The Weird Sisters, Volume I (of 3)

ties. Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room

er first in London, in a house where she was staying on a visit with friends. She was alone in the world, had a

, and the more prudent and calculating of suitors from love-making. Individually she was popular; but while those who knew her spoke well of her in her absence, the good thing

to indicate that she came of a stock north of the Tweed. Yet she had never been in Scotland, nor her father before her, nor anyone of his side, as far as he could trace back. Her mother had been the daughter of a Truro solicitor, her father a

e women judged her to be thirty-four, the men allowed that she might be twenty-seven; but all

his father's displeasure for his sweetheart's sake. The young and chivalric of Daneford were never tired of pointing to the pleasantes

always cited Mr. Grey as a shining contrast to their own too economical or exacting lords. It was not alone that she was never denied anything for which she could reasonably care, but, notwithstanding the clubs and the institutions and the boards of which Mr. Grey was a member, no more domesti

attachment between the husband and wife seemed to borrow a greater depth from the soft melancholy arising out of their childless condition. It was

of the speaker allowed of. To his wife, who often made tearful allusions to the circumstance, he replied with cheerful hopefulness, and bade her

ng friends upon whom she called in turn, and who learned from her the uniform kindliness of h

part there was a factor which hugely multiplied its value. At first, when he brought his wife home to Daneford, and

nd colour-her peculiarities gained upon her; and whether, the Daneford folk said, it was the foreign blood that darkened her eyes and her hair and her

ers seemed the result of forethought or preparation. She ordered the servants to bring this, that, or the other thing, and when they came with it she told them they might take i

aneford, and was the confidential servant of her mistress. Soon after the cook had left it reached the ears of a few acquaintances of Mr. Grey that a dreadful spectre had appeared in his household. The fac

prying eyes and guarded against any close daily contact with neighbours. How had it been kept secret so long? The cook, now discharged, had obtained for the unhappy woman what she wa

w from him, by even the faintest hint, there w

He was by no means weak or uxorious; but there was a loyal trust, an ever-active sympa

as the victim of a debasing weakness, she never betrayed herself publicly, and those who heard of it through indirect ways had kept the secret closely, out of respect to the man whose fame and name and popularity stood so high among h

, no ladies visited the house at all. But perhaps in Daneford there were not a dozen families in possession of the fact that would account for the strict retirement in which the mis

ound out that she did not possess the solid good sense and

ant's wife called on Mrs. Grey, and the latter, in a moment of communicativeness, said to the former that business was in a bad way, and that she understood the former's husband owed the Bank, over and above ordinary business, no less a sum than five thousand pounds. The m

omething of the over-draught must have been communicated to Mrs. Grey,

n the credit of an institution less solidly established than the Daneford Bank; but in the city and country surrounding the city the Bank was looked upon as much more safe than the Bank of England, insomuc

he better, and from the moment he arrived at this conclusion he carried it into effect. She, having no talent for the particular, did not seem to miss his confidence, and remained perfectly conte

to the rule, and when he found he durst no longer confide important secrets to his wife, he unburdened himself to another woman, a widow, now past seventy, but st

s owner, and was bemoaning the fact that Wat Grey had no child to leave his fine business and his vast saving

ossessing knowledge of the condition of

the burden of his secret, and he unfolded it to her. He did not trouble her with detail, but informed her briefly that he had ba

her dead husband and his father before him should be ruined by her son, and that not only had the Bank been ruined and

and spirits and courage. Once the first shock was over, she set all her f

e felt there was no help for them; and if at first reluctant to assist him in councils which ought to be held between him and his wife, in the end

At every interview between mother and son he assured her he saw no opening

6 things had, the son told t

off and staving off until everything has got into a hope

he door; and as you see nothing else fo

hut the Bank door I'

do you

o the other world with

act. If you have lost the money in fair trading you need not be ashamed to meet them all; others beside you lost by that

number of things, am closely connected with such a number of institutions and men, that nothing, no consideration, could induce me to outlive bankruptcy. The people would not believe facts; they would not credit any statement, however plain, that I was insolvent. They would say that I had appropriated the money of the d

ead into his han

th a sad sympathy, which was n

face such things, and have come out of their

oint stock, or a limited liability, where many are concerned as principals or shareholders or directors. It would be a case between an individual and his creditors. It would look as if I had borrowed money privately of all the

s clasped behind his coat, his eyes bent on the ground, and a look

er, stamping her foot impatiently on the floor. "Listen to

father for that!" c

h me for a while? We could leave England and live on a thousand a year in the south

th his, and opening his hands now and then to kiss the shrivelled hand which had once, when soft and full, joined his-then softer and fu

hould get a few thousand for it, and that would give you a fresh start in some other business. Now I tell you this is what shall happen. Do you hear me? I will not wait for your consent; this very day I will see about selling the ann

e is no need for doing what you say. There is one venture of mine, in no way connected with the late war, the greatest of all my ventures; and although I do not look o

ered the final words he caught both her hands

tell me?" she asked, lookin

ight I will

ur own secret mind, speak or think about such nonsense as dagger

ise I w

l I hear from you at the end of a fortnight.

and sorrow came into his eyes. "Mother,

w dare you say

tly. "I would do anything, dar

d, as if reminding him of an

tention to he

one in the world w

, Henry; this scene is growing theatrical or Continental, an

, opened the door, thrust him o

e door she threw herself down on a couch and burst int

y darling child, is it

ucky I got him out of the room so soon. Another moment and I should have broken down, and been more dramatic and Continental than he, and that woul

anager of the Daneford Bank, each day, was to return the cash, bills, books, &c., to this strong-room. To this strong-room there

keys. Thus no officer of the Bank could commit a larceny

ler. But the key held by the manager was unique, and even Mr. Grey

ious substances and papers belonging to customers of the Bank. Here were iron plate-chests, iron deed-boxes, jewel-caskets in great numbers, left

old Mr. Aldridge that a secret report had reached him to the disadvantage of a customer whose name he was not allowed to

back the key to Mr. Aldridge, said: "I am glad to say that the account I spoke of is quite satisfactory,

g the letters was an advice from Mr. Grey's London correspondents to the effect that Messrs.

ld her some of the expected good luck had come-n

in. If you did any of those romantic and foolish things with daggers

ven say as much," he

about now!" his mother

ow not dreams;" and kissing his mother to punctuate his parody, he smiled again, and added: "I was

he le