"That"s true," replied the baronet. "So Mrs Jeal has gone to Town! I saw her at Portfront when I was there yesterday morning. It is not often she goes to Town. I suppose she does not wish to lose the money."
"The money, Hale? What do you mean?"
"Why, it seems, from what Mrs Jeal told me, that her father is not badly off, and if he dies she will come into a tidy bit of money. There are other relatives, though, and she was afraid lest they should get the old man to leave the fortune to them."
"Fortune!" said James, with a smile; "a large word for a small legacy."
"I don"t know so much about that," responded the cripple, snappishly.
"From what the woman told me, her father is well off. He was a porter or something in a stockbroker"s office, and dabbled in mines himself. It seems he was lucky in his speculations and made money. By the way, James, has Haverleigh turned up yet?"
"No, but I heard that Mr Pratt had sent a telegram to him. I expect he will wonder what is the matter that Pratt should ask him to come back."
"Not he!" growled Hale. "He knows well enough."
"Why, Hale, you don"t believe he stole the cup?"
The cripple remained silent for a time. "It is a difficult thing for me to say," he finally remarked. "You know, James, that my sister Edith is deeply in love with the man. I don"t like him myself; I never did. But if he would marry my sister I should not decline the alliance. I put her happiness before my own feelings. Well, under the circ.u.mstances, I really am not prepared to give an opinion. I know that Leo was in debt, and it is common talk that Mrs Gabriel refused to pay his debts; yet she informed me that he went up to London to settle them. Now, he must have got the money from somewhere, and who would trust him?"
"It looks black against him, I confess," replied James, shaking his head; "still, I cannot believe that Haverleigh would sink to being a common thief. You will see when he returns that he will be able to explain."
"If he ever _does_ return," growled Hale, doubtfully.
"He will. Why, Miss Tempest believes in him, and he must come back if only to justify her faith. I believe those two are in love with one another, Hale. Well, they will make a handsome couple."
"He will have to get back his good name first," retorted Hale, jealously. "And as to there being anything between them--I don"t believe it. Good-day, James. Don"t go spreading c.o.c.k-and-bull stories."
As the baronet walked off the doctor looked after him with a smile of contempt. He knew that Hale was madly in love with the vicar"s daughter, and that he regarded Leo as a too successful rival. "You"ll be delighted if the poor chap comes to harm," muttered James; "you are a viper! But I am sure Haverleigh will clear himself. A girl like Sybil Tempest is not likely to be deceived in the character of the man she loves. I would rather believe her than you, Sir Frank Hale!" And James, who had no great love for the spiteful little cripple, walked away to see Pearl.
By this time the opinion was that Leo would not return. It was positive, said the gossips, that he had stolen the cup in order to procure money for the payment of his debts. The most likely thing was that he would clear out of the country.
"What fools these people are," said Pratt, who heard this. "If the man intended to leave the country he certainly would not pay his debts. Only a heaven-born a.s.s would do that. He would take the money himself and leave his creditors unpaid." But the gossips did not see matters in that light. They were bent upon thinking the worst of Leo.
All this time Mrs Gabriel said nothing, but remained shut up in the castle. She knew well enough what was being said about Leo, and could not bear to face anyone, the more particularly as she did not know how to defend him. She denied herself to everyone, even to Pratt, although he called several times to interview her on behalf of her nephew. The young man had a strong defender in Pratt. He went about everywhere insisting on Haverleigh"s innocence. In this opinion he was supported by Sybil, by the curate, and, strange to say, by Mrs Bathurst.
"The whole thing is absolute nonsense," said Mrs Bathurst. "Why should Mr Haverleigh be such a fool? Mrs Gabriel would have paid his debts in the long run. And then if he had not wished to pay them himself, he could have enlisted and slipped away to Africa without anyone being the wiser. Then there"s another thing. He would not commit a crime for such a purpose. If he was in difficulties before, he would not make them worse by putting himself within reach of the law." All of which was common-sense, although Leo"s enemies were too much bent on thinking the worst of him to accept such a reasonable view.
It was while matters were in this state that Leo Haverleigh returned. He drove up to the castle one night without informing anyone of his coming.
Mrs Gabriel was amazed when he presented himself before her. He looked bright and cheerful, not at all like a man who had been accused of a sordid crime. But it must be remembered that Leo knew nothing of his new reputation. All he knew was that Pratt, at the instance of Sybil, had recalled him to Colester. He thought that this telegram had to do with some new difficulty with regard to his love affairs.
"Good evening, mother," he said as he marched into the room where Mrs Gabriel was sitting. "I have returned, you see."
"And are you not ashamed?" cried Mrs Gabriel, rising, with a wrathful expression. "I thought some feeling of decency would have kept you away."
"Oh, come now, mother," returned Leo, trying to keep his temper, "I am not so bad as all that. If I have been foolish and extravagant, surely you can forgive. Besides, my debts are paid. I am a free man."
"You won"t be a free man long," said Mrs Gabriel, grimly. "I am willing to do what I can for you, badly as you have treated me. But I cannot condone a felony! That is out of the question."
Leo stared and sat down. "You use very extraordinary words," he said at length. "I never heard that a man who was in debt could be called a felon. Come, mother," he went on, trying to be amiable--a difficult task with a woman like this. "Don"t use big words for a trifle. I intended to enlist, but I thought I would come down first to see you and talk the matter over. You have been kind to me and I do not want to part in anger. Let us arrange matters in a kindly spirit."
Mrs Gabriel looked at him aghast at his boldness. "How dare you speak to me like this," she cried. "Are you not aware that everyone in Colester is talking of your crime?"
"Crime!" Leo started to his feet. "What crime?" He looked bewildered.
"As if you didn"t know! I wonder you have the impertinence to come back here! How much did you sell the cup for?"
Leo still looked puzzled. "Cup!" he echoed. "What cup?"
Mrs Gabriel grasped him by the shoulders and shook him, her eyes blazing with anger. "You are absolutely shameless," she cried. "I mean the cup which Mr Pratt presented to the chapel, and you know too! It has been stolen, and _you_ are the thief."
Haverleigh stared at her for a moment and then burst out laughing. "Is this a joke, mother?" he said at length. "If so, it is a very poor one."
"It is not a joke," retorted Mrs Gabriel, still angry. "The cup was missing on the very morning you went up to London. You stole it, Leo, and took it away to pay your debts. I never--"
"Nor did I!" cried Haverleigh, now beginning to lose his temper. "Who dares to say such a thing about me?"
"The whole village says it, and everyone believes it."
"Does Sybil?"
"I don"t know; nor do I care. And so far as she is concerned, you need not think to marry her. Mr Tempest will never let his daughter become the wife of a--"
"Stop!" cried Leo, before she could utter the shameful word. "How dare you call me by a foul name? I know perfectly well you hate me; but you have no right to believe that I did this thing. I know that Sybil believes me guiltless. She would never credit the man she loves with such a contemptible crime. And Pratt believes in me also. He sent me a telegram asking me to come back. I thought it had to do with some trouble you had made over my engagement to Sybil. I never expected this.
How dare you accuse me of such a crime?"
"The whole village accuses you," said Mrs Gabriel, pa.s.sionately. "You have paid your debts. I know you have. Where did you get the money? Not from me--not from Pratt, for I asked him. And Barker saw you lurking about the chapel on Sunday night at a late hour. What were you doing there if it was not to steal? Oh, shame upon you, Leo! How can you stand there and deny your guilt?"
"Because I am not guilty!" cried Leo, furiously. "I tell you I did not steal the cup. I did not even know that it was lost. I _was_ near the chapel on that night and at that hour. I can explain why I was there."
"Explain then," said Mrs Gabriel, with a stamp.
"Not to you, and not until I have thought over my position. Everyone seems to have judged me guilty without giving me an opportunity of defending myself."
"You cannot," muttered Mrs Gabriel. "You dare not!"
The scorn of her speech carried Leo beyond all bounds of prudence. He had not intended to defend himself until he had consulted with Pratt.
The situation was so unpleasant and dangerous that he wanted an older and wiser head than his own to deal with the matter. But Mrs Gabriel"s taunt made him forget his resolutions. "I dare, and I can!" he burst out. "I went to the chapel to meet Sybil. Her father would not let us see one another, so we had to do so by stealth. I was going away on Monday morning, and she wished for a meeting, as I did myself. In her pew she left a note, and she let me know by signs during the service that she had done so. I looked in the vicar"s pew after the service was over, and found that she asked me to meet her at the door of the chapel shortly after nine. I was there, and I saw old Barker going away. I think he saw me, but as I did not wish to attract attention, I kept out of his way as much as possible. Sybil came about half-past nine, perhaps later, and we had a talk. Then I took her back to the Vicarage, and returned here to sleep. I was on my way to Portfront by seven in the morning. That is all I know."
"A likely story," sneered Mrs Gabriel. "I do not believe one word of it."
Leo looked at her with great dignity. "If you do not choose to believe me I cannot make you," he said; "but from this moment all is at an end between us. G.o.d knows why you hate me so. I have done nothing to deserve it. What I have told you is the truth. Sybil can vouch for it. I have some hesitation in asking her to do so, as she will have to say that she was alone with me at that late hour, and you know well what the gossips will say. Still, if I am in danger of arrest, she will come forward, although I would rather suffer myself than that she should be lightly spoken of. I shall see her, and her father. For some reason best known to you, Mrs Gabriel, Mr Tempest has taken a dislike to me. But he is a just man, and I am sure he does not believe me guilty."
"You"d better see him and ask," said Mrs Gabriel, tartly. "I say again that I don"t believe your explanation. Where did you get the money to pay your debts if it was not from selling the cup?"
"I borrowed it," retorted Leo, after a pause. "I did not intend to tell you, but it seems I must, in order to clear my character. You would not help me, and Pratt was not ready to do so. I daresay if I had pressed him he would have helped me, but I did not think it right he should pay for my folly. I borrowed the money, if you must know, from Frank Hale."
Mrs Gabriel, who had seated herself, looked at the young man indignantly.
"Why will you tell these lies?" she said, trying to speak calmly. "I had an idea that Hale might have a.s.sisted you, and I went to see him. He absolutely denies that he lent you a penny."