Cursed by a Fortune

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN.

  "I say, he didn't shoot you, did he?"

  "Yes--through the arm," said Leigh faintly. "Better directly. Can youkeep him down, Wilton?"

  "Oh yes, I'll keep the beggar down," said Claud, cocking the pistol."Do you hear, you sir? You move a hand and as sure as I've got youhere, I'll fire. Send for a doctor someone."

  "No, no," cried Leigh, a little more firmly; "not yet;" and he drew ahandkerchief from his pocket and folded it with one hand. "Tie thistightly round my arm."

  "You take the pistol then--that's it--and let the brute have it if hestirs. I won't get off him. Kneel down."

  Leigh obeyed after taking the pistol, and Claud bound the handkerchieftightly round his arm.

  "Hurt you?"

  "Yes; but the sickness is going off. Tighter: it will stop thebleeding."

  "All right; but I say, we had better have in a doctor," said Claudexcitedly.

  "Not yet. We don't want an expose," said Leigh anxiously.

  "Shall I go for one, sir?" said the housekeeper.

  "No. How is she now?" said Leigh anxiously.

  "Just the same, sir," said the woman, stifling her sobs.

  "I'll come in a moment or two. Go back; there is nothing to fear now."

  A burst of hysterical sobbing came from the front door, where Becky wascrouching down, with her face buried in her hands.

  "Take her with you," said Leigh hastily; and he stood before Garstangwhile Becky walked into the library, shivering with dread.

  "Here, you hold up, what's your name," cried Claud. "You behaved like atrump. It's all right; he can't hurt you now."

  "No," said Leigh, in a harsh whisper, as the two women passed in and thedoor swung to; "nor anyone else. Look."

  "Eh?" said Claud wonderingly. "What at?"

  "Don't you see?" said Leigh, bending down and turning Garstang's head alittle on one side.

  "Ugh!" ejaculated Claud. "Blood! I didn't mean that. Why, he musthave hit his head on that bit of marble."

  "Yes," answered Leigh, after a brief examination, "the skull isfractured. We must get him away from here."

  "Not dangerous, is it, doctor?" said Claud, aghast.

  Leigh made no answer, but rose to his feet and sat down on one of thehall chairs.

  "What is it--faint?" said Claud.

  "Yes--get me--something--he cannot move."

  "She seems to be more like sleeping now, sir," said the housekeeper,appearing at the door. "Oh, no, no; don't let him get up!"

  "It's all right, old lady. Here, got any brandy? The doctor's hurt,and faint."

  "Yes, sir; yes, sir," said the woman, glancing in a horrified way, atthe two injured men, as she passed into the dining-room, from which shereturned directly with a decanter and glass.

  "It's port wine, sir," she said in a trembling voice; and she poured outa glass.

  Leigh drained it, and rose to his feet.

  "I will come back directly," he said.

  "That's right. I say, I don't quite like his looks."

  Leigh bent over the prostrate man, but said nothing, and passed into thelibrary, where he spent five minutes in attendance upon Kate; and at theend of that time he rose with a sigh of relief.

  "Will she come to, sir?" whispered the housekeeper, with her voicetrembling.

  "Yes, I think the worst is over. The medicine I gave her iscounteracting the effects of the drug."

  "Oh, oh, oh!" burst out Becky; and she flumped down on the carpet andcaught one of Kate's hands, to lay it against her cheek and hold itthere, as she rocked herself to and fro.

  "Becky! Becky! you mustn't," whispered her mother.

  "Let her alone; she will do no harm," said Leigh, quietly.

  "Are--are you going to send for the police, sir?" faltered the woman.

  "No, certainly not yet," replied Leigh; and he went back into the hall.

  "I say," said Claud, in a voice full of awe, "I'm jolly glad you'vecome. He ain't dying, is he?"

  For answer Leigh went down on one knee, and made a fresh examination.

  "No," he said at last; "but he is very bad. I cannot help carry him,but he must be got into one of the rooms."

  "Fetch that old girl out, and we'll carry him," said Claud; and after amoment or two's thought Leigh went to the library, stood for a whileexamining his patient there, and then signed to Becky and her mother tofollow him.

  Under his directions a blanket was brought, passed under the injuredman, and then each took a corner, and he was borne into the dining-roomand laid upon a couch.

  "I don't like to call in police, or a strange surgeon," Leigh whisperedto Claud. "We do not want this affair to become public."

  "By George, no!" said Claud, hastily.

  "Then you must help me. I can do what is necessary; and these women cannurse him."

  "But I can't help you," protested the young man. "If it was a horse Icould do something. Don't understand men."

  "I do, to some extent," said Leigh, smiling faintly. Then, to thewoman, "You can go back now. Call me at once if there is any change."

  The two trembling women went out, and after another feeble protest Claudmanfully took off his coat, and acting under Leigh's instructions,properly bandaged the painful wound made by Garstang's bullet, which hadstruck high up in Leigh's arm, and passed right through, a very shortdistance beneath the skin.

  "A mere nothing," said Leigh, coolly, as the wound was plugged andbandaged, the table napkins coming in handy. "Why, Wilton, you'd make acapital dresser."

  "Ugh!" ejaculated the young man, with a shudder. "I should like to bedown on one. Sick as a cat."

  "Take a glass of wine, man," said Leigh, smiling.

  "I just will," said Claud, gulping one down. "Thank you, since you areso pressing, I think I will take another. Hah! that puts Dutch couragein a fellow," he sighed, after a second goodly sip. "It's good port,Garstang. Here's bad health to you--you beast."

  He drank the rest of his wine.

  "I say, doctor, you don't expect me to help timber his head, do you?"

  Leigh nodded, as he drew his shirt-sleeve down over his bandages.

  "But the brute would have shot me, too."

  "Yes, but he's hors de combat, my lad, and you don't want to jump on afallen enemy."

  "Don't know so much about that, doctor," said the young man, dryly, "butyou ought."

  "Perhaps so," replied Leigh, "but I am what you would call crotchety,and I must treat him as I would a man who never did me harm. Come, yourwine has strung you up. Let's get to work."

  "Must I? Hadn't you better put the beggar out of his misery? He isn'ta bit of good in the world, and has done a lot of harm to everyone heknows."

  "Bad fracture," said Leigh, gravely, as he passed his hand round theinsensible man's head, "but not complicated. He must have fallen withtremendous violence."

  "Of course he did," said Claud. "He had my weight on him, as well ashis own. Can he hear what we say?"

  "No, and will not for some time to come. Now, take the scissors out ofmy pocket-book, and cut away all the hair round the back. There, cutclose: don't be afraid."

  "Afraid! Not I," said Claud, with a laugh, "I'll take it all off, andmake him look like a--what I hope he will be--a convict."

  He began snipping away industriously, talking flippantly the while, tokeep down the feeling of faintness which still troubled him.

  "Fancy me coming to be old Garstang's barber! I say, doctor, you'd liketo keep a lock of the beggar's hair, wouldn't you? I mean to have one."

  "Mind what you are doing," said Leigh, quietly; and as Claud went oncutting he prepared bandages with one hand and his teeth, from anotherof the fine damask napkins; and in spite of the pain he suffered,bandaged the injury, and at last sank exhausted in a chair, but rosedirectly to go across to the library.

  "How is she?" said Claud, anxiously, upon his return.

  "The effects are passing off, and in two or three hou
rs I hope she willcome to."

  "Then look here," said Claud, anxiously, "ought I to--I mean, ought youto send over to somebody and tell her how things are going on? She'llbe horribly anxious."

  Leigh frowned slightly.

  "You mean my sister, of course," he said. "No; she is aware that I wascalled in to a case of emergency, but she does not know that it ishere."

  "Doesn't she know? I say, though, I'm a bit puzzled how you came here."

  "This man fetched me."

  "Fetched you? How came he to do that?"

  "In ignorance of who I was, of course. But how came you here soopportunely?"

  "Oh, I've been watching and tracking for long enough, till I ran him toearth; and I've been trying for days to get at him. Got hold of thatwoman with the tied-up head at last--only this evening--and was going tobribe her, but she let out everything to me, and after telling meeverything, said she'd let me in. So I went for you, and as you wereout I was obliged to try and get Kate away at once. You know the rest Isay, this is what you call a climax, isn't it?"

  Leigh sat gazing at him sternly, but Claud did not avoid his eyes, andwent on.

  "Now look here; of course he got her for the sake of her money, and shecan't stop here. But she must be taken away as soon as she can bemoved."

  "Of course."

  "Yes, of course," said Claud, firmly. "It isn't a time for sticklingabout ourselves; we've got to think about her, poor lass. Damn him! Ifeel as if I could go and tear all his bandages off--a beast!"

  "What do you propose, then?" said Leigh, calmly.

  "Well, for the present we'd better take her to your house. She must bein a horrid state, and the best thing for her is to find herself alongwith some one she loves. It will do her no end of good to findJenny's--I beg your pardon, Miss Leigh's arms around her."

  "Yes, you are quite right; and I could go to an hotel."

  "Humph! Yes, I suppose you ought to, but I've been thinking ofsomething else, if you don't mind. The guv'nor's shut up with his gout,so I think I ought to go home and fetch the mater. She talks a deal,but she's a jolly motherly sort, and was fond of Kate. There's no harmin her, only that she's a bit soft about her beautiful boy--me, youknow," he said, with one of his old grins.

  Leigh winced a little, and Claud's face grew solemn directly.

  "I say," he said hastily, "it was queer that he should have come andfetched you, wasn't it?"

  "Yes," said Leigh, "a curious stroke of fate, or whatever you may callit; and yet simple enough. It was in a case of panic; he was seeking adoctor, and my red lamp was the first he saw. But after all, it was thesame when we were boys; if we had strong reasons, through some escapade,for wishing to avoid a certain person, he was the very first whom wemet."

  "Yes, Mr Wilton; what you propose is the best course that can bepursued, and I think it is our duty towards your cousin; we can arrangelater on what ought to be done about this man. You and your relativesmay or may not think it right to prosecute him, but you may rest assuredthat his injury will keep him a close prisoner for a long while tocome."

  "Yes, I suppose that fall was a regular crippler, but you have to thinkabout prosecuting too. The law does not allow people to use pistols."

  "We can discuss that by-and-by. Now, please, I shall be greatly obligedif you will go to my sister, and tell her as much as you think isnecessary. If she has gone to bed she must be roused. Ask her to beready to receive Miss Wilton, and then I think you ought to go down toNorthwood and fetch Mrs Wilton."

  "All right--like a shot," said Claud, eagerly. "I mean directly," hecried, colouring a little. "But, er--you mean this?"

  "Of course," said Leigh, smiling; "why should I not? Let me be frankwith you, if I can with a sensation of having a hole bored through myarm with a red-hot bar. A short time back I felt that if there was aman living with whom I could never be on friendly terms, you were thatman; but you have taught me that it is dangerous to judge any one from ashallow knowledge of what he is at heart. I know you better now; I hopeto know you better in the future. Will you shake hands?"

  "Oh!" ejaculated Claud, seizing the hand violently, and dropping it thenext instant as if it were red-hot. For Leigh's face contracted, and heturned faint from the agony caused by the jar. "What a thoughtlessbrute I am! Here, have another glass of that beast's wine."

  "No, no, I'm better now. There, quick! It must be very late, and Idon't want my sister to have gone to bed. I dare say she would sit upfor me some time, though."

  "Yes, I'm off," cried Claud, excitedly; "but let me say--no, no, I can'tsay it now; you must mean it, though, or you wouldn't have spoken likethat."

  He had reached the door, when Leigh stopped him.

  "I'll go in first and see how your cousin is; Jenny would like the lastreport."

  "Better, certainly," he said on his return; and Claud hurried out of thehouse.

  "He said `Jenny,'" he muttered, as he ran towards Leigh's new home."`Jenny,' not `my sister,' or `Miss Leigh.' Oh, what a lucky brute Iam! But I do wish I wasn't such a cad!"

  CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT.

  Before morning Kate was sufficiently recovered to be removed to Leigh'shouse; but it was days before her senses had fully returned, and herbrain was thoroughly awake to the present and the past, to find herselflovingly attended by her aunt and Jenny Leigh, who was her companiondown to Northwood, while Claud kept the doctor company in town andaccompanied him as assistant every time he visited Great Ormond Street.For Leigh, in spite of his own injuries, continued to attend Garstangtill he was thoroughly out of danger, though it was months before he wasable to go to his office.

  It was time he went there, for the place, and his country house in Kent,were in charge of his creditors' representatives, it having come like acrash on the monetary world that Garstang, the money-lender andspeculator, had failed for a very heavy sum.

  Poetic justice or not, John Garstang found himself bankrupt in healthand pocket; his bold attempt to save his position by making Kate hiswife being the gambler's last stroke.

  As a matter of course, James Wilton was involved; led on by Garstang, hehad mortgaged his property deeply, and the money was now called in, andruin stared him in the face just at a time when he was prostrate withillness.

  "It's jolly hard on the old man," said Claud one day when he had come upto town and called on Leigh, "for the guv'nor has lorded it down atNorthwood all these years, and could have been doing it fine now if ithadn't been for old Garstang. He gammoned the guv'nor into speculating,and then gammoned him when he lost to go on with the double or quitsgame, and a nice thing Johnny must have made out of it. If it had beensheep or turnips, of course the old man would have been all there; butit was a fat turkey playing cards with a fox, and I suppose everythingcomes to the hammer."

  "Very bad for your mother," said Leigh.

  "Oh, I don't know. I say, may I light my pipe?"

  "Oh, yes; smoke away while you have any brains left."

  "Better smoke one's brains away than catch some infection in yourdoctor's shop. How do I know that some one with the epidemics hasn'tbeen sitting in this chair?--ah! that's better. I say, it's a pity youdon't smoke, Leigh."

  "Is it? Very well, then, I'll have a cigar with you to help keep offthe infection. I did have a rheumatic patient in that chair thismorning."

  "Eh? Did you? Oh, well, I'll risk that. Ah, now you look moresociable, and as if you hadn't got your back up because I called."

  "I couldn't have had, because I was very glad to see you."

  "Were you? Well, you didn't look it. You were saying about being badfor the mater. I don't believe she'll mind, if the guv'nor don't worry.She's about the most contented old girl that ever lived, if things willonly go smooth. The crash comes hardest on poor me. It's Othello'soccupation, gone, and no mistake, with yours truly. I say, don't youthink I could turn surgeon? I have lots of friends in the Mid-WestPack, and if they knew I was in the profession I could get all theaccident
s."

  "No," said Leigh, smiling; "you are not cut out for a doctor."

  "I don't think I am cut out for anything, Leigh, and things look veryblack. I can farm, and of course if the guv'nor hadn't smashed I couldhave gone on all right. But it's heart-breaking, Leigh; it is, upon mysoul. I haven't been home for weeks. Been along with an old aunt."

  "Why, you oughtn't to leave a sinking ship, my lad."

  "Well, I know that," said Claud, savagely; "and that's why I've comehere."

  "Why you've come here?" said Leigh, staring.

  "Yes; don't pretend that you can't understand."

  "There is no pretence. Explain yourself."

  Claud Wilton had only just lit his pipe, but he tapped it empty on thebars, and sat gazing straight before him.

  "I want to do the square thing," he said; "but I'm such an impulsivebeggar, and I can't trust myself. I want you to send for your sisterhome; Kate's all right again; mother told me so in a letter; and she hasgot her lawyer down there, and is transacting business. Look here,Leigh: it isn't right for me to be down there when your sister's at theManor. I can't see a shilling ahead now, and it isn't fair to her."

  Leigh looked at him keenly.

  "I shall have to marry Kate after all," continued Claud, with a bitterlaugh. "Do you hear, hated rival? We can't afford to let the chancego. Oh, I say, Leigh, I wish you'd give me a dose, and put me out of mymisery, for I'm about the most unhappy beggar that ever lived."

  "Things do look bad for you, certainly," said Leigh. "How would it beif you tried for a stewardship to some country gentleman--youunderstand?"

  "Oh, yes, I understand stock and farming generally; but who'd have me?Hanged if I couldn't go and enlist in some cavalry regiment; that'sabout all I'm fit for."

  "Don't talk nonsense, my lad. Where are you staying?"

  "Nowhere--just come up. I shall have to get a cheap room somewhere."

  "Nonsense! You can have a bed here. We'll go and have a bit of dinnersomewhere, and chat matters over afterwards. I may perhaps be able tohelp you."

  "With something out of the tintry-cum-fuldicum bottle?"

  "I have a good many friends; but there's no hurry. We shall see?"

  Claud reached over, and gripped Leigh's hand.

  "Thankye, old chap," he said. "It's very good of you, but I'm not goingto quarter myself on you. If you have any interest, though, and couldget me something to go to abroad, I should be glad. Busy now, Isuppose?"

  "Yes, I have patients to see. Be with me at six, and we'll gosomewhere. Only mind, you will sleep here while you are in town. Iwant to help you, and to be able to put my hand on you at once."

  The result was that Claud stayed three days with his friend; and on thethird Leigh had a letter at breakfast from his sister, enclosing onefrom Mrs Wilton to her son, whose address she did not know, but thoughtperhaps he might have called upon Leigh.

  "Eh? News from home?" said Claud, taking the note, and glancing eagerlyat Leigh's letter the while. "I say, how is she?"

  "My sister? Quite well," said Leigh, dryly.

  Claud sighed, and opened his own letter.

  "Poor old mater! she's such a dear old goose; she's about worryingherself to death about me, and--what!--oh, I say. Here, Leigh! Hurrah!There is life in a mussel after all."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Why, hark here. You know I told you that Kate had got her lawyer downthere?"

  "Yes," said Leigh, frowning slightly.

  "Well, God bless her for the dearest and best girl that ever breathed!She has arranged to clear off every one of the guv'nor's presentliabilities by taking over the mortgages, or whatever they are. Themater don't understand, but she says it's a family arrangement; and whatdo you think she says?"

  Leigh shook his head.

  "That she is sure that her father would not have seen his brother cometo want God bless her. What a girl. Leigh, it's all over with you now.Intense admiration for her noble cousin, Claud, and--confound it, oldfellow, don't look at me! I feel as if I should choke."

  He went hurriedly to the window, and stood looking out for some minutes,before coming back to where Leigh sat gravely smoking his cigar.

  Claud Wilton's eyes had a peculiarly weak look in them as he stood byJenny's brother, and his voice sounded strange.

  "I'm going down by the next train," he said. "This means the work athome going on as usual, and I shan't be a beggar now, Leigh. I say, oldman, I am going to act the true man by hier. I may speak right out toher now?"

  "Whatever had happened I should not have objected, for sooner or later Iknow you would have made her a home."

  Claud nodded.

  "And look here," he cried, "why not come down with me? Kate would bedelighted to see you. Only you wouldn't bring Jenny back?"

  "Take my loving message to my sister," said Leigh, ignoring hiscompanion's other remark, "that I beg she will come home now at once."

  "Because I'm going down?" pleaded Claud.

  "Yes," said Leigh, gravely, "because you are going down."

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

  A year and a half glided by, and Kate Wilton had become full mistress ofher property, and other matters remained, as the lawyers say, "in statuquo," save that Jenny was back with her brother. James Wilton was verymuch broken, and his son was beginning to be talked of as a risingagriculturist. John Garstang was at Boulogne, and his stepson hadmarried a wealthy Australian widow in Sydney.

  Jenny had again and again tried to urge her brother to propose to Kate,but in vain.

  "It is so stupid of you, dear," she said. "I know she'd say yes to you,directly. Of course any girl would if you asked her."

  "Yes, I'm a noble specimen of humanity," said Leigh, dryly.

  "I believe you're the proudest and most sensitive man that ever lived,"cried Jenny, angrily.

  "One of them, sis."

  "And next time I shall advise her to propose to you. You couldn'trefuse."

  "You are too late, dear," he said, gravely, as he recalled a letter hehad received a month before, in which he had been reproached forignoring the writer's existence, and forcing her to humble herself andwrite.

  There were words in that letter which seemed burned into his brain andhe had a bitter fight to hold himself aloof. For in simple,heart-appealing language she had said: "Am I never to see you and tellyou how I pray nightly for him who twice saved my life, and enabled meto live and say I am still worthy of being called his friend?"

  Pride--honourable feeling--true manhood--whatever it was--he fought andwon, for in his unworldly way he told himself that in his earlystruggles for a position he could not ask a rich heiress to be his wife.

  "I know," Jenny often said, "that she wishes she had hardly a penny inthe world."

  It does not fall to many of us to have our fondest wishes fulfilled, butKate Wilton had hers, though in a way which brought misery to thousands,though safety to more who have lived since.

  For the great commercial crisis burst upon London. One of the greatbanks collapsed, and dragged others, like falling card houses, in itswake. Among others, Wilton's Joint Stock Bank came to the ground, andin its ruin the two-thirds left of Kate's money went out like so muchburning paper, leaving only a few tiny sparks to scintillate in thetinder, and disappear.

  "Oh, how horrible!" cried Jenny, when the news reached the Leighs."What a horrid shame! I must go and see her now she is in suchtrouble."

  "No," said Leigh, drawing himself up with a sigh of relief, "let me gofirst."

  "Pierce!" cried Jenny, excitedly, as she sprang to her brother's breast,her face glowing from the result of shockingly selfish thoughtsconnected with Claud Wilton and matrimony, "and you mean to ask herthat?"

  He nodded, kissed her lovingly, and hurried to Kate Wilton's side.

  The interview was strictly private, as a matter of course, but theconsequences were not long in following, and among other things
JamesWilton made his will--the will of a straightforward, honest man.

  There were people who said that the passing of the Limited Liability Actwas mainly due to the way in which Kate Wilton's fortune was swept away.That undoubtedly was a piece of fiction, but out of evil came muchgood.

  THE END.