The others did not speak for a moment or two, and then Mrs. Hastings said:
"Most of us don"t keep much in the bank, and that expedition must have cost Harry several thousand dollars. How would Gregory get hold of the money before harvest?"
"Edmonds, who holds his mortgage, would let him have it," Sproatly explained.
"But wouldn"t he be afraid of Gregory not being able to pay, if the market went against him?"
Sproatly looked thoughtful. "The arrangement Wyllard made with Gregory would, perhaps, give Edmonds a claim upon the Range if Gregory borrowed any money in his name. I almost think that"s what the money-lender is scheming for. The man"s cunning enough for anything. I don"t like him."
Hastings stood up with an air of resolution. "Yes," he said, "I"m afraid you"re quite correct. Anyway, I"ll drive over in a day or two, and have a talk with Gregory."
After that they separated. Hastings strolled away to join Dampier.
Sproatly and Winifred walked out on to the prairie. When they had left the house Sproatly turned to his companion.
"Why did you insist upon my telling them what I did?" he asked.
"Oh!" answered Winifred, "I had several reasons. For one thing, when I first came out feeling very forlorn and friendless, it was Wyllard who sent me to the elevator, and they really treat me very decently."
"They?" repeated Sproatly with resentment in his face. "If you mean Hamilton, it seems to me that he treats you with an excess of decency that there"s no occasion for."
Winifred laughed. "In any case, he doesn"t drive me out here every two or three weeks, though"--she glanced at her companion provokingly--"he once or twice suggested that he would like to."
"I suppose you pointed out his presumption?"
"No," confessed Winifred with an air of reflection, "I didn"t go quite so far as that. After all, the man is my employer; I had to handle him tactfully."
"He won"t be your employer a week after the implement people open their new depot," returned Sproatly resolutely. "But we"re getting away from the subject. Have you any more reasons for concerning yourself about what Gregory does with Wyllard"s property?"
"I"ve one; I suppose you don"t know who he has left at least a part of it to?"
Sproatly started as an idea crept into his mind.
"I wonder if you"re right," he said.
"I feel reasonably sure of it." Winifred smiled. "In fact, that"s partly why I don"t want Gregory to throw any more of Wyllard"s money away. You have done all I expect from you."
"Then Hastings is to go on with the thing?"
"Hastings," Winifred a.s.sured him, "will fail--just as you would. This is a matter which requires to be handled delicately--and effectively."
"Then who is going to undertake it?"
Winifred laughed. "Oh," she answered, "a woman, naturally. I"m going back by and by to have a word or two with Mrs. Hastings."
CHAPTER XXVI
THE RESCUE
Winifred"s suspicions soon were proved correct, for Hastings, who drove over to the Range a day or two after her visit, returned home rather disturbed in temper after what he described as a very unsatisfactory interview with Hawtrey.
"I couldn"t make the man hear reason," he informed Mrs. Hastings. "In fact, he practically told me that the matter was no concern of mine. I a.s.sured him that it concerned me directly as one of the executors of Harry"s will, and I"m afraid I afterwards indulged in a few personalities.
I expect that blamed mortgage-broker has got a very strong hold on him."
Mrs. Hastings looked thoughtful. "You have never told me anything about the will."
"If I haven"t, it wasn"t for want of prompting," returned Hastings dryly. "The will was sealed, and handed to me by Harry on the express understanding that it was not to be opened until we had proof that he was dead or until the six months mentioned had expired. If he turned up it would, of course, be handed back to him. He made me promise solemnly that I would not offer the least hint as to its provisions to anybody."
Mrs. Hastings indulged in a shrug indicating resignation. "In that case I suppose I must be content, but he might have made an exception of--me.
Anyway, I think I see how we can put what appears to be a little necessary pressure upon Gregory." She turned again to her husband rather abruptly. "After all, is it worth while for me to trouble about the thing?"
Hastings was taken off his guard. "Yes," he said decidedly, "if you can put any pressure on Gregory I guess it would be very desirable to do it as soon as possible."
"Then you think that Harry may turn up, after all?"
"I do," said Hastings gravely, "I don"t know why. In any case it"s highly desirable that Gregory shouldn"t fling his property away."
Mrs. Hastings smiled. "Well," she said, "I"ll think over it. I"ll probably get Agatha to see what she can do in the first place."
She saw a trace of uncertainty in her husband"s face.
"As you like," he said. "Something must be done, but on the whole I"d rather you didn"t trouble Agatha about the matter. It would be wiser."
Mrs. Hastings asked no more questions. She believed that she understood the situation, and she had Agatha"s interests at heart, for she had grown very fond of the girl. There was certainly one slight difficulty in the way of what she meant to do, but she determined to disregard it, though she admitted that it might, cause Agatha some embarra.s.sment afterward. When she found the girl alone, she sat down beside her.
"My dear," she said, "I wonder if I may ask whether you are quite convinced that Harry is dead?"
She felt that the question was necessary, though it seemed rather a cruel one.
"No," replied Agatha calmly, "I can"t quite bring myself to believe it."
"Then, since you heard what Sproatly said, you would be willing to do anything that appeared possible to prevent Gregory throwing Harry"s money away?"
"Yes," said Agatha, "I have been thinking about it." A sparkle of disdainful anger showed in her eyes. "Gregory seems to have been acting shamefully."
"Then as he won"t listen to Allen, we must get Sally to impress that fact on him."
"Sally?" questioned Agatha in evident astonishment.
Mrs. Hastings smiled. "I don"t think you understand Sally as well as I do. Of course, like the rest of us, she falls a long way short of perfection, and--though it"s a difficult subject--there"s no doubt that her conduct in leading Gregory on while he was still engaged to you was hardly quite correct. After all, however, you owe her something for that."
"It isn"t very hard to forgive her for it," confessed Agatha.
"Well, I want you to understand Sally. Right or wrong, she"s fond of Gregory. Of course, I"ve told you this already, but I must try to make it clear how that fact bears upon the business in hand. Sally certainly fought for him, and there"s no doubt that one could find fault with several things she did; but the point is that she"s evidently determined on making the most of him now she has got him. In some respects, at least, she"s absolutely straight--one hundred cents to the dollar is what Allen says of her--and although you might perhaps not have expected this, I believe it would hurt her horribly to feel that Gregory was squandering money that didn"t strictly belong to him."