--had not particularly noticed it in sorting: could not have seemed to see less had they been in a fog at sea: except one thing, and that they"d swear to--that every letter posted at the office the previous day, and all other days, had been duly forwarded, untampered with, to its destination.
The first dawn of reason that fell over us was in the interview with Mr.
Isaac. It was pleasant to be with any one so cheerfully calm. Taking the roll of five-pound notes in his hand, he p.r.o.nounced them to be the same he had given us on the previous day; and the number I had dotted down to have been the one belonging to the tenth note.
"And is this one of those two stolen ones that were advertised?"
demanded the Squire, putting it into Mr. Isaac"s hands.
Mr. Isaac spoke with a clerk for a minute--perhaps referring to the numbers as Salmon had done--and came back saying that it was the note.
So there we were: the matter laid, so far, to rest. Nothing could be more unsatisfactory. The Squire sat quite still, as if he had been struck dumb.
"I"m sure I shall never see daylight out of this," cried the Squire, in a sort of hopeless, mazy tone. "It"s worse than conjuring."
Mr. Isaac was called away. The Squire fastened upon one of the old clerks, and went over the matter with him. He could not readily understand it.
"The note must have been changed, Mr. Todhetley," said he.
"Changed in the post?"
"Changed somewhere."
"But who did it?"
"That"s the question."
The Squire could not tear himself away. Once out of the bank he would be nonplussed. He began casting a doubt on the Worcester post-office; the clerk retorted that there was a post-office at our end, Timberdale: and at that the Squire fired up. Each would have held out for the good faith of his respective post-office to the death. It put Tod and me in mind of the fable of the crows, each old mother saying that her own crow was the whitest. After glaring at one another for a bit through their spectacles, they shook hands and parted.
We arrived home to a late dinner at Crabb Cot, just as wise as we had left it in the morning. The Squire had an awful cold, though he wouldn"t admit it. At nine o"clock he virtually gave in, went up to bed, and said Molly was to make him a basin of hot gruel, and we might put a drop of brandy in it.
The mode of conveying the letters from Worcester was this. The Timberdale bag, made up at the Worcester office, was brought out at night by the late train, and dropped at the Timberdale Station. The postmaster of Timberdale would be at the station to receive it, and carry it home.
His name was Rymer. A man of acknowledged respectability in the place, and of good connections, the son of a clergyman. He had been brought up for a surgeon, but somehow never had the chance to pa.s.s; and, years and years ago, opened a chemist and druggist"s shop at Timberdale. Then he added other things: stationery, Christmas cards, valentines, boys"
marbles, purses, and such like, which his wife attended to. In time he had the post-office. As to suspecting Rymer of doing anything wrong with the note, it was not to be thought of. He had two children: a son, who never seemed to do any good for himself, and if placed away from home would return to it again: and a daughter, a nice little girl of sixteen, who was as useful amidst the drugs and the post-office work as her father.
Timberdale had two letter-carriers. One for the place itself, the other for the country round. This last had a regular journey of it, for the farm-houses were scattered. There had always been talk that our two houses--the Squire"s and old Coney"s--ought not to be put in the Timberdale district of delivery, and why it was originally done n.o.body could make out; seeing that we were ever so far off Timberdale, and in Crabb parish. But people did not bestir themselves to alter it, and so the old custom went on. The country postman was Lee: a trustworthy old soul with shaky legs.
The next morning, Cole the surgeon came in, vexed. The Squire ought not to have got up at all the day before, he said, much less have gone to Worcester; and where was the use of his prescribing remedies if they were not attended to? Upon that, the Squire (after retorting that he should do as he pleased in spite of Cole and his remedies, and speaking in a sort of hoa.r.s.e and foggy voice) told about posting the bank-note to Mrs. Todhetley, and what had come of it.
"Well, it"s a strange thing," said Cole, when he had turned the news over in his mind. "What do _you_ think, Johnny?"
He would often say to me when talking of things and people, "What do _you_ think?" He had a theory that I saw more clearly than others, just as Duffham at Church d.y.k.ely had. I had nothing particular to think about this: it seemed a hopeless mystery.
"Lee"s sure," said Cole, speaking of the postman; "so is Rymer. It could have been in no other hands on this side the journey."
"The Worcester people say it was not tampered with on their side."
"Have you questioned Rymer about it?"
"Not yet," croaked the Squire. "I meant to have gone to him to-day."
"Which you will not do!" cried Mr. Cole. "But now, look here: I wouldn"t tell people at first that the exchanged note was one of those stolen ones, if I were you: not even Rymer. No one likes to be mixed up in robberies. You"d put folks on their guard at once; and any chance word of enlightenment, that might otherwise be dropped, would be kept in."
We did not quite take him. "_I_ would not," repeated Cole.
"But we must inquire about it," said Tod. "What"s to be said of the note?"
"Say that the bank-note you put in was changed _en route_ for another one: that the numbers did not tally. That"s all you need say at first."
Tod could not see any reason in the argument; but the Squire took up the idea eagerly, and ordered Tod to do as was suggested. He was unable to go to Timberdale himself, but was far too impatient to let it rest until another day, and so Tod was to be his deputy.
With at least a hundred suggestions and injunctions from the Squire--who only ceased when his voice disappeared completely--we set off, taking the way of the Ravine. It was a fine spring day: the trees were coming into leaf, the thorns and other bushes were budding: violets and primroses nestled at their feet. I picked some early cowslips for a ball for Lena, and some double white violets for Mrs. Todhetley.
Past Timberdale Court went we; past the church; past Jael Batty"s and the other straggling cottages, and came to the village street. It was paved: and you can"t say that of all villages.
Mr. Rymer was behind his counter: a thin, delicate-faced man, with a rather sad expression and mild brown eyes. In spite of his poor clothes and his white ap.r.o.n and the obscure shop he had served in for twenty years, his face had "gentleman" plainly stamped on it: but he gave you the idea of being too meek-spirited; as if in any struggle with the world he could never take his own part.
The shop was a double shop, resembling Salmon"s at South Crabb in shape and arrangements. The drugs and chemicals were on the left-hand side as you entered; the miscellaneous wares on the other. Horse and cattle medicines were kept with the drugs: and other things too numerous to mention, such as pearl barley, pickles, and fish-sauce. The girl, Margaret Rymer, was serving a woman with a pennyworth of writing-paper when we went in, and a postage-stamp. Tod asked for Mr. Rymer.
He came forward from the little parlour, at one end of which was the desk where he did his postal work.
Upon Tod"s saying that we wished to speak with him privately, he took us into the parlour. As we sat down opposite to him, I could not help thinking what a nice face he had. It was getting very careworn. A stranger would have given him more than his forty-five years: though the bright brown hair was abundant still. Tod told his story. The chemist looked thoroughly surprised, but open and upright as the day.
I saw at once that no fault attached to him.
"A bank-note exchanged as it pa.s.sed through the post!" he exclaimed.
"But, Mr. Joseph Todhetley, the thing appears impossible."
"It appears so," said Tod. "I was just as unwilling to believe it at first: but facts are facts."
"I cannot see the motive," said Rymer. "Why should one bank-note be taken out of a letter, if another were subst.i.tuted?"
Tod looked at me. Wanting to say that the other was a stolen note, and was no doubt put in to be got rid of. But the Squire had bound us down.