Moody looked at him, doubting whether he was in jest or in earnest.
"Must I squeeze a little more information into that thick head of yours?" asked Sharon. With this question he produced a weekly newspaper, and pointed to a paragraph which reported, among the items of sporting news, Hardyman"s recent visit to a sale of horses at a town in the north of France. "We know he didn"t pay the bank-note in to his account,"
Sharon remarked. "What else did he do with it? Took it to pay for the horses that he bought in France! Do you see your way a little plainer now? Very good. Let"s try next if your money holds out. Somebody must cross the Channel in search of the note. Which of us two is to sit in the steam-boat with a white basin on his lap? Old Sharon, of course!" He stopped to count the money still left, out of the sum deposited by Moody to defray the cost of the inquiry. "All right!" he went on. "I"ve got enough to pay my expenses there and back. Don"t stir out of London till you hear from me. I can"t tell how soon I may not want you. If there"s any difficulty in tracing the note, your hand will have to go into your pocket again. Can"t you get the lawyer to join you? Lord! how I should enjoy squandering _his_ money! It"s a downright disgrace to me to have only got one guinea out of him. I could tear my flesh off my bones when I think of it."
The same night Old Sharon started for France, by way of Dover and Calais.
Two days elapsed, and brought no news from Moody"s agent. On the third day, he received some information relating to Sharon--not from the man himself, but in a letter from Isabel Miller.
"For once, dear Robert," she wrote, "my judgment has turned out to be sounder than yours. That hateful old man has confirmed my worst opinion of him. Pray have him punished. Take him before a magistrate and charge him with cheating you out of your money. I inclose the sealed letter which he gave me at the farmhouse. The week"s time before I was to open it expired yesterday. Was there ever anything so impudent and so inhuman? I am too vexed and angry about the money you have wasted on this old wretch to write more. Yours, gratefully and affectionately, Isabel."
The letter in which Old Sharon had undertaken (by way of pacifying Isabel) to write the name of the thief, contained these lines:
"You are a charming girl, my dear; but you still want one thing to make you perfect--and that is a lesson in patience. I am proud and happy to teach you. The name of the thief remains, for the present, Mr. ---- (Blank)."
From Moody"s point of view, there was but one thing to be said of this: it was just like Old Sharon! Isabel"s letter was of infinitely greater interest to him. He feasted his eyes on the words above the signature: she signed herself, "Yours gratefully and affectionately." Did the last words mean that she was really beginning to be fond of him? After kissing the word, he wrote a comforting letter to her, in which he pledged himself to keep a watchful eye on Sharon, and to trust him with no more money until he had honestly earned it first.
A week pa.s.sed. Moody (longing to see Isabel) still waited in vain for news from France. He had just decided to delay his visit to South Morden no longer, when the errand-boy employed by Sharon brought him this message: "The old "un"s at home, and waitin" to see yer."
CHAPTER XVIII.
SHARON"S news was not of an encouraging character. He had met with serious difficulties, and had spent the last farthing of Moody"s money in attempting to overcome them.
One discovery of importance he had certainly made. A horse withdrawn from the sale was the only horse that had met with Hardyman"s approval.
He had secured the animal at the high reserved price of twelve thousand francs--being four hundred and eighty pounds in English money; and he had paid with an English bank-note. The seller (a French horse-dealer resident in Brussels) had returned to Belgium immediately on completing the negotiations. Sharon had ascertained his address, and had written to him at Brussels, inclosing the number of the lost banknote. In two days he had received an answer, informing him that the horse-dealer had been called to England by the illness of a relative, and that he had hitherto failed to send any address to which his letters could be forwarded.
Hearing this, and having exhausted his funds, Sharon had returned to London. It now rested with Moody to decide whether the course of the inquiry should follow the horse-dealer next. Here was the cash account, showing how the money had been spent. And there was Sharon, with his pipe in his mouth and his dog on his lap, waiting for orders.
Moody wisely took time to consider before he committed himself to a decision. In the meanwhile, he ventured to recommend a new course of proceeding which Sharon"s report had suggested to his mind.
"It seems to me," he said, "that we have taken the roundabout way of getting to our end in view, when the straight road lay before us. If Mr.
Hardyman has pa.s.sed the stolen note, you know, as well as I do, that he has pa.s.sed it innocently. Instead of wasting time and money in trying to trace a stranger, why not tell Mr. Hardyman what has happened, and ask him to give us the number of the note? You can"t think of everything, I know; but it does seem strange that this idea didn"t occur to you before you went to France."
"Mr. Moody," said Old Sharon, "I shall have to cut your acquaintance.
You are a man without faith; I don"t like you. As if I hadn"t thought of Hardyman weeks since!" he exclaimed contemptuously. "Are you really soft enough to suppose that a gentleman in his position would talk about his money affairs to me? You know mighty little of him if you do. A fortnight since I sent one of my men (most respectably dressed) to hang about his farm, and see what information he could pick up. My man became painfully acquainted with the toe of a boot. It was thick, sir; and it was Hardyman"s."
"I will run the risk of the boot," Moody replied, in his quiet way.
"And put the question to Hardyman?"
"Yes."
"Very good," said Sharon. "If you get your answer from his tongue, instead of his boot, the case is cleared up--unless I have made a complete mess of it. Look here, Moody! If you want to do me a good turn, tell the lawyer that the guinea-opinion was the right one. Let him know that _he_ was the fool, not you, when he b.u.t.toned up his pockets and refused to trust me. And, I say," pursued Old Sharon, relapsing into his customary impudence, "you"re in love, you know, with that nice girl. I like her myself. When you marry her invite me to the wedding. I"ll make a sacrifice; I"ll brush my hair and wash my face in honor of the occasion."
Returning to his lodgings, Moody found two letters waiting on the table.
One of them bore the South Morden postmark. He opened that letter first.
It was written by Miss Pink. The first lines contained an urgent entreaty to keep the circ.u.mstances connected with the loss of the five hundred pounds the strictest secret from everyone in general, and from Hardyman in particular. The reasons a.s.signed for making the strange request were next expressed in these terms: "My niece Isabel is, I am happy to inform you, engaged to be married to Mr. Hardyman. If the slightest hint reached him of her having been a.s.sociated, no matter how cruelly and unjustly, with a suspicion of theft, the marriage would be broken off, and the result to herself and to everybody connected with her, would be disgrace for the rest of our lives."
On the blank s.p.a.ce at the foot of the page a few words were added in Isabel"s writing: "Whatever changes there may be in my life, your place in my heart is one that no other person can fill: it is the place of my dearest friend. Pray write and tell me that you are not distressed and not angry. My one anxiety is that you should remember what I have always told you about the state of my own feelings. My one wish is that you will still let me love you and value you, as I might have loved and valued a brother."
The letter dropped from Moody"s hand. Not a word--not even a sigh--pa.s.sed his lips. In tearless silence he submitted to the pang that wrung him. In tearless silence he contemplated the wreck of his life.
CHAPTER XIX.
THE narrative returns to South Morden, and follows the events which attended Isabel"s marriage engagement.
To say that Miss Pink, inflated by the triumph, rose, morally speaking, from the earth and floated among the clouds, is to indicate faintly the effect produced on the ex-schoolmistress when her niece first informed her of what had happened at the farm. Attacked on one side by her aunt, and on the other by Hardyman, and feebly defended, at the best, by her own doubts and misgivings, Isabel ended by surrendering at discretion.
Like thousands of other women in a similar position, she was in the last degree uncertain as to the state of her own heart. To what extent she was insensibly influenced by Hardyman"s commanding position in believing herself to be sincerely attached to him, it was beyond her power of self-examination to discover. He doubly dazzled her by his birth and by his celebrity. Not in England only, but throughout Europe, he was a recognized authority on his own subject. How could she--how could any woman--resist the influence of his steady mind, his firmness of purpose, his manly resolution to owe everything to himself and nothing to his rank, set off as these attractive qualities were by the outward and personal advantages which exercise an ascendancy of their own? Isabel was fascinated, and yet Isabel was not at ease. In her lonely moments she was troubled by regretful thoughts of Moody, which perplexed and irritated her. She had always behaved honestly to him; she had never encouraged him to hope that his love for her had the faintest prospect of being returned. Yet, knowing, as she did, that her conduct was blameless so far, there were nevertheless perverse sympathies in her which took his part. In the wakeful hours of the night there were whispering voices in her which said: "Think of Moody!" Had there been a growing kindness towards this good friend in her heart, of which she herself was not aware? She tried to detect it--to weigh it for what it was really worth. But it lay too deep to be discovered and estimated, if it did really exist--if it had any sounder origin than her own morbid fancy. In the broad light of day, in the little bustling duties of life, she forgot it again. She could think of what she ought to wear on the wedding day; she could even try privately how her new signature, "Isabel Hardyman," would look when she had the right to use it. On the whole, it may be said that the time pa.s.sed smoothly--with some occasional checks and drawbacks, which were the more easily endured seeing that they took their rise in Isabel"s own conduct. Compliant as she was in general, there were two instances, among others, in which her resolution to take her own way was not to be overcome. She refused to write either to Moody or to Lady Lydiard informing them of her engagement; and she steadily disapproved of Miss Pink"s policy of concealment, in the matter of the robbery at Lady Lydiard"s house. Her aunt could only secure her as a pa.s.sive accomplice by stating family considerations in the strongest possible terms. "If the disgrace was confined to you, my dear, I might leave you to decide. But I am involved in it, as your nearest relative; and, what is more, even the sacred memories of your father and mother might feel the slur cast on them." This exaggerated language--like all exaggerated language, a mischievous weapon in the a.r.s.enal of weakness and prejudice--had its effect on Isabel. Reluctantly and sadly, she consented to be silent.
Miss Pink wrote word of the engagement to Moody first; reserving to a later day the superior pleasure of informing Lady Lydiard of the very event which that audacious woman had declared to be impossible. To her aunt"s surprise, just as she was about to close the envelope Isabel stepped forward, and inconsistently requested leave to add a postscript to the very letter which she had refused to write! Miss Pink was not even permitted to see the postscript. Isabel secured the envelope the moment she laid down her pen, and retired to her room with a headache (which was heartache in disguise) for the rest of the day.
While the question of marriage was still in debate, an event occurred which exercised a serious influence on Hardyman"s future plans.
He received a letter from the Continent which claimed his immediate attention. One of the sovereigns of Europe had decided on making some radical changes in the mounting and equipment of a cavalry regiment; and he required the a.s.sistance of Hardyman in that important part of the contemplated reform which was connected with the choice and purchase of horses. Setting his own interests out of the question, Hardyman owed obligations to the kindness of his ill.u.s.trious correspondent which made it impossible for him to send an excuse. In a fortnight"s time, at the latest, it would be necessary for him to leave England; and a month or more might elapse before it would be possible for him to return.
Under these circ.u.mstances, he proposed, in his own precipitate way, to hasten the date of the marriage. The necessary legal delay would permit the ceremony to be performed on that day fortnight. Isabel might then accompany him on his journey, and spend a brilliant honeymoon at the foreign Court. She at once refused, not only to accept his proposal, but even to take it into consideration. While Miss Pink dwelt eloquently on the shortness of the notice, Miss Pink"s niece based her resolution on far more important grounds. Hardyman had not yet announced the contemplated marriage to his parents and friends; and Isabel was determined not to become his wife until she could be first a.s.sured of a courteous and tolerant reception by the family--if she could hope for no warmer welcome at their hands.
Hardyman was not a man who yielded easily, even in trifles. In the present case, his dearest interests were concerned in inducing Isabel to reconsider her decision. He was still vainly trying to shake her resolution, when the afternoon post brought a letter for Miss Pink which introduced a new element of disturbance into the discussion. The letter was nothing less than Lady Lydiard"s reply to the written announcement of Isabel"s engagement, despatched on the previous day by Miss Pink.
Her Ladyship"s answer was a surprisingly short one. It only contained these lines:
"Lady Lydiard begs to acknowledge the receipt of Miss Pink"s letter requesting that she will say nothing to Mr. Hardyman of the loss of a bank-note in her house, and, a.s.signing as a reason that Miss Isabel Miller is engaged to be married to Mr. Hardyman, and might be prejudiced in his estimation if the facts were made known. Miss Pink may make her mind easy. Lady Lydiard had not the slightest intention of taking Mr.
Hardyman into her confidence on the subject of her domestic affairs.
With regard to the proposed marriage, Lady Lydiard casts no doubt on Miss Pink"s perfect sincerity and good faith; but, at the same time, she positively declines to believe that Mr. Hardyman means to make Miss Isabel Miller his wife. Lady L. will yield to the evidence of a properly-attested certificate--and to nothing else."
A folded piece of paper, directed to Isabel, dropped out of this characteristic letter as Miss Pink turned from the first page to the second. Lady Lydiard addressed her adopted daughter in these words:
"I was on the point of leaving home to visit you again, when I received your aunt"s letter. My poor deluded child, no words can tell how distressed I am about you. You are already sacrificed to the folly of the most foolish woman living. For G.o.d"s sake, take care you do not fall a victim next to the designs of a profligate man. Come to me instantly, Isabel, and I promise to take care of you."
Fortified by these letters, and aided by Miss Pink"s indignation, Hardyman pressed his proposal on Isabel with renewed resolution. She made no attempt to combat his arguments--she only held firmly to her decision. Without some encouragement from Hardyman"s father and mother she still steadily refused to become his wife. Irritated already by Lady Lydiard"s letters, he lost the self-command which so eminently distinguished him in the ordinary affairs of life, and showed the domineering and despotic temper which was an inbred part of his disposition. Isabel"s high spirit at once resented the harsh terms in which he spoke to her. In the plainest words, she released him from his engagement, and, without waiting for his excuses, quitted the room.
Left together, Hardyman and Miss Pink devised an arrangement which paid due respect to Isabel"s scruples, and at the same time met Lady Lydiard"s insulting a.s.sertion of disbelief in Hardyman"s honor, by a formal and public announcement of the marriage.
It was proposed to give a garden party at the farm in a week"s time for the express purpose of introducing Isabel to Hardyman"s family and friends in the character of his betrothed wife. If his father and mother accepted the invitation, Isabel"s only objection to hastening the union would fall to the ground. Hardyman might, in that case, plead with his Imperial correspondent for a delay in his departure of a few days more; and the marriage might still take place before he left England. Isabel, at Miss Pink"s intercession, was induced to accept her lover"s excuses, and, in the event of her favorable reception by Hardyman"s parents at the farm, to give her consent (not very willingly even yet) to hastening the ceremony which was to make her Hardyman"s wife.
On the next morning the whole of the invitations were sent out, excepting the invitation to Hardyman"s father and mother. Without mentioning it to Isabel, Hardyman decided on personally appealing to his mother before he ventured on taking the head of the family into his confidence.
The result of the interview was partially successful--and no more. Lord Rotherfield declined to see his youngest son; and he had engagements which would, under any circ.u.mstances, prevent his being present at the garden party. But at the express request of Lady Rotherfield, he was willing to make certain concessions.
"I have always regarded Alfred as a barely sane person," said his Lordship, "since he turned his back on his prospects to become a horse dealer. If we decline altogether to sanction this new act--I won"t say, of insanity, I will say, of absurdity--on his part, it is impossible to predict to what discreditable extremities he may not proceed. We must temporise with Alfred. In the meantime I shall endeavor to obtain some information respecting this young person--named Miller, I think you said, and now resident at South Morden. If I am satisfied that she is a woman of reputable character, possessing an average education and presentable manners, we may as well let Alfred take his own way. He is out of the pale of Society, as it is; and Miss Miller has no father and mother to complicate matters, which is distinctly a merit on her part and, in short, if the marriage is not absolutely disgraceful, the wisest way (as we have no power to prevent it) will be to submit. You will say nothing to Alfred about what I propose to do. I tell you plainly I don"t trust him. You will simply inform him from me that I want time to consider, and that, unless he hears to the contrary in the interval, he may expect to have the sanction of your presence at his breakfast, or luncheon, or whatever it is. I must go to town in a day or two, and I shall ascertain what Alfred"s friends know about this last of his many follies, if I meet any of them at the club."
Returning to South Morden in no serene frame of mind, Hardyman found Isabel in a state of depression which perplexed and alarmed him.