Picture Show (Oct 1920 - Apr 1921)

8 Picture Show, January 1st, 1921. "Manacled By Money. (Continued from onae 6.*) " You have had a deal of trouble, Weston, and 1 dislike to interfere with other people's concerns, but the wishes of the dead to me are sacred. If you want advice, or help, I shall be glad to give you all that lies within my power, but 1 must confess it has been worrying me. Time is passing, and the old place is falling into yet greater decay. In a few years the boy will be of age. He will return. 1 shall deem it my duty to tell him his dead mother's wishes, if you are not prepared to do so." Mr. Ferguson paused. The rpan seated in the chair opposite him did not -move. His face .was hidden, in the shadows which were now filling the room. Suddenly he roused himself. , " Mr. Ferguson, if I told you I had not that money, 1 presume you would not believe me ? " ho said. The rector looked troubled. " I thought you could not have it now. Where did it go to ? " he asked. " 1 had it stolen," said Arthur, saying tho first thing which suggested itself to him. " It was stolen while I was away. That is why I sold up my own place, and am living as I am now." The rector gave a deep sigh of relief. " I sec. You are economising so that you will be able to do part of what your aunt wished. 1 mighthave known it, Weston. 1 know you were honourable. But, tell me : How was the money lost ? Did you not try to recover it ? It was a large, sum — a very largo sum to lose." Arthur's brain was working swiftly. " 1 was all to pieces," he said, with apparently charming frankness. " It was just after I had lost Jessica, and nothing seemed of much importance. Tho whole lot was taken out of my room at the hotel. I did not miss it for a day or two, and then when I spoke of it 1 thought people looked at me curiously. 1 eouldn't^explain how 1 had such a large sum about with me." "No, I understand that," said the rector,' nodding his head thoughtfully. " But whatever possessed you to carry it about with you. Why ever did you not put it into tho bank, or even givo it to me to tako charge of." Arthur nodded his head, as though ho thought that either suggestion was good. Inwardly ho was amused to think that a man of Mr. Ferguson's 3 ears could bo so easily gulled. Ho glanced up, suddenly suspicion?. Was tho rev. gentleman really deceived, or was he, like himself, pretending ? His companion, however, was .shaking his head as ho thought of tho responsibility the dead woman had left behind her on both of them. " How much havo you been able to scrape together, Weston ? It will take quite nine hundred to put the house in repair, I should say. Jenkins was talking to me about it only tho other •lay. Ho said if you do not have something dono to it soon you would have it tumbling down about yours ears. That is an unfortunate house. These last few years there seems to bo a blight upon it." Tho rector shook his head again. Ho was really thinking aloud. It was a habit of his these days. Arthur Weston shot him an evil glance, then, remembering himself, ho gave a forced laugh. " I suppose I must havo something dono soon, but I am so beastly hard up. It will have to wait another few months, though I don't want to start and then have to leave off. You can understand that, sir." " Yes, 1 can. But I don't pretend to say that I approve. I want to seo the workmen begin. I should like you to shake hands with mo though, Weston. 1 have been troubled about you, and that I must confess, but I might have known that you were trying to do the right thing. We are too apt, to look out for the weaknesses of our fellows, and so I want to apologise." Weston got, out of his chair with, a laugh, but lie did not tako tho rector's hand. To avoid doing so ho caught him by the arms. " ' Judge not, that ye bo not judged ! ' Isn't that a favourite quotation of yours, sir ? " bo cried jocularly. " J am stiro I havo heard you preach a sermon on it." " You havo, Weston. Quite right. You havo mo at your mercy ! " cried his companion, shaking his grey hoad. " Ah, well ! We are never too old to learn, and if we confess our sins — ■ — " He said no more, but shook his head. Arthur laughed again. "Well; well, let us get back to the ladies, ' Said Mr. Ferguson, turning. Arthur took a stop forward, and then hesitated. " By the way, sir, may I ask how much of this affair your wife and daughter know ? " he said. " Nothing, that I know of," answered the rector simply. " I never discuss the confidences of ray parishioners with my family. To me they are sacred." " Then only yon know what Mrs. Rae told you on her deathbed ? " In spite of himself Arthur could not restrain the eagerness in his voice. " You see," he went on, hoping to explain it, " 1 feel an awful fool about that money. I should prefer, if possible, that they never knew " He paused significantly. The rector patted him on the shoulder. " I quite understand. But don't think about, it any more. What is done cannot be undone. You tire doing the right thing now. I am the only living person who knew about it, and so long as Greystone is ready for the lad when he returns, that is all that interests me." Another Christmas Day. THE months went by. It was Christmas again. Greystone Hall lay covered with snow. There was no need for Grace to steal away this Christmas live to play in the empty nursery, haunted by memories of the past, for Arthur had invited her and her parents to spend Christmas Eve with him. Mrs. Taylor and her daughters had also been asked up to cook for the occasion. " We ain't coming where there is that dirtylooking foreigner," she said to Arthur Weston, when he called at her cottage. " Oh, my servant, Jakes ! Well, he happens to havo. gone away for a few days, so you won't bo troubled with him." " Good ! " ejaculated Mrs.' Taylor. " Well, then, sir, I don't know then as I mind if Emma and I do come.'-' " You mu<t come up a few days beforehand and give the place a bit of a clean. It's pretty bail. I'm afraid Jakes isn't particularly gifted that way. The rooms seem somehow in an .awful muddle.' Mrs. Taylor sniffed. " I wonder as you don't have a woman about tho place, sir. They beats all tho foreigners." " J must think about it," said Arthur, smilinc, and then, with a cheerful nod and a " good-morning," he passed up the village street. After Mrs. Taylor had been to Greystone she said to some of the village gossips : "Sometimes I think Mr. Weston has. got that, servant of his .there in hiding — afraid of me, .1 suppose. I could have sworn I saw him onco when I was trying to peep in through tho keyhole, but when I looked again, it was Mr. Weston that, was dusting tho books in the Bookshelf— a funny thing for a gentleman like ho is to be a-doing." "Oh, you always are getting a bee in your bonnet. It was Grace Ferguson you were going, to discover something about. That never came to nothing ! " cried one of her listeners derisively. " Oh, didn't it. You wait. Grace Ferguson is playing her own game. She wants to bo mistress of Greystone, and sho will be, ono of these days, and I, for one, hopes she will. She would send that old foreigner pucking, and have decent maids about the place. Arthur was dressed and stood in tho library waiting for his guests. There wos an air of excitement about him, which revealed itself in tho nervous twitching of his hands. The Dinner Party. IN tho dining-room Emma Taylor was putting the finishing touches to the cloth, which was gay with holly, and candles under scarlet shades. Arthur Weston came into the room, and frutn the sideboard he took a short,squat bottle. " The ladies. I know, will not touch a liqueur. I shull put this in tho study, Emma. You might bring in n couple. of, glasses and(he box of cigars," he said. Emma, fleet of foot, went to do his bidding. Arthur Weston sfood for a moment, glancing critically around him. The lino old room was lookiug its best in tho candlelight. Emma had decorated the place profusely with evergreens. All the shabby places on tho walls had been covered up with foliage and scarlet berries. The man sighed as he glanced around. If all went well, ho told himself feverishly, he could take up his life where he had left it r.ff w hen' his aunt had died. He opened the bottlo and poured himself out a generous portion of the liqueur brandy. " Here is success to my plans," he muttered under his breath. The guests arrived, and they all sat down to dinner. Mrs. Taylor had surpassed herself this evening. Mrs. Ferguson, who had heard rumours about the Greystone establishment, was agreeably surprised. As for Grace, she scarcely knew what she was eating. She was once more in Harry's home. To-night, on their return home, she was to write to Harry and tell him all about it. She sat in a dream world all of her own, and her mother, with rare understanding, managed to shield her from the conversation by monopolising it for the most part herself. When Arthur suggested, with a smile, that he and the rector should retire to tho library, where tho ladies should follow them, after they had partaken of coffee, the rector, with a smile, consented. He thought that perhaps his wife, one of the best of God's creatures, had perhaps rather ' overdone her efforts to make the dinner entertaining. He had enjoyed himself immensely. Ho seldom dined out. and tho whole proceeding was a very pleasant change to him. It took him back to the old days when Mrs. Rae entertained. In' the library a great wood fire was burning brightly. The rector stood with his back against the door, and looked around with an air of benevolent appreciation. Arthur went to tho table and took up tho box of cigars, and offered him one. The rector took tl. "still smiling. . . .Arthur helped himself, and then took up the liqueur bottle. " You will havo ono on this auspicious occasion ? " ho asked, striving to speak unconcern ingly . The rector moved across to tho fireplace. t; " Well, 1 do not usually indulge, as you know, Weston, but perhaps this once," he said genially. Arthur had his back towards him. Tho rector did not pay any attention to him. Unlike his daughter, he was thinking of the future. When Harry should come back. " By the way, Weston, .you have not been nble to start anything yet," ho remarked, as Arthur approached him, a liqueur glass in his hand. "I am just making arrangements for the New-Year .""replied Arthur meaningly. • — -■ ' " That is good nows." The rector took tho' glass and sipped its contents, then hp paused* and miulo a grimace. " Whatever do you call this ? " ho said. " It tastes as if it had pepper in it." Arthur, who had been watching him through tho mirror, gavo a strange littlo laugh. " It's tho best liqueur brandy there is, but ypu should not sip it, man, you should drink it down so," — he drained his own glass. " Then you get the full flavour." His companion looked dubious, hesitated, and then, as a sound was 'heard outside, lie tossed -the contents down his throat. " I thought that was the ladies coming in," ho said, hulf apologetically. " I don't know what my wife would say, Westoir, if sho saw me drinking." " Nonsense ! Have another," said Weston, going over to tho table again, and taking up the bottlo. "My dear chap, just look at what you are doing. Whatever makes your hand shake like that!" cried tho rector, in consternation, as ho watched his companion trying to pour himself out another, but his hand was shaking as if with an ague. Arthur strovo to Steady it, but ho seemed to havo lost control over his hand entirely, lbput down tho bottle with a forced laugh. " It's my confouudod nerves," lie said. " 1 shall have to get something to steady them." Ho placed his hand in his waistcoat pocket as he spoke, and his fingers tightened over a littlo empty phial. He brought it out, and with attempted carelessness, threw it among tho burning logs. Tho reetor looked at him gravely. " I trust for his own sake, ho is not a drug taker," he thought to himself. (Another instalment in next Monday's "Picture Show.")