VC -- A Chronicle of Castle Barfield and of the Crimea

his gold-rimmed reading glasses, and balanced them on the bridge of that high Quixote nose. By and by, he began to read with great

fter the name of the town, and he paused again when he had completed the reading of the address. The last pause was longer than the others had been, a

a slight shake of the head threw the glasses from their place. 'D

vain to meet his questioner's, and he began to fumble nervously with oth

e General to himself. He addressed his question to John Jervase, who

oward! Stand up and fight this infernal libel like a man. Ain't there two of us? If this wicked charge is brought against James Knock Jervoyce, ain't it brough

very well for you. It might mean loss of money to y

'you are, are you

, c that he could smash me dead, but so far

re two of the quartette there present had read it. The boy turned away, groaning, and th

said, within do

and a gentleman'-he made a burly bow towards the General-' and I don't suppose for a minute that he'd be guilty even of dreaming of such a piece of rascality as this. It's much more likely to be some pettifogging lawyer's game-some sneaking rogue that's got these fellow-rascals round him, with an idea of doing a little bit of blackmail. Stubbs is a decent fellow-for a lawye

lative, he had talked himself back into something like his common aspect, and his common manner; and there was a litt

domestic from the kitchen was heard saying that Mr. James's

dy for you in half an hour. Meanwhile, you go and change; and when you come back we'll forget this nonsense over a bowl

mself as small as possible, and the G

of satire in his voice, 'your cousin seems to

aking up the scrap of writing the General had laid upon the table, 'what is there in this to frighten anybody? Who's William Ford, of Ontar

suddenly, 'that's the

art betrayed his father. A lad of a more honest impulse and conduct could not have been found in all England; but even if his father were a rogue-and the belief that he was nothing short of that had already shocked him to t

ople who had come to understand its meaning, 'that is the blackguard, Polson? Be good enough to enlighten us a little furthe

that name?' Jervase asked wrathfully.

bee, Polson, let

nd a hulking fellow with a digger's beard and a red shirt-one of those chaps we've seen lately back from Ballarat and Geelong-s

ral, 'you had to giv

llow was drunk, and-when I ordered him away, he

g of pity in his heart, for the lad was a good lad, and the old warrior knew it, and he had been near to loving him, this past half-dozen years. And the boy was not merely pale with the suffering of his mind, but his very eyes had lost their colou

Mr. Jervase, and that he meant to see him. He said my father wou

aid the General, 'nev

ody's making a fuss about a thing that'll be forgotten in a week's time. Why didn't

e has a turn-up with a tramp,' Polson answered.

er had a shadow of a reason to doubt your word. I don't want you to turn informer and I shan't

n the house, and I'm going to stay here, u

p affection for his only son, and if at the beginning of his career he had had any such hope of honour and credit as his son had bidden fair to bring him as he ne

should have a very poor eye indeed if I couldn't see that he's on the way to lose his respect for me, if events don't change his mind. But if

business terms. Very nearly the whole of my fortune is invested in your hands. If your credit is seriously shaken, and, above all, if it is shaken by such a charge as is now being brought against the firm, my daughter and I are on the verge of ruin. It wouldn't g

uch you, sir.' The Ge

ne question. What is the worth of the brine which has been pumped up from our wo

usand pounds. That may be a thousand wrong on one side or the other-it may even be five th

by foul, could be established, the firm could b

established, the firm would be

,' the General asked, 'am

'is responsible in his own person for the who

ent than it had been on the one side, and b

bligations, and, apart from that, these fellows who are being brought up against us are

enness. 'And why are they the very scum

disconcerted. He sta

the earth can they be, to have t

s a partner in this concern, I may conceivably

the la

y action I shall take no step without informing you of it. But the thing is too serious to be neglec

James came back, his slight figure absurdly costumed in his cousin's clothes, whi

at a partial understanding, and I must make the position clear as b

ames. 'Never a w

n. 'When did you first hear of the man Lightfoot, late of Melbourne? Now, come, sir,' the General cried, in a voice of command, 'you are here to answer that question on your own responsibility. You don't choose to answer? Now, the story is that these men

Jervase, 'willingl

cried

he General. 'Well, th

seeing that he had betrayed himself, he cast the case up altogether, and, throwing both arms up

ed out for the decanter, filled his glass, emptied it and set it down-all with a certain look of weighty purpose. 'I'm going to make a clean breast of it, sir. I should leave James to do it if he was capable of doing anything but whimper like a kicked charity boy. It's a bit to my dis

he speaker for a single instant, and then al

o him. He was a solid chapel-goer till he was thirty, and he was a deacon or an elder, or something of that sort; but he always had some little game on on the sly, and he always succeeded in keeping his Piccadillies pretty quiet. When he began to make money, he we

, but made no

dead, and the thing's so old, James has refused to keep this lazy beggar in his idleness and his dissipations any longer. The fellow's tried to frighten him with the letters, and, failing in that, he's worked up this lie against the firm, has got two more blackguards to swear to it, seemingly, and there's the whole truth about the matter. I su

ng, and James looked up for a second time, and being for

'But that is the truth about the whole transaction, General. God

the seat he had taken at his host's invit

ever. Think of Irene going out in such a storm as this! You were weatherbound here

nd since I am forced to intrude myself upon your hospitalities,

son following him; and when the sound of footsteps in th

th a grating laugh, 'that