Foul Play

by Charles Reade

  CHAPTER VII.

  GENERAL ROLLESTON'S servants made several trips to the _Proserpine,_carrying boxes, etc.

  But Helen herself clung to the house till the last moment. "Oh, papa!"she cried, "I need all my resolution, all my good faith, to keep my wordwith Arthur, and leave you. Why, why did I promise? Why am I such a slaveto my word?"

  "Because," said the old general, with a voice not so firm as usual, "Ihave always told you that a lady is not to be inferior to a gentleman inany virtue except courage. I've heard my mother say so often; and I'vetaught it to my Helen. And, my girl, where would be the merit of keepingour word, if we only kept it when it cost us nothing?"

  He promised to come after, in three months at furthest, and the bravegirl dried her tears as well as she could, not to add to the sadness hefought against as gallantly as he had often fought the enemies of hiscountry.

  The _Proserpine_ was to sail at two o'clock. At a little before one, agentleman boarded her and informed the captain that he was a missionary,the Rev. John Hazel, returning home, after a fever; and wished to take aberth in the _Proserpine._

  The mate looked him full in the face; and then told him there was verylittle accommodation for passengers, and it had all been secured by White& Co. for a young lady and her servants.

  Mr. Hazel replied that his means were small and moderate accommodationwould serve him; but he must go to England without delay.

  Captain Hudson put in his gracious word: "Then jump off the jetty at hightide and swim there; no room for black coats in my ship."

  Mr. Hazel looked from one to the other piteously. "Show me some mercy,gentlemen; my very life depends on it."

  "Very sorry, sir," said the mate; "but it is impossible. There's the_Shannon,_ you can go in her."

  "But she is under repairs; so I am told."

  "Well, there are a hundred and fifty carpenters on to her; and she willcome out of port in our wake."

  "Now, sir," said Hudson roughly, "bundle down the ship's side again ifyou please; this is a busy time. Hy!--rig the whip; here's the ladycoming off to us."

  The missionary heaved a deep sigh and went down into the boat that hadbrought him. But he was no sooner seated than he ordered the boatmen,somewhat peremptorily, to pull ashore as fast as they could row. His boatmet the Rollestons, father and daughter, coming out, and he turned hispale face and eyed them as he passed. Helen Rolleston was struck withthat sorrowful countenance, and whispered her father, "That poorclergyman has just left the ship." She made sure he had been taking leaveof some beloved one, bound for England. General Rolleston looked round,but the boats had passed each other, and the wan face was no longervisible.

  They were soon on board and received with great obsequiousness. Helen wasshown her cabin, and, observing the minute and zealous care that had beentaken of her comfort, she said, "Somebody who loves me has been here,"and turned her brimming eyes on her father. He looked quite puzzled; butsaid nothing.

  Father and daughter were then left alone in the cabin till the ship beganto heave her anchor (she lay just at the mouth of the harbor), and thenthe boatswain was sent to give General Rolleston warning. Helen came upwith him, pale and distressed. They exchanged a last embrace and GeneralRolleston went down the ship's side. Helen hung over the bulwarks andwaved her last adieu, though she could hardly see him for her tears.

  At this moment a four-oared boat swept alongside, and Mr. Hazel came onboard again. He presented Hudson a written order to give the Rev. JohnHazel a passage in the small berth abreast the main hatches. It wassigned "For White & Co., James Seaton;" and was indorsed with a stampedacknowledgment of the passage money, twenty-seven pounds.

  Hudson and Wylie, the mate, put their heads together over this. Themissionary saw them consulting, and told them he had mentioned theirmysterious conduct to Messrs. White & Co., and that Mr. Seaton hadpromised to stop the ship if their authority was resisted. "And I havepaid my passage money, and will not be turned out now except by force,"said the reverend gentleman quietly.

  Wylie's head was turned away from Mr. Hazel's, and on its profile a mostgloomy, vindictive look; so much so that Mr. Hazel was startled when theman turned his front face to him with a jolly, genial air and said,"Well, sir, the truth is, we seamen don't want passengers aboard ships ofthis class; they get in our way whenever it blows a capful. However,since you are here, make yourself as comfortable as you can."

  "There, that is enough palaver," said the captain, in his offensive way."Hoist the parson's traps aboard; and sheer off you. Anchor's apeak."

  He then gave his orders in stentorian roars; the anchor was hove up,catted and fished; one sail went up after another, the Proserpine's headcame round, and away she bore for England with a fair wind.

  General Rolleston went slowly and heavily home, and often turned his headand looked wistfully at the ship putting out wing upon wing and carryingoff his child like a tiny prey.

  To change the comparison, it was only a tender vine detached from a greatsturdy elm. Yet the tree, thus relieved of its delicate encumbrance, feltbare; and a soft thing was gone, that, seeking protection, had bestowedwarmth; had nestled and curled between the world's cold wind and thatstalwart stem.

  As soon as he got home he lighted a cigar and set to work to consolehimself by reflecting that it was but a temporary parting, since he hadvirtually resigned his post and was only waiting in Sydney till he shouldhave handed his papers in order over to his successor and settled one ortwo private matters that could not take three months.

  When he had smoked his cigar and reasoned away his sense of desolation,Nature put out her hand and took him by the breast and drew him gentlyupstairs to take a look at his beloved daughter's bedroom, by way ofseeing the last of her.

  The room had one window looking south and another west; the lattercommanded a view of the sea. General Rolleston looked down at the floor,littered with odds and ends--the dead leaves of dress that fall about alady in the great process of packing--and then gazed through the windowat the flying _Proserpine._

  He sighed and lighted another cigar. Before he had half finished it hestooped down and took up a little bow of ribbon that lay on the groundand put it quietly in his bosom. In this act he was surprised by SarahWilson, who had come up to sweep all such waifs and strays into her ownbox.

  "La, sir," said she, rather crossly, "why didn't you tell me, and I'dhave tidied the room. It is all hugger-mugger, with miss a-leaving."

  And with this she went to the washstand to begin. General Rolleston's eyefollowed her movements, and he observed the water in one of the basinswas rather red. "What!" said he, "has she had an accident; cut herfinger?"

  "No, sir," said Wilson.

  "Her nose been bleeding, then?"

  "No, sir.

  "Not from her finger--nor--? Let me look."

  He examined the basin narrowly, and his countenance fell.

  "Good Heavens!" said he. "I wish I had seen this before; she should nothave gone to-day. Was it the agitation of parting?"

  "Oh, no, sir," said Wilson; "don't go to fancy that. Why, it is not thefirst time by a many."

  "Not the first!" faltered Rolleston. "In Heaven's name, why was I nevertold of this?"

  "Indeed, sir," said Wilson, eagerly, "you must not blame me, sir. It wasas much as my place was worth to tell you. Miss is a young lady that willbe obeyed; and she gave me strict orders not to let you know. But she isgone now. And I always thought it was a pity she kept it so dark; but, asI was saying, sir, she _would_ be obeyed."

  "Kept what so dark?"

  "Why, sir, her spitting of blood at times; and turning so thin by whatshe used to be, poor dear young lady."

  General Rolleston groaned aloud. "And this she hid from me; from me!" Hesaid no more, but kept looking bewildered and helpless, first at thebasin discolored by his daughter's blood, and then at the _Proserpine,_that was carrying her away, perhaps forever; and, at the double sight,his iron features worked with cruel distress; anguish so mute and malethat
the woman Wilson, though not good for much, sat down and shedgenuine tears of pity.

  But he summoned all his fortitude, told Wilson he could not say she wasto blame, she had but obeyed her mistress's orders; and we must all obeyorders. "But now," said he, "it is me you ought to obey. Tell me, doesany doctor attend her?"

  "None ever comes here, sir. But, one day, she let fall that she went toDr. Valentine, him that has the name for disorders of the chest."

  In a very few minutes General Rolleston was at Dr. Valentine's house, andasked him bluntly what was the matter with his daughter.

  "Disease of the lungs," said the doctor simply.

  The unhappy father then begged the doctor to give him his real opinion asto the degree of danger; and Dr. Valentine told him, with some feeling,that the case was not desperate, but was certainly alarming.

  Remonstrated with for letting the girl undertake a sea voyage, he repliedrather evasively at first; that the air of Sydney disagreed with hispatient, and a sea voyage was more likely to do her good than harm,provided the weather was not downright tempestuous.

  "And who is to insure me against that?' asked the afflicted father.

  "Why, it is a good time of year," said Dr. Valentine; "and delay mighthave been fatal." Then, after a slight hesitation, "The fact is, sir,"said he, "I gathered from her servant that a husband awaits MissRolleston in England; and I must tell you, what of course I did not tellher, that the sooner she enters the married state the better. In fact, itis her one chance, in my opinion."

  General Rolleston pressed the doctor's hand, and went away withoutanother word.

  Only he hurried his matters of business; and took his passage in the_Shannon._

  It was in something of a warrior's spirit that he prepared to follow hisdaughter and protect her; but often he sighed at the invisible, insidiousnature of the foe, and wished it could have been a fair fight of bulletsand bayonets, and his own the life at stake.

  The _Shannon_ was soon ready for sea.

  But the gentleman who was to take General Rolleston's post met withsomething better, and declined it.

  General Rolleston, though chafing with impatience, had to give up goinghome in the _Shannon._ But an influential friend, Mr. Adolphus Savage,was informed of his difficulty, and obtained a year's leave of absencefor him, and permission to put young Savage in as his _locum tenens;_which, by the by, is how politic men in general serve their friends.

  The _Shannon_ sailed, but not until an incident had occurred that mustnot be entirely passed over. Old Mr. White called on General Rollestonwith a long face, and told him James Seaton had disappeared.

  "Stolen anything?"

  "Not a shilling. Indeed, the last thing the poor fellow did was to giveus a proof of his honesty. It seems a passenger paid him twenty-sevenpounds for a berth in the _Proserpine,_ just before she sailed. Well,sir, he might have put this in his pocket, and nobody been the wiser. Butno, he entered the transaction, and the numbers of the notes, and leftthe notes themselves in an envelope addressed to me. What I am mostafraid of is, that some harm has come to him, poor lad."

  "What day did he disappear?"

  "The 11th of November."

  "The day my daughter sailed for England," said General Rolleston,thoughtfully.

  "Was it, sir? Yes, I remember. She went in the _Proserpine."_

  General Rolleston knitted his brows in silence for some time; then hesaid, "I'll set the detectives on his track."

  "Not to punish him, general. We do not want him punished."

  "To punish him, protect him, or avenge him, as the case may require," wasthe reply, uttered very gravely.

  Mr. White took his leave. General Rolleston rang the bell, and directedhis servant to go for Hexham, the detective.

  He then rang the bell again, and sent for Sarah Wilson. He put somesearching questions to this woman; and his interrogatory had hardlyconcluded when Hexham was announced. General Rolleston dismissed thegirl, and, looking now very grave indeed, asked the detective whether heremembered James Seaton.

  "That I do, sir."

  "He has levanted."

  "Taken much, sir?"

  "Not a shilling."

  "Gone to the diggings?"

  "That you must find out."

  "What day was he first missed, sir?"

  "Eleventh of November. The very day Miss Rolleston left."

  Hexham took out a little greasy notebook and examined it. "Eleventh ofNovember," said he, "then I almost think I have got a clew, sir; but Ishall know more when I have had a word with two parties." With this heretired.

  But he came again at night and brought General Rolleston some positiveinformation; with this, however, we shall not trouble the reader justhere. For General Rolleston himself related it, and the person to whom hedid relate it, and the attendant circumstances, gave it a peculiarinterest.

  Suffice it to say here that General Rolleston went on board the _Shannon_charged with curious information about James Seaton; and sailed forEngland in the wake of the _Proserpine,_ and about two thousand milesastern.