CHAPTER LI.
A FRACAS IN THE LIBRARY.
It was still early in the day. Larcom received him gravely in the hall.Captain Lake was at home, as usual, up to one o'clock in the library--themost diligent administrator that Brandon had perhaps ever known.
'Well, Larkin--letters, letters perpetually, you see. Quite well, I hope?Won't you sit down--no bad news? You look rather melancholy. Your otherclient is not ill--nothing sad about Mark Wylder, I hope?'
'No--nothing sad, Captain Lake--nothing--but a good deal that isstrange.'
'Oh, is there?' said Lake, in his soft tones, leaning forward in his easychair, and looking on the shining points of his boots.
'I have found out a thing, Captain Lake, which will no doubt interest_you_ as much as it does me. It will lead, I think, to a much more exact_guess_ about Mr. Mark Wylder.'
There was a sturdy emphasis in the attorney's speech which was far fromusual, and indicated something.
'Oh! you have? May one hear it?' said Lake, in the same silken tone, andlooking down, as before, on his boots.
'I've discovered something about his letters,' said the attorney, andpaused.
'Satisfactory, I hope?' said Lake as before.
'Foul play, Sir.'
'Foul play--is there? What is he doing now?' said Lake in the samelanguid way, his elbows on the arms of his chair, stooping forward, andlooking serenely on the floor, like a man who is tired of his work, andenjoys his respite.
'Why, Captain Lake, the matter is this--it amounts, in fact, to _fraud_.It is plain that the letters are written in batches--several at atime--and committed to some one to carry from town to town, and post,_having previously filled in dates_ to make them _correspond_ with theexact period of posting them.'
The attorney's searching gaze was fixed on the captain, as he said this,with all the significance consistent with civility; but he could notobserve the slightest indication of change. I dare say the captain felthis gaze upon him, and he undoubtedly heard his emphasis, but he plainlydid not take either to himself.
'Indeed! that is very odd,' said Captain Lake.
'Very odd;' echoed the attorney.
It struck Mr. Larkin that his gallant friend was a little overacting, andshowing perhaps less interest in the discovery than was strictly natural.
'But how can you show it?' said Lake with a slight yawn. 'Wylder _is_such a fellow. I don't the least pretend to understand him. It may be afreak of his.'
'I don't think, Captain Lake, that is exactly a possible solution here. Idon't think, Sir, he would write two letters, one referring back to theother, at the same time, and post and date the latter more than a week_before_ the other.'
'Oh!' said Lake, quietly, for the first time exhibiting a slight changeof countenance, and looking peevish and excited; yes, that certainly doeslook very oddly.'
'And I think, Captain Lake, it behoves us to leave no stone unturned tosift this matter to the bottom.'
'With what particular purpose, I don't quite see,' said Lake. 'Don't youthink possibly Mark Wylder might think us very impertinent?'
'I think, Captain Lake, on the contrary, we might be doing that gentlemanthe only service he is capable of receiving, and I know we should bedoing something toward tracing and exposing the machinations of aconspiracy.'
'A conspiracy! I did not quite see your meaning. Then, you really thinkthere is a conspiracy--formed _by_ him or _against_ him, which?'
'_Against_ him, Captain Lake. Did the same idea never strike you?'
'Not, I think, that I can recollect.'
'In none of your conversations upon the subject with--with members ofyour family?' continued the attorney with a grave significance.
'I say, Sir, I don't recollect,' said Lake, glaring for an instant in hisface very savagely. 'And it seems to me, that sitting here, you fancyyourself examining some vagrant or poacher at Gylingden sessions. Andpray, Sir, have you no evidence in the letters you speak of but theinsertion of dates, and the posting them in inverse order, to lead you tothat strong conclusion?'
'None, as supplied by the letters themselves,' answered Larkin, a littledoggedly, 'and I venture to think that is rather strong.'
'Quite so, to a mind like yours,' said Lake, with a faint gleam of hisunpleasant smile thrown upon the floor, 'but other men don't see it; andI hope, at all events, there's a likelihood that Mark Wylder will soonreturn and look after his own business--I'm quite tired of it, and of'(he was going to say _you_)--'of everything connected with it.'
'This delay is attended with more serious mischief. The vicar, hisbrother, had a promise of money from him, and is disappointed--in verygreat embarrassments; and, in fact, were it not for some temporaryassistance, which I may mention--although I don't speak of such things--Iafforded him myself, he must have been ruined.'
'It is very sad,' said Lake; 'but he ought not to have married without anincome.'
'Very true, Captain Lake--there's no defending that--it was wrong, butthe retribution is terrible,' and the righteous man shook his tall head.
'Don't you think he might take steps to relieve himself considerably?'
'I don't see it, Captain Lake,' said the attorney, sadly and drily.
'Well, you know best; but are not there resources?'
'I don't see, Captain Lake, what you point at.'
'I'll give him something for his reversion, if he chooses, and make himcomfortable for his life.'
The attorney, somehow, didn't seem to take kindly to this proposition. Weknow he had imagined for himself some little flirtation on this behalf,and cherished a secret _tendre_ for the same reversion. Perhaps he hadother plans, too. At all events it flashed the same suspicion of Lakeupon his mind again; and he said--
'I don't know, Sir, that the Reverend Mr. Wylder would entertain anythingin the nature of a sale of his reversion. I rather think the contrary. Idon't think his friends would advise it.'
'And why not? It was never more than a contingency; and now they say MarkWylder is married, and has children; they tell me he was seen at Ancona?'said Lake tranquilly.
'_They_ tell you! who are _they?_' said the attorney, and his dove's eyeswere gone again, and the rat's eyes unequivocally looking out of thesmall pink lids.
'They--they,' repeated Captain Lake. 'Why, of course, Sir, I use the wordin its usual sense--that is, there was a rumour when I was last in town,and I really forget who told me. Some one, two, or three, perhaps.'
'Do you think it's true, Sir?' persisted Mr. Larkin.
'No, Sir, I don't,' said Captain Lake, fixing his eyes for a moment witha frank stare on the attorney's face; 'but it is quite possible it _may_be true.'
'If it _is_, you know, Sir,' said Jos. Larkin, 'the reversion would be abad purchase at a halfpenny. I don't believe it either, Sir,' resumed theattorney, after a little interval; 'and I could not advise the party younamed, Sir, to sell his remainder for a song.'
'You'll advise as you please, Sir, and no doubt not without sufficientreason,' retorted Captain Lake.
There was a suspicion of a sneer--not in his countenance, not in histone, not necessarily in his words--but somehow a suspicion, which stungthe attorney like a certainty, and a pinkish flush tinged his forehead.
Perhaps Mr. Larkin had not yet formed any distinct plans, and was reallyin considerable dubitation. But as we know, perceiving that the situationof affairs, like all uncertain conjunctures, offered manifestly anopportunity for speculation, he was, perhaps, desirous, like our oldfriend, Sindbad, of that gleam of light which might show him the gold andprecious stones with which the floor of the catacomb was strewn.
'You see, Captain Lake, to speak quite frankly--there's nothing likebeing perfectly frank and open--although you have not treated me withconfidence, which, of course, was not called for in this particularinstance--I may as well say, in passing, that I have no doubt on my mindyou know a great deal more than you care to tell about the fate of Mr.Mark Wylder. I look upon it, Sir, that that party has been made
awaywith.'
'Old villain!' exclaimed Lake, starting up, with a sudden access ofenergy, and his face looked whiter still than usual--perhaps it was onlythe light.
'It won't do, Sir,' said Larkin, with a sinister quietude. 'I say there'sbeen _foul play_. I think, Sir, you've got him into some foreignmad-house, or place of confinement, and I won't stop till it's sifted tothe bottom. It is my duty, Sir.'
Captain Lake's slender hand sprang on the attorney's collar, coat andwaistcoat together, and his knuckles, hard and sharp, were screwedagainst Mr. Larkin's jaw-bone, as he shook him, and his face was like adrift of snow, with two yellow fires glaring in it.
It was ferine and spectral, and so tremendously violent, that the longattorney, expecting nothing of the sort, was thrown out of his balanceagainst the chimneypiece.
'You d--d old miscreant! I'll pitch you out of the window.'
'I--I say, let go. You're mad, Sir,' said the attorney, disengaginghimself with a sudden and violent effort, and standing, with the back ofa tall chair grasped in both hands, and the seat interposed betweenhimself and Captain Lake. He was twisting his neck uncomfortably in hisshirt collar, and for some seconds was more agitated, in a different way,than his patron was.
The fact was, that Mr. Larkin had a little mistaken his man. He had neverhappened before to see him in one of his violent moods, and fancied thathis apathetic manner indicated a person more easily bullied. There wassomething, too, in the tone and look of Captain Lake which went a goodway to confound and perplex his suspicions, and he half fancied that themasterstroke he had hazarded was a rank and irreparable blunder.Something of this, I am sure, appeared in his countenance, and CaptainLake looked awfully savage, and each gentleman stared the other full inthe face, with more frankness than became two such diplomatists.
'Allow me to speak a word, Captain Lake.'
'You d--d old miscreant!' repeated the candescent captain.
'Allow me to say, you misapprehend.'
'You infernal old cur!'
'I mean no imputation upon _you_, Sir. I thought you might have committeda mistake--any man may; perhaps you have. I have acted, Captain Lake,with fidelity in all respects to you, and to every client for whom I'vebeen concerned. Mr. Wylder is my client, and I was bound to say I was notsatisfied about his present position, which seems to me unaccountable,except on the supposition that he is under restraint of some sort. Inever said you were to blame; but you may be in error respecting Mr.Wylder. You may have taken steps, Captain Lake, under a mistake. I neverwent further than that. On reflection, you'll say so. I didn't upon myhonour.'
'Then you did not mean to insult me, Sir,' said Lake.
'Upon my honour, and conscience, and soul, Captain Lake,' said theattorney, stringing together, in his vindication, all the articles he wasassumed most to respect, 'I am perfectly frank, I do assure you. I neversupposed for an instant more than I say. I could not imagine--I am amazedyou have so taken it.'
'But you think I exercise some control or coercion over my cousin, Mr.Mark Wylder. He's not a man, I can tell you, wherever he is, to bebullied, no more than I am. I don't correspond with him. I have nothingto do with him or his affairs; I wash my hands of him.'
Captain Lake turned and walked quickly to the door, but came back assuddenly.
'Shake hands, Sir. We'll forget it. I accept what you say; but don't talkthat way to me again. I can't imagine what the devil put such stuff inyour head. I don't care twopence. No one's to blame but Wylder himself. Isay I don't care a farthing. Upon my honour, I quite see--I now acquityou. You could not mean what you seemed to say; and I can't understandhow a sensible man like you, knowing Mark Wylder, and knowing me, Sir,could use such--such _ambiguous_ language. I have no more influence withhim, and can no more affect his doings, or what you call his _fate_--and,to say the truth, care about them no more than the child unborn. He's hisown master, of course. What the devil can you have been dreaming of. Idon't even get a letter from him. He's _nothing_ to me.'
'You have misunderstood me; but that's over, Sir. I may have spoken withwarmth, fearing that you might be acting under some cruelmisapprehension--that's all; and you don't think worse of me, I'm verysure, Captain Lake, for a little indiscreet zeal on behalf of a gentlemanwho has treated me with such unlimited confidence as Mr. Wylder. I'd dothe same for you, Sir; it's my character.'
The two gentlemen, you perceive, though still agitated, were becomingreasonable, and more or less complimentary and conciliatory; and themasks which an electric gust had displaced for a moment, revealing grossand somewhat repulsive features, were being readjusted, while each lookedover his shoulder.
I am sorry to say that when that good man, Mr. Larkin, left his presence,Captain Lake indulged in a perfectly blasphemous monologue. His fury wasexcited to a pitch that was very nearly ungovernable; and after it hadexhibited itself in the way I have said, Captain Lake opened a littledespatch-box, and took therefrom a foreign letter, but three daysreceived. He read it through: his ill-omened smile expanded to a grinthat was undisguisedly diabolical. With a scissors he clipt his own namewhere it occurred from the thin sheet, and then, in red ink and Romancapitals, he scrawled a line or two across the interior of the letter,enclosed it in an envelope, directed it, and then rang the bell.
He ordered the tax-cart and two horses to drive tandem. The captain wasrather a good whip, and he drove at a great pace to Dollington, took thetrain on to Charteris, there posted his letter, and so returned; histemper continuing savage all that evening, and in a modified degree inthe same state for several days after.
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