CHAPTER I A DOUBLE ENIGMA
Im afraid that he wont come said Laura McIntyre in a disconsolate voice
Why not
Oh look at the weather it is something too awful
As she spoke a whirl of snow beat with a muffled patter against the cosy redcurtained window while a long blast of wind shrieked and whistled through the branches of the great whitelimbed elms which skirted the garden
Robert McIntyre rose from the sketch upon which he had been working and taking one of the lamps in his hand peered out into the darkness The long skeleton limbs of the bare trees tossed and quivered dimly amid the whirling drift His sister sat by the fire her fancywork in her lap and looked up at her brothers profile which showed against the brilliant yellow light It was a handsome face young and fair and clear cut with wavy brown hair combed backwards and rippling down into that outward curve at the ends which one associates with the artistic temperament There was refinement too in his slightly puckered eyes his dainty goldrimmed pincenez glasses and in the black velveteen coat which caught the light so richly upon its shoulder In his mouth only there was something—a suspicion of coarseness a possibility of weakness—which in the eyes of some and of his sister among them marred the grace and beauty of his features Yet as he was wont himself to say when one thinks that each poor mortal is heir to a legacy of every evil trait or bodily taint of so vast a line of ancestors lucky indeed is the man who does not find that Nature has scored up some longowing family debt upon his features
And indeed in this case the remorseless creditor had gone so far as to exact a claim from the lady also though in her case the extreme beauty of the upper part of the face drew the eye away from any weakness which might be found in the lower She was darker than her brother—so dark that her heavily coiled hair seemed to be black until the light shone slantwise across it The delicate halfpetulant features the finely traced brows and the thoughtful humorous eyes were all perfect in their way and yet the combination left something to be desired There was a vague sense of a flaw somewhere in feature or in expression which resolved itself when analysed into a slight outturning and droop of the lower lip small indeed and yet pronounced enough to turn what would have been a beautiful face into a merely pretty one Very despondent and somewhat cross she looked as she leaned back in the armchair the tangle of brightcoloured silks and of drab holland upon her lap her hands clasped behind her head with her snowy forearms and little pink elbows projecting on either side
I know he wont come she repeated
Nonsense Laura Of course hell come A sailor and afraid of the weather
Ha She raised her finger and a smile of triumph played over her face only to die away again into a blank look of disappointment It is only papa she murmured
A shuffling step was heard in the hall and a little peaky man with his slippers very much down at the heels came shambling into the room Mr McIntyre sen was pale and furtivelooking with a thin straggling red beard shot with grey and a sunken downcast face Illfortune and illhealth had both left their marks upon him Ten years before he had been one of the largest and richest gunmakers in Birmingham but a long run of commercial bad luck had sapped his great fortune and had finally driven him into the Bankruptcy Court The death of his wife on the very day of his insolvency had filled his cup of sorrow and he had gone about since with a stunned halfdazed expression upon his weak pallid face which spoke of a mind unhinged So complete had been his downfall that the family would have been reduced to absolute poverty were it not for a small legacy of twohundred a year which both the children had received from one of their uncles upon the mothers side who had amassed a fortune in Australia By combining their incomes and by taking a house in the quiet country district of Tamfield some fourteen miles from the great Midland city they were still able to live with some approach to comfort The change however was a bitter one to all—to Robert who had to forego the luxuries dear to his artistic temperament and to think of turning what had been merely an overruling hobby into a means of earning a living and even more to Laura who winced before the pity of her old friends and found the lanes and fields of Tamfield intolerably dull after the life and bustle of Edgbaston Their discomfort was aggravated by the conduct of their father whose life now was one long wail over his misfortunes and who alternately sought comfort in the Prayerbook and in the decanter for the ills which had befallen him
To Laura however Tamfield presented one attraction which was now about to be taken from her Their choice of the little country hamlet as their residence had been determined by the fact of their old friend the Reverend John Spurling having been nominated as the vicar Hector Spurling the elder son two months Lauras senior had been engaged to her for some years and was indeed upon the point of marrying her when the sudden financial crash had disarranged their plans A sublieutenant in the Navy he was home on leave at present and hardly an evening passed without his making his way from the Vicarage to Elmdene where the McIntyres resided Today however a note had reached them to the effect that he had been suddenly ordered on duty and that he must rejoin his ship at Portsmouth by the next evening He would look in were it but for halfanhour to bid them adieu
Why wheres Hector asked Mr McIntyre blinking round from side to side
Hes not come father How could you expect him to come on such a night as this Why there must be two feet of snow in the glebe field
Not come eh croaked the old man throwing himself down upon the sofa Well well it only wants him and his father to throw us over and the thing will be complete
How can you even hint at such a thing father cried Laura indignantly They have been as true as steel What would they think if they heard you
I think Robert he said disregarding his daughters protest that I will have a drop just the very smallest possible drop of brandy A mere thimbleful will do but I rather think I have caught cold during the snowstorm today
Robert went on sketching stolidly in his folding book but Laura looked up from her work
Im afraid there is nothing in the house father she said
Laura Laura He shook his head as one more in sorrow than in anger You are no longer a girl Laura you are a woman the manager of a household Laura We trust in you We look entirely towards you And yet you leave your poor brother Robert without any brandy to say nothing of me your father Good heavens Laura what would your mother have said Think of accidents think of sudden illness think of apoplectic fits Laura It is a very grave res—a very grave response—a very great risk that you run
I hardly touch the stuff said Robert curtly Laura need not provide any for me
As a medicine it is invaluable Robert To be used you understand and not to be abused Thats the whole secret of it But Ill step down to the Three Pigeons for half an hour
My dear father cried the young man you surely are not going out upon such a night If you must have brandy could I not send Sarah for some Please let me send Sarah or I would go myself or—
Pip came a little paper pellet from his sisters chair on to the sketchbook in front of him He unrolled it and held it to the light
For Heavens sake let him go was scrawled across it
Well in any case wrap yourself up warm he continued laying bare his sudden change of front with a masculine clumsiness which horrified his sister Perhaps it is not so cold as it looks You cant lose your way that is one blessing And it is not more than a hundred yards
With many mumbles and grumbles at his daughters want of foresight old McIntyre struggled into his greatcoat and wrapped his scarf round his long thin throat A sharp gust of cold wind made the lamps flicker as he threw open the halldoor His two children listened to the dull fall of his footsteps as he slowly picked out the winding garden path
He gets worse—he becomes intolerable said Robert at last We should not have let him out he may make a public exhibition of himself
But its Hectors last night pleaded Laura It would be dreadful if they met and he noticed anything That was why I wished him to go
Then you were only just in time remarked her brother for I hear the gate go and—yes you see
As he spoke a cheery hail came from outside with a sharp rattat at the window Robert stepped out and threw open the door to admit a tall young man whose black frieze jacket was all mottled and glistening with snow crystals Laughing loudly he shook himself like a Newfoundland dog and kicked the snow from his boots before entering the little lamplit room
Hector Spurlings profession was written in every line of his face The cleanshaven lip and chin the little fringe of side whisker the straight decisive mouth and the hard weathertanned cheeks all spoke of the Royal Navy Fifty such faces may be seen any night of the year round the messtable of the Royal Naval College in Portsmouth Dockyard—faces which bear a closer resemblance to each other than brother does commonly to brother They are all cast in a common mould the products of a system which teaches early selfreliance hardihood and manliness—a fine type upon the whole less refined and less intellectual perhaps than their brothers of the land but full of truth and energy and heroism In figure he was straight tall and wellknit with keen grey eyes and the sharp prompt manner of a man who has been accustomed both to command and to obey
You had my note he said as he entered the room I have to go again Laura Isnt it a bore Old Smithers is shorthanded and wants me back at once He sat down by the girl and put his brown hand across her white one It wont be a very large order this time he continued Its the flying squadron business—Madeira Gibraltar Lisbon and home I shouldnt wonder if we were back in March
It seems only the other day that you landed she answered
Poor little girl But it wont be long Mind you take good care of her Robert when I am gone And when I come again Laura it will be the last time mind Hang the money There are plenty who manage on less We need not have a house Why should we You can get very nice rooms in Southsea at 2 pounds a week McDougall our paymaster has just married and he only gives thirty shillings You would not be afraid Laura
No indeed
The dear old governor is so awfully cautious Wait wait wait thats always his cry I tell him that he ought to have been in the Government Heavy Ordnance Department But Ill speak to him tonight Ill talk him round See if I dont And you must speak to your own governor Robert here will back you up And here are the ports and the dates that we are due at each Mind that you have a letter waiting for me at every one
He took a slip of paper from the side pocket of his coat but instead of handing it to the young lady he remained staring at it with the utmost astonishment upon his face
Well I never he exclaimed Look here Robert what do you call this
Hold it to the light Why its a fiftypound Bank of England note Nothing remarkable about it that I can see
On the contrary Its the queerest thing that ever happened to me I cant make head or tail of it
Come then Hector cried Miss McIntyre with a challenge in her eyes Something very queer happened to me also today Ill bet a pair of gloves that my adventure was more out of the common than yours though I have nothing so nice to show at the end of it
Come Ill take that and Robert here shall be the judge
State your cases The young artist shut up his sketchbook and rested his head upon his hands with a face of mock solemnity Ladies first Go along Laura though I think I know something of your adventure already
It was this morning Hector she said Oh by the way the story will make you wild I had forgotten that However you mustnt mind because really the poor fellow was perfectly mad
What on earth was it asked the young officer his eyes travelling from the banknote to his fiancee
Oh it was harmless enough and yet you will confess it was very queer I had gone out for a walk but as the snow began to fall I took shelter under the shed which the workmen have built at the near end of the great new house The men have gone you know and the owner is supposed to be coming tomorrow but the shed is still standing I was sitting there upon a packingcase when a man came down the road and stopped under the same shelter He was a quiet palefaced man very tall and thin not much more than thirty I should think poorly dressed but with the look and bearing of a gentleman He asked me one or two questions about the village and the people which of course I answered until at last we found ourselves chatting away in the pleasantest and easiest fashion about all sorts of things The time passed so quickly that I forgot all about the snow until he drew my attention to its having stopped for the moment Then just as I was turning to go what in the world do you suppose that he did He took a step towards me looked in a sad pensive way into my face and said I wonder whether you could care for me if I were without a penny Wasnt it strange I was so frightened that I whisked out of the shed and was off down the road before he could add another word But really Hector you need not look so black for when I look back at it I can quite see from his tone and manner that he meant no harm He was thinking aloud without the least intention of being offensive I am convinced that the poor fellow was mad
Hum There was some method in his madness it seems to me remarked her brother
There would have been some method in my kicking said the lieutenant savagely I never heard of a more outrageous thing in my life
Now I said that you would be wild She laid her white hand upon the sleeve of his rough frieze jacket It was nothing I shall never see the poor fellow again He was evidently a stranger to this part of the country But that was my little adventure Now let us have yours
The young man crackled the banknote between his fingers and thumb while he passed his other hand over his hair with the action of a man who strives to collect himself
It is some ridiculous mistake he said I must try and set it right Yet I dont know how to set about it either I was going down to the village from the Vicarage just after dusk when I found a fellow in a trap who had got himself into broken water One wheel had sunk into the edge of the ditch which had been hidden by the snow and the whole thing was high and dry with a list to starboard enough to slide him out of his seat I lent a hand of course and soon had the wheel in the road again It was quite dark and I fancy that the fellow thought that I was a bumpkin for we did not exchange five words As he drove off he shoved this into my hand It is the merest chance that I did not chuck it away for feeling that it was a crumpled piece of paper I imagined that it must be a tradesmans advertisement or something of the kind However as luck would have it I put it in my pocket and there I found it when I looked for the dates of our cruise Now you know as much of the matter as I do
Brother and sister stared at the black and white crinkled note with astonishment upon their faces
Why your unknown traveller must have been Monte Cristo or Rothschild at the least said Robert I am bound to say Laura that I think you have lost your bet
Oh I am quite content to lose it I never heard of such a piece of luck What a perfectly delightful man this must be to know
But I cant take his money said Hector Spurling looking somewhat ruefully at the note A little prizemoney is all very well in its way but a Johnny must draw the line somewhere Besides it must have been a mistake And yet he meant to give me something big for he could not mistake a note for a coin I suppose I must advertise for the fellow
It seems a pity too remarked Robert I must say that I dont quite see it in the same light that you do
Indeed I think that you are very Quixotic Hector said Laura McIntyre Why should you not accept it in the spirit in which it was meant You did this stranger a service—perhaps a greater service than you know of—and he meant this as a little memento of the occasion I do not see that there is any possible reason against your keeping it
Oh come said the young sailor with an embarrassed laugh it is not quite the thing—not the sort of story one would care to tell at mess
In any case you are off tomorrow morning observed Robert You have no time to make inquiries about the mysterious Croesus You must really make the best of it
Well look here Laura you put it in your workbasket cried Hector Spurling You shall be my banker and if the rightful owner turns up then I can refer him to you If not I suppose we must look on it as a kind of salvagemoney though I am bound to say I dont feel entirely comfortable about it He rose to his feet and threw the note down into the brown basket of coloured wools which stood beside her Now Laura I must up anchor for I promised the governor to be back by nine It wont be long this time dear and it shall be the last Goodbye Robert Good luck
Goodbye Hector Bon voyage
The young artist remained by the table while his sister followed her lover to the door In the dim light of the hall he could see their figures and overhear their words
Next time little girl
Next time be it Hector
And nothing can part us
Nothing
In the whole world
Nothing
Robert discreetly closed the door A moment later a thud from without and the quick footsteps crunching on the snow told him that their visitor had departed
CHAPTER II THE TENANT OF THE NEW HALL
The snow had ceased to fall but for a week a hard frost had held the country side in its iron grip The roads rang under the horses hoofs and every wayside ditch and runlet was a street of ice Over the long undulating landscape the red brick houses peeped out warmly against the spotless background and the lines of grey smoke streamed straight up into the windless air The sky was of the lightest palest blue and the morning sun shining through the distant fogwreaths of Birmingham struck a subdued glow from the broadspread snow fields which might have gladdened the eyes of an artist
It did gladden the heart of one who viewed it that morning from the summit of the gentlycurving Tamfield Hill Robert McIntyre stood with his elbows upon a gaterail his TamoShanter hat over his eyes and a short briarroot pipe in his mouth looking slowly about him with the absorbed air of one who breathes his fill of Nature. Beneath him to the north lay the village of Tamfield red walls grey roofs and a scattered bristle of dark trees with his own little Elmdene nestling back from the broad white winding Birmingham Road At the other side as he slowly faced round lay a vast stone building white and clearcut fresh from the builders hands A great tower shot up from one corner of it and a hundred windows twinkled ruddily in the light of the morning sun A little distance from it stood a second small square lowlying structure with a tall chimney rising from the midst of it rolling out a long plume of smoke into the frosty air The whole vast structure stood within its own grounds enclosed by a stately park wall and surrounded by what would in time be an extensive plantation of firtrees By the lodge gates a vast pile of debris with lines of sheds for workmen and huge heaps of planks from scaffoldings all proclaimed that the work had only just been brought to an end
Robert McIntyre looked down with curious eyes at the broadspread building It had long been a mystery and a subject of gossip for the whole country side Hardly a year had elapsed since the rumour had first gone about that a millionaire had bought a tract of land and that it was his intention to build a country seat upon it Since then the work had been pushed on night and day until now it was finished to the last detail in a shorter time than it takes to build many a sixroomed cottage Every morning two long special trains had arrived from Birmingham carrying down a great army of labourers who were relieved in the evening by a fresh gang who carried on their task under the rays of twelve enormous electric lights The number of workmen appeared to be only limited by the space into which they could be fitted Great lines of waggons conveyed the white Portland stone from the depot by the station Hundreds of busy toilers handed it over shaped and squared to the actual masons who swung it up with steam cranes on to the growing walls where it was instantly fitted and mortared by their companions Day by day the house shot higher while pillar and cornice and carving seemed to bud out from it as if by magic Nor was the work confined to the main building A large separate structure sprang up at the same time and there came gangs of palefaced men from London with much extraordinary machinery vast cylinders wheels and wires which they fitted up in this outlying building The great chimney which rose from the centre of it combined with these strange furnishings seemed to mean that it was reserved as a factory or place of business for it was rumoured that this rich mans hobby was the same as a poor mans necessity and that he was fond of working with his own hands amid chemicals and furnaces Scarce too was the second storey begun ere the woodworkers and plumbers and furnishers were busy beneath carrying out a thousand strange and costly schemes for the greater comfort and convenience of the owner Singular stories were told all round the country and even in Birmingham itself of the extraordinary luxury and the absolute disregard for money which marked all these arrangements No sum appeared to be too great to spend upon the smallest detail which might do away with or lessen any of the petty inconveniences of life Waggons and waggons of the richest furniture had passed through the village between lines of staring villagers Costly skins glossy carpets rich rugs ivory and ebony and metal every glimpse into these storehouses of treasure had given rise to some new legend And finally when all had been arranged there had come a staff of forty servants who heralded the approach of the owner Mr Raffles Haw himself
It was no wonder then that it was with considerable curiosity that Robert McIntyre looked down at the great house and marked the smoking chimneys the curtained windows and the other signs which showed that its tenant had arrived A vast area of greenhouses gleamed like a lake on the further side and beyond were the long lines of stables and outhouses Fifty horses had passed through Tamfield the week before so that large as were the preparations they were not more than would be needed Who and what could this man be who spent his money with so lavish a hand His name was unknown Birmingham was as ignorant as Tamfield as to his origin or the sources of his wealth Robert McIntyre brooded languidly over the problem as he leaned against the gate puffing his blue clouds of birdseye into the crisp still air
Suddenly his eye caught a dark figure emerging from the Avenue gates and striding up the winding road A few minutes brought him near enough to show a familiar face looking over the stiff collar and from under the soft black hat of an English clergyman
Goodmorning Mr Spurling
Ah goodmorning Robert How are you Are you coming my way How slippery the roads are
His round kindly face was beaming with good nature and he took little jumps as he walked like a man who can hardly contain himself for pleasure
Have you heard from Hector
Oh yes He went off all right last Wednesday from Spithead and he will write from Madeira But you generally have later news at Elmdene than I have
I dont know whether Laura has heard Have you been up to see the new comer
Yes I have just left him
Is he a married man—this Mr Raffles Haw
No he is a bachelor He does not seem to have any relations either as far as I could learn He lives alone amid his huge staff of servants It is a most remarkable establishment It made me think of the Arabian Nights
And the man What is he like
He is an angel—a positive angel I never heard or read of such kindness in my life He has made me a happy man
The clergymans eyes sparkled with emotion and he blew his nose loudly in his big red handkerchief
Robert McIntyre looked at him in surprise
I am delighted to hear it he said May I ask what he has done
I went up to him by appointment this morning I had written asking him if I might call I spoke to him of the parish and its needs of my long struggle to restore the south side of the church and of our efforts to help my poor parishioners during this hard weather While I spoke he said not a word but sat with a vacant face as though he were not listening to me When I had finished he took up his pen How much will it take to do the church he asked A thousand pounds I answered but we have already raised three hundred among ourselves The Squire has very handsomely given fifty pounds Well said he how about the poor folk How many families are there About three hundred I answered And coals I believe are at about a pound a ton said he Three tons ought to see them through the rest of the winter Then you can get a very fair pair of blankets for two pounds That would make five pounds per family and seven hundred for the church He dipped his pen in the ink and as I am a living man Robert he wrote me a cheque then and there for two thousand two hundred pounds I dont know what I said I felt like a fool I could not stammer out words with which to thank him All my troubles have been taken from my shoulders in an instant and indeed Robert I can hardly realise it
He must be a most charitable man
Extraordinarily so And so unpretending One would think that it was I who was doing the favour and he who was the beggar I thought of that passage about making the heart of the widow sing for joy He made my heart sing for joy I can tell you Are you coming up to the Vicarage
No thank you Mr Spurling I must go home and get to work on my new picture Its a fivefoot canvas—the landing of the Romans in Kent I must have another try for the Academy Goodmorning
He raised his hat and continued down the road while the vicar turned off into the path which led to his home
Robert McIntyre had converted a large bare room in the upper storey of Elmdene into a studio and thither he retreated after lunch It was as well that he should have some little den of his own for his father would talk of little save of his ledgers and accounts while Laura had become peevish and querulous since the one tie which held her to Tamfield had been removed The chamber was a bare and bleak one unpapered and uncarpeted but a good fire sparkled in the grate and two large windows gave him the needful light His easel stood in the centre with the great canvas balanced across it while against the walls there leaned his two last attempts The Murder of Thomas of Canterbury and The Signing of Magna Charta Robert had a weakness for large subjects and broad effects If his ambition was greater than his skill he had still all the love of his art and the patience under discouragement which are the stuff out of which successful painters are made Twice his brace of pictures had journeyed to town and twice they had come back to him until the finely gilded frames which had made such a call upon his purse began to show signs of these varied adventures Yet in spite of their depressing company Robert turned to his fresh work with all the enthusiasm which a conviction of ultimate success can inspire
But he could not work that afternoon
In vain he dashed in his background and outlined the long curves of the Roman galleys Do what he would his mind would still wander from his work to dwell upon his conversation with the vicar in the morning His imagination was fascinated by the idea of this strange man living alone amid a crowd and yet wielding such a power that with one dash of his pen he could change sorrow into joy and transform the condition of a whole parish The incident of the fiftypound note came back to his mind It must surely have been Raffles Haw with whom Hector Spurling had come in contact There could not be two men in one parish to whom so large a sum was of so small an account as to be thrown to a bystander in return for a trifling piece of assistance Of course it must have been Raffles Haw And his sister had the note with instructions to return it to the owner could he be found He threw aside his palette and descending into the sittingroom he told Laura and his father of his mornings interview with the vicar and of his conviction that this was the man of whom Hector was in quest
Tut Tut said old McIntyre How is this Laura I knew nothing of this What do women know of money or of business Hand the note over to me and I shall relieve you of all responsibility I will take everything upon myself
I cannot possibly papa said Laura with decision I should not think of parting with it
What is the world coming to cried the old man with his thin hands held up in protest You grow more undutiful every day Laura This money would be of use to me—of use you understand It may be the cornerstone of the vast business which I shall reconstruct I will use it Laura and I will pay something—four shall we say, or even four and ahalf—and you may have it back on any day And I will give security—the security of my—well of my word of honour
It is quite impossible papa his daughter answered coldly It is not my money Hector asked me to be his banker Those were his very words It is not in my power to lend it As to what you say Robert you may be right or you may be wrong but I certainly shall not give Mr Raffles Haw or anyone else the money without Hectors express command
You are very right about not giving it to Mr Raffles Haw cried old McIntyre with many nods of approbation I should certainly not let it go out of the family
Well I thought that I would tell you
Robert picked up his TamoShanter and strolled out to avoid the discussion between his father and sister which he saw was about to be renewed His artistic nature revolted at these petty and sordid disputes and he turned to the crisp air and the broad landscape to soothe his ruffled feelings Avarice had no place among his failings and his fathers perpetual chatter about money inspired him with a positive loathing and disgust for the subject
Robert was lounging slowly along his favourite walk which curled over the hill with his mind turning from the Roman invasion to the mysterious millionaire when his eyes fell upon a tall lean man in front of him who with a pipe between his lips was endeavouring to light a match under cover of his cap The man was clad in a rough peajacket and bore traces of smoke and grime upon his face and hands Yet there is a Freemasonry among smokers which overrides every social difference so Robert stopped and held out his case of fusees
A light said he
Thank you The man picked out a fusee struck it and bent his head to it He had a pale thin face a short straggling beard and a very sharp and curving nose with decision and character in the straight thick eyebrows which almost met on either side of it Clearly a superior kind of workman and possibly one of those who had been employed in the construction of the new house Here was a chance of getting some firsthand information on the question which had aroused his curiosity Robert waited until he had lit his pipe and then walked on beside him
Are you going in the direction of the new Hall he asked
Yes
The mans voice was cold and his manner reserved
Perhaps you were engaged in the building of it
Yes I had a hand in it
They say that it is a wonderful place inside It has been quite the talk of the district Is it as rich as they say
I am sure I dont know I have not heard what they say
His attitude was certainly not encouraging and it seemed to Robert that he gave little sidelong suspicious glances at him out of his keen grey eyes Yet if he were so careful and discreet there was the more reason to think that there was information to be extracted if he could but find a way to it
Ah there it lies he remarked as they topped the brow of the hill and looked down once more at the great building Well no doubt it is very gorgeous and splendid but really for my own part I would rather live in my own little box down yonder in the village
The workman puffed gravely at his pipe
You are no great admirer of wealth then he said
Not I I should not care to be a penny richer than I am Of course I should like to sell my pictures One must make a living But beyond that I ask nothing I dare say that I a poor artist or you a man who work for your bread have more happiness out of life than the owner of that great palace
Indeed I think that it is more than likely the other answered in a much more conciliatory voice
Art said Robert warming to the subject is her own reward What mere bodily indulgence is there which money could buy which can give that deep thrill of satisfaction which comes on the man who has conceived something new something beautiful and the daily delight as he sees it grow under his hand until it stands before him a completed whole With my art and without wealth I am happy Without my art I should have a void which no money could fill But I really dont know why I should say all this to you
The workman had stopped and was staring at him earnestly with a look of the deepest interest upon his smokedarkened features
I am very glad to hear what you say said he It is a pleasure to know that the worship of gold is not quite universal, and that there are at least some who can rise above it Would you mind my shaking you by the hand
It was a somewhat extraordinary request but Robert rather prided himself upon his Bohemianism and upon his happy facility for making friends with all sorts and conditions of men He readily exchanged a cordial grip with his chance acquaintance
You expressed some curiosity as to this house I know the grounds pretty well and might perhaps show you one or two little things which would interest you Here are the gates Will you come in with me
Here was indeed a chance Robert eagerly assented and walked up the winding drive amid the growing firtrees When he found his uncouth guide however marching straight across the broad gravel square to the main entrance he felt that he had placed himself in a false position
Surely not through the front door he whispered plucking his companion by the sleeve Perhaps Mr Raffles Haw might not like it
I dont think there will be any difficulty said the other with a quiet smile My name is Raffles Haw
CHAPTER III A HOUSE OF WONDERS
Robert McIntyres face must have expressed the utter astonishment which filled his mind at this most unlookedfor announcement For a moment he thought that his companion must be joking but the ease and assurance with which he lounged up the steps and the deep respect with which a richlyclad functionary in the hall swung open the door to admit him showed that he spoke in sober earnest Raffles Haw glanced back and seeing the look of absolute amazement upon the young artists features he chuckled quietly to himself
You will forgive me wont you for not disclosing my identity he said laying his hand with a friendly gesture upon the others sleeve Had you known me you would have spoken less freely and I should not have had the opportunity of learning your true worth For example, you might hardly have been so frank upon the matter of wealth had you known that you were speaking to the master of the Hall
I dont think that I was ever so astonished in my life gasped Robert
Naturally you are How could you take me for anything but a workman So I am Chemistry is one of my hobbies and I spend hours a day in my laboratory yonder I have only just struck work and as I had inhaled some notoverpleasant gases I thought that a turn down the road and a whiff of tobacco might do me good That was how I came to meet you and my toilet I fear corresponded only too well with my smokegrimed face But I rather fancy I know you by repute Your name is Robert McIntyre is it not
Yes though I cannot imagine how you knew
Well I naturally took some little trouble to learn something of my neighbours I had heard that there was an artist of that name and I presume that artists are not very numerous in Tamfield But how do you like the design I hope it does not offend your trained taste
Indeed it is wonderful—marvellous You must yourself have an extraordinary eye for effect
Oh I have no taste at all not the slightest I cannot tell good from bad There never was such a complete Philistine But I had the best man in London down and another fellow from Vienna They fixed it up between them
They had been standing just within the folding doors upon a huge mat of bison skins In front of them lay a great square court paved with manycoloured marbles laid out in a labyrinth of arabesque design In the centre a high fountain of carved jade shot five thin feathers of spray into the air four of which curved towards each corner of the court to descend into broad marble basins while the fifth mounted straight up to an immense height and then tinkled back into the central reservoir On either side of the court a tall graceful palmtree shot up its slender stem to break into a crown of drooping green leaves some fifty feet above their heads All round were a series of Moorish arches in jade and serpentine marble with heavy curtains of the deepest purple to cover the doors which lay between them In front to right and to left a broad staircase of marble carpeted with rich thick Smyrna rug work led upwards to the upper storeys which were arranged around the central court The temperature within was warm and yet fresh like the air of an English May
Its taken from the Alhambra said Raffles Haw The palmtrees are pretty They strike right through the building into the ground beneath and their roots are all girt round with hotwater pipes They seem to thrive very well
What beautifully delicate brasswork cried Robert looking up with admiring eyes at the bright and infinitely fragile metal trellis screens which adorned the spaces between the Moorish arches
It is rather neat But it is not brasswork Brass is not tough enough to allow them to work it to that degree of fineness It is gold But just come this way with me You wont mind waiting while I remove this smoke
He led the way to a door upon the left side of the court which to Roberts surprise swung slowly open as they approached it That is a little improvement which I have adopted remarked the master of the house As you go up to a door your weight upon the planks releases a spring which causes the hinges to revolve Pray step in This is my own little sanctum and furnished after my own heart
If Robert expected to see some fresh exhibition of wealth and luxury he was woefully disappointed for he found himself in a large but bare room with a little iron trucklebed in one corner a few scattered wooden chairs a dingy carpet and a large table heaped with books bottles papers and all the other debris which collect around a busy and untidy man Motioning his visitor into a chair Raffles Haw pulled off his coat and turning up the sleeves of his coarse flannel shirt he began to plunge and scrub in the warm water which flowed from a tap in the wall
You see how simple my own tastes are he remarked as he mopped his dripping face and hair with the towel This is the only room in my great house where I find myself in a congenial atmosphere It is homely to me I can read here and smoke my pipe in peace Anything like luxury is abhorrent to me
Really I should not have though it observed Robert
It is a fact I assure you You see even with your views as to the worthlessness of wealth views which I am sure are very sensible and much to your credit you must allow that if a man should happen to be the possessor of vast—well let us say of considerable—sums of money it is his duty to get that money into circulation so that the community may be the better for it There is the secret of my fine feathers I have to exert all my ingenuity in order to spend my income and yet keep the money in legitimate channels For example, it is very easy to give money away and no doubt I could dispose of my surplus or part of my surplus in that fashion but I have no wish to pauperise anyone or to do mischief by indiscriminate charity I must exact some sort of moneys worth for all the money which I lay out You see my point dont you
Entirely though really it is something novel to hear a man complain of the difficulty of spending his income
I assure you that it is a very serious difficulty with me But I have hit upon some plans—some very pretty plans Will you wash your hands Well then perhaps you would care to have a look round Just come into this corner of the room and sit upon this chair So Now I will sit upon this one and we are ready to start
The angle of the chamber in which they sat was painted for about six feet in each direction of a dark chocolatebrown and was furnished with two red plush seats protruding from the walls and in striking contrast with the simplicity of the rest of the apartment
This remarked Raffles Haw is a lift though it is so closely joined to the rest of the room that without the change in colour it might puzzle you to find the division It is made to run either horizontally or vertically This line of knobs represents the various rooms You can see Dining Smoking Billiard Library and so on upon them I will show you the upward action I press this one with Kitchen upon it
There was a sense of motion, a very slight jar and Robert without moving from his seat was conscious that the room had vanished and that a large arched oaken door stood in the place which it had occupied
That is the kitchen door said Raffles Haw I have my kitchen at the top of the house I cannot tolerate the smell of cooking We have come up eighty feet in a very few seconds Now I press again and here we are in my room once more
Robert McIntyre stared about him in astonishment
The wonders of science are greater than those of magic he remarked
Yes it is a pretty little mechanism Now we try the horizontal I press the Dining knob and here we are you see Step towards the door and you will find it open in front of you
Robert did as he was bid and found himself with his companion in a large and lofty room while the lift the instant that it was freed from their weight flashed back to its original position With his feet sinking into the soft rich carpet as though he were ankledeep in some mossy bank he stared about him at the great pictures which lined the walls
Surely surely I see Raphaels touch there he cried pointing up at the one which faced him
Yes it is a Raphael and I believe one of his best I had a very exciting bid for it with the French Government They wanted it for the Louvre but of course at an auction the longest purse must win
And this Arrest of Catiline must be a Rubens One cannot mistake his splendid men and his infamous women
Yes it is a Rubens The other two are a Velasquez and a Teniers fair specimens of the Spanish and of the Dutch schools I have only old masters here The moderns are in the billiardroom The furniture here is a little curious In fact I fancy that it is unique It is made of ebony and narwhals horns You see that the legs of everything are of spiral ivory both the table and the chairs It cost the upholsterer some little pains for the supply of these things is a strictly limited one Curiously enough the Chinese Emperor had given a large order for narwhals horns to repair some ancient pagoda which was fenced in with them but I outbid him in the market and his celestial highness has had to wait There is a lift here in the corner but we do not need it Pray step through this door This is the billiardroom he continued as they advanced into the adjoining room You see I have a few recent pictures of merit upon the walls Here is a Corot two Meissoniers a Bouguereau a Millais an Orchardson and two AlmaTademas It seems to me to be a pity to hang pictures over these walls of carved oak Look at those birds hopping and singing in the branches They really seem to move and twitter dont they
They are perfect I never saw such exquisite work But why do you call it a billiardroom Mr Haw I do not see any board
Oh a board is such a clumsy uncompromising piece of furniture It is always in the way unless you actually need to use it In this case the board is covered by that square of polished maple which you see let into the floor Now I put my foot upon this motor You see As he spoke the central portion of the flooring flew up and a most beautiful tortoiseshellplated billiardtable rose up to its proper position He pressed a second spring and a bagatelletable appeared in the same fashion You may have cardtables or what you will by setting the levers in motion he remarked But all this is very trifling Perhaps we may find something in the museum which may be of more interest to you
He led the way into another chamber which was furnished in antique style with hangings of the rarest and richest tapestry The floor was a mosaic of coloured marbles scattered over with mats of costly fur There was little furniture but a number of Louis Quatorze cabinets of ebony and silver with delicatelypainted plaques were ranged round the apartment
It is perhaps hardly fair to dignify it by the name of a museum said Raffles Haw It consists merely of a few elegant trifles which I have picked up here and there Gems are my strongest point I fancy that there perhaps I might challenge comparison with any private collector in the world I lock them up for even the best servants may be tempted
He took a silver key from his watch chain and began to unlock and draw out the drawers A cry of wonder and of admiration burst from Robert McIntyre as his eyes rested upon case after case filled with the most magnificent stones The deep still red of the rubies the clear scintillating green of the emeralds the hard glitter of the diamonds the many shifting shades of beryls of amethysts of onyxes of catseyes of opals of agates of cornelians seemed to fill the whole chamber with a vague twinkling manycoloured light Long slabs of the beautiful blue lapis lazuli magnificent bloodstones specimens of pink and red and white coral long strings of lustrous pearls all these were tossed out by their owner as a careless schoolboy might pour marbles from his bag
This isnt bad he said holding up a great glowing yellow mass as large as his own head It is really a very fine piece of amber It was forwarded to me by my agent at the Baltic Twentyeight pounds it weighs I never heard of so fine a one I have no very large brilliants—there were no very large ones in the market—but my average is good Pretty toys are they not He picked up a double handful of emeralds from a drawer and then let them trickle slowly back into the heap
Good heavens cried Robert as he gazed from case to case It is an immense fortune in itself. Surely a hundred thousand pounds would hardly buy so splendid a collection
I dont think that you would do for a valuer of precious stones said Raffles Haw laughing Why the contents of that one little drawer of brilliants could not be bought for the sum which you name I have a memo here of what I have expended up to date on my collection though I have agents at work who will probably make very considerable additions to it within the next few weeks As matters stand however I have spent—let me seepearls one forty thousand emeralds seven fifty rubies eight forty brilliants nine twenty onyxes—I have several very nice onyxestwo thirty Other gems carbuncles agates—hum Yes it figures out at just over four million seven hundred and forty thousand I dare say that we may say five millions for I have not counted the odd money
Good gracious cried the young artist with staring eyes
I have a certain feeling of duty in the matter You see the cutting polishing and general sale of stones is one of those industries which is entirely dependent upon wealth If we do not support it it must languish which means misfortune to a considerable number of people The same applies to the gold filigree work which you noticed in the court Wealth has its responsibilities and the encouragement of these handicrafts are among the most obvious of them Here is a nice ruby It is Burmese and the fifth largest in existence I am inclined to think that if it were uncut it would be the second but of course cutting takes away a great deal He held up the blazing red stone about the size of a chestnut between his finger and thumb for a moment and then threw it carelessly back into its drawer Come into the smokingroom he said you will need some little refreshment for they say that sightseeing is the most exhausting occupation in the world
CHAPTER IV FROM CLIME TO CLIME
The chamber in which the bewildered Robert now found himself was more luxurious if less rich than any which he had yet seen Low settees of claretcoloured plush were scattered in orderly disorder over a mossy Eastern carpet Deep lounges reclining sofas American rockingchairs all were to be had for the choosing One end of the room was walled by glass and appeared to open upon a luxuriant hothouse At the further end a double line of gilt rails supported a profusion of the most recent magazines and periodicals A rack at each side of the inlaid fireplace sustained a long line of the pipes of all places and nations—English cherrywoods French briars German chinabowls carved meerschaums scented cedar and myallwood with Eastern narghiles Turkish chibooques and two great goldentopped hookahs To right and left were a series of small lockers extending in a treble row for the whole length of the room with the names of the various brands of tobacco scrolled in ivory work across them Above were other larger tiers of polished oak which held cigars and cigarettes
Try that Damascus settee said the master of the house as he threw himself into a rockingchair It is from the Sultans upholsterer The Turks have a very good notion of comfort I am a confirmed smoker myself Mr McIntyre so I have been able perhaps to check my architect here more than in most of the other departments Of pictures for example, I know nothing as you would very speedily find out On a tobacco I might perhaps offer an opinion Now these—he drew out some long beautifullyrolled mellowcoloured cigars—these are really something a little out of the common Do try one
Robert lit the weed which was offered to him and leaned back luxuriously amid his cushions gazing through the blue balmy fragrant cloudwreaths at the extraordinary man in the dirty peajacket who spoke of millions as another might of sovereigns With his pale face his sad languid air and his bowed shoulders it was as though he were crushed down under the weight of his own gold There was a mute apology an attitude of deprecation in his manner and speech which was strangely at variance with the immense power which he wielded To Robert the whole whimsical incident had been intensely interesting and amusing His artistic nature blossomed out in this atmosphere of perfect luxury and comfort and he was conscious of a sense of repose and of absolute sensual contentment such as he had never before experienced
Shall it be coffee or Rhine wine or Tokay or perhaps something stronger asked Raffles Haw stretching out his hand to what looked like a pianoboard projecting from the wall I can recommend the Tokay I have it from the man who supplies the Emperor of Austria though I think I may say that I get the cream of it
He struck twice upon one of the pianonotes and sat expectant With a sharp click at the end of ten seconds a sliding shutter flew open and a small tray protruded bearing two long tapering Venetian glasses filled with wine
It works very nicely said Raffles Haw It is quite a new thing—never before done as far as I know You see the names of the various wines and so on printed on the notes By pressing the note down I complete an electric circuit which causes the tap in the cellars beneath to remain open long enough to fill the glass which always stands beneath it The glasses you understand stand upon a revolving drum so that there must always be one there The glasses are then brought up through a pneumatic tube which is set working by the increased weight of the glass when the wine is added to it It is a pretty little idea But I am afraid that I bore you rather with all these petty contrivances It is a whim of mine to push mechanism as far as it will go
On the contrary I am filled with interest and wonder said Robert warmly It is as if I had been suddenly whipped up out of prosaic old England and transferred in an instant to some enchanted palace some Eastern home of the Genii I could not have believed that there existed upon this earth such adaptation of means to an end such complete mastery of every detail which may aid in stripping life of any of its petty worries
I have something yet to show you remarked Raffles Haw but we will rest here for a few minutes for I wished to have a word with you How is the cigar
Most excellent
It was rolled in Louisiana in the old slavery days There is nothing made like them now The man who had them did not know their value He let them go at merely a few shillings apiece Now I want you to do me a favour Mr McIntyre
I shall be so glad
You can see more or less how I am situated I am a complete stranger here With the welltodo classes I have little in common I am no society man I dont want to call or be called on I am a student in a small way and a man of quiet tastes I have no social ambitions at all Do you understand
Entirely
On the other hand my experience of the world has been that it is the rarest thing to be able to form a friendship with a poorer man—I mean with a man who is at all eager to increase his income They think much of your wealth and little of yourself I have tried you understand and I know He paused and ran his fingers through his thin beard
Robert McIntyre nodded to show that he appreciated his position
Now you see he continued if I am to be cut off from the rich by my own tastes and from those who are not rich by my distrust of their motives my situation is an isolated one Not that I mind isolation I am used to it But it limits my field of usefulness I have no trustworthy means of informing myself when and where I may do good I have already I am glad to say met a man today your vicar who appears to be thoroughly unselfish and trustworthy He shall be one of my channels of communication with the outer world Might I ask you whether you would be willing to become another
With the greatest pleasure said Robert eagerly
The proposition filled his heart with joy for it seemed to give him an almost official connection with this paradise of a house He could not have asked for anything more to his taste
I was fortunate enough to discover by your conversation how high a ground you take in such matters and how entirely disinterested you are You may have observed that I was short and almost rude with you at first I have had reason to fear and suspect all chance friendships Too often they have proved to be carefully planned beforehand with some sordid object in view Good heavens what stories I could tell you A lady pursued by a bull—I have risked my life to save her and have learned afterwards that the scene had been arranged by the mother as an effective introduction and that the bull had been hired by the hour But I wont shake your faith in human nature I have had some rude shocks myself I look perhaps with a jaundiced eye on all who come near me It is the more needful that I should have one whom I can trust to advise me
If you will only show me where my opinion can be of any use I shall be most happy said Robert My people come from Birmingham but I know most of the folk here and their position
That is just what I want Money can do so much good and it may do so much harm I shall consult you when I am in doubt By the way there is one small question which I might ask you now Can you tell me who a young lady is with very dark hair grey eyes and a finely chiselled face She wore a blue dress when I saw her with astrachan about her neck and cuffs
Robert chuckled to himself
I know that dress pretty well he said It is my sister Laura whom you describe
Your sister Really Why there is a resemblance now that my attention is called to it I saw her the other day and wondered who she might be She lives with you of course
Yes my father she and I live together at Elmdene
Where I hope to have the pleasure of making their acquaintance You have finished your cigar Have another or try a pipe To the real smoker all is mere trifling save the pipe I have most brands of tobacco here The lockers are filled on the Monday and on Saturday they are handed over to the old folk at the almshouses so I manage to keep it pretty fresh always Well if you wont take anything else perhaps you would care to see one or two of the other effects which I have devised On this side is the armoury and beyond it the library My collection of books is a limited one there are just over the fifty thousand volumes But it is to some extent remarkable for quality I have a Visigoth Bible of the fifth century which I rather fancy is unique there is a Biblia Pauperum of 1430 a MS of Genesis done upon mulberry leaves probably of the second century a Tristan and Iseult of the eighth century and some hundred blackletters with five very fine specimens of Schoffer and Fust But those you may turn over any wet afternoon when you have nothing better to do Meanwhile I have a little device connected with this smokingroom which may amuse you Light this other cigar Now sit with me upon this lounge which stands at the further end of the room
The sofa in question was in a niche which was lined in three sides and above with perfectly clear transparent crystal As they sat down the master of the house drew a cord which pulled out a crystal shutter behind them so that they were enclosed on all sides in a great box of glass so pure and so highly polished that its presence might very easily be forgotten A number of golden cords with crystal handles hung down into this small chamber and appeared to be connected with a long shining bar outside
Now where would you like to smoke your cigar said Raffles Haw with a twinkle in his demure eyes Shall we go to India or to Egypt or to China or to—
To South America said Robert
There was a twinkle a whirr and a sense of motion. The young artist gazed about him in absolute amazement Look where he would all round were treeferns and palms with long drooping creepers and a blaze of brilliant orchids Smokingroom house England all were gone and he sat on a settee in the heart of a virgin forest of the Amazon It was no mere optical delusion or trick He could see the hot steam rising from the tropical undergrowth the heavy drops falling from the huge green leaves the very grain and fibre of the rough bark which clothed the trunks Even as he gazed a green mottled snake curled noiselessly over a branch above his head and a brightcoloured paroquet broke suddenly from amid the foliage and flashed off among the treetrunks Robert gazed around speechless with surprise and finally turned upon his host a face in which curiosity was not unmixed with a suspicion of fear
People have been burned for less have they not cried Raffles Haw laughing heartily Have you had enough of the Amazon What do you say to a spell of Egypt
Again the whirr the swift flash of passing objects and in an instant a huge desert stretched on every side of them as far as the eye could reach In the foreground a clump of five palmtrees towered into the air with a profusion of rough cactuslike plants bristling from their base On the other side rose a rugged gnarled grey monolith carved at the base into a huge scarabaeus A group of lizards played about on the surface of the old carved stone Beyond the yellow sand stretched away into furthest space where the dim mirage mist played along the horizon
Mr Haw I cannot understand it Robert grasped the velvet edge of the settee and gazed wildly about him
The effect is rather startling is it not This Egyptian desert is my favourite when I lay myself out for a contemplative smoke It seems strange that tobacco should have come from the busy practical West It has much more affinity for the dreamy languid East But perhaps you would like to run over to China for a change
Not today said Robert passing his hand over his forehead I feel rather confused by all these wonders and indeed I think that they have affected my nerves a little Besides it is time that I returned to my prosaic Elmdene if I can find my way out of this wilderness to which you have transplanted me But would you ease my mind Mr Haw by showing me how this thing is done
It is the merest toy—a complex plaything nothing more Allow me to explain I have a line of very large greenhouses which extends from one end of my smokingroom These different houses are kept at varying degrees of heat and humidity so as to reproduce the exact climates of Egypt China and the rest You see our crystal chamber is a tramway running with a minimum of friction along a steel rod By pulling this or that handle I regulate how far it shall go and it travels as you have seen with amazing speed The effect of my hothouses is heightened by the roofs being invariably concealed by skies which are really very admirably painted and by the introduction of birds and other creatures which seem to flourish quite as well in artificial as in natural heat This explains the South American effect
But not the Egyptian
No It is certainly rather clever I had the best man in France at least the best at those large effects to paint in that circular background You understand the palms cacti obelisk and so on are perfectly genuine and so is the sand for fifty yards or so and I defy the keenesteyed man in England to tell where the deception commences It is the familiar and perhaps rather meretricious effect of a circular panorama but carried out in the most complete manner Was there any other point
The crystal box Why was it
To preserve my guests from the effects of the changes of temperature It would be a poor kindness to bring them back to my smokingroom drenched through and with the seeds of a violent cold The crystal has to be kept warm too otherwise vapour would deposit and you would have your view spoiled But must you really go Then here we are back in the smokingroom I hope that it will not be your last visit by many a one And if I may come down to Elmdene I should be very glad to do so This is the way through the museum
As Robert McIntyre emerged from the balmy aromatic atmosphere of the great house into the harsh raw biting air of an English winter evening he felt as though he had been away for a long visit in some foreign country Time is measured by impressions and so vivid and novel had been his feelings that weeks and weeks might have elapsed since his chat with the smokegrimed stranger in the road He walked along with his head in a whirl his whole mind possessed and intoxicated by the one idea of the boundless wealth and the immense power of this extraordinary stranger Small and sordid and mean seemed his own Elmdene as he approached it and he passed over its threshold full of restless discontent against himself and his surroundings
CHAPTER V LAURAS REQUEST
That night after supper Robert McIntyre poured forth all that he had seen to his father and to his sister So full was he of the one subject that it was a relief to him to share his knowledge with others Rather for his own sake then than for theirs he depicted vividly all the marvels which he had seen the profusion of wealth the regal treasurehouse of gems the gold the marble the extraordinary devices the absolute lavishness and complete disregard for money which was shown in every detail For an hour he pictured with glowing words all the wonders which had been shown him and ended with some pride by describing the request which Mr Raffles Haw had made and the complete confidence which he had placed in him
His words had a very different effect upon his two listeners Old McIntyre leaned back in his chair with a bitter smile upon his lips his thin face crinkled into a thousand puckers and his small eyes shining with envy and greed His lean yellow hand upon the table was clenched until the knuckles gleamed white in the lamplight Laura on the other hand leaned forward her lips parted drinking in her brothers words with a glow of colour upon either cheek It seemed to Robert as he glanced from one to the other of them that he had never seen his father look so evil or his sister so beautiful
Who is the fellow then asked the old man after a considerable pause I hope he got all this in an honest fashion Five millions in jewels you say Good gracious me Ready to give it away too but afraid of pauperising any one You can tell him Robert that you know of one very deserving case which has not the slightest objection to being pauperised
But who can he possibly be Robert cried Laura Haw cannot be his real name He must be some disguised prince or perhaps a king in exile Oh I should have loved to have seen those diamonds and the emeralds I always think that emeralds suit dark people best You must tell me again all about that museum Robert
I dont think that he is anything more than he pretends to be her brother answered He has the plain quiet manners of an ordinary middleclass Englishman There was no particular polish that I could see He knew a little about books and pictures just enough to appreciate them but nothing more No I fancy that he is a man quite in our own position of life who has in some way inherited a vast sum Of course it is difficult for me to form an estimate but I should judge that what I saw today—house pictures jewels books and so on—could never have been bought under twenty millions and I am sure that that figure is entirely an understatement
I never knew but one Haw said old McIntyre drumming his fingers on the table he was a foreman in my pinfire cartridgecase department But he was an elderly single man Well I hope he got it all honestly I hope the money is clean
And really really he is coming to see us cried Laura clapping her hands Oh when do you think he will come Robert Do give me warning Do you think it will be tomorrow
I am sure I cannot say
I should so love to see him I dont know when I have been so interested
Why you have a letter there remarked Robert From Hector too by the foreign stamp How is he
It only came this evening I have not opened it yet To tell the truth I have been so interested in your story that I had forgotten all about it Poor old Hector It is from Madeira She glanced rapidly over the four pages of straggling writing in the young sailors bold schoolboyish hand Oh he is all right she said They had a gale on the way out and that sort of thing but he is all right now He thinks he may be back by March I wonder whether your new friend will come tomorrow—your knight of the enchanted Castle
Hardly so soon I should fancy
If he should be looking about for an investment Robert said the father you wont forget to tell him what a fine opening there is now in the gun trade With my knowledge and a few thousands at my back I could bring him in his thirty per cent as regular as the bank After all he must lay out his money somehow He cannot sink it all in books and precious stones I am sure that I could give him the highest references
It may be a long time before he comes father said Robert coldly and when he does I am afraid that I can hardly use his friendship as a means of advancing your interest
We are his equals father cried Laura with spirit Would you put us on the footing of beggars He would think we cared for him only for his money I wonder that you should think of such a thing
If I had not thought of such things where would your education have been miss retorted the angry old man and Robert stole quietly away to his room whence amid his canvases he could still hear the hoarse voice and the clear in their neverending family jangle More and more sordid seemed the surroundings of his life and more and more to be valued the peace which money can buy
Breakfast had hardly been cleared in the morning and Robert had not yet ascended to his work when there came a timid tapping at the door and there was Raffles Haw on the mat outside Robert ran out and welcomed him with all cordiality
I am afraid that I am a very early visitor he said apologetically but I often take a walk after breakfast He had no traces of work upon him now but was trim and neat with a dark suit and carefully brushed hair You spoke yesterday of your work Perhaps early as it is you would allow me the privilege of looking over your studio
Pray step in Mr Haw cried Robert all in a flutter at this advance from so munificent a patron of art I should be only too happy to show you such little work as I have on hand though indeed I am almost afraid when I think how familiar you are with some of the greatest masterpieces Allow me to introduce you to my father and to my sister Laura
Old McIntyre bowed low and rubbed his thin hands together but the young lady gave a gasp of surprise and stared with widelyopened eyes at the millionaire Maw stepped forward however and shook her quietly by the hand
I expected to find that it was you he said I have already met your sister Mr McIntyre on the very first day that I came here We took shelter in a shed from a snowstorm and had quite a pleasant little chat
I had no notion that I was speaking to the owner of the Hall said Laura in some confusion How funnily things turn out to be sure
I had often wondered who it was that I spoke to but it was only yesterday that I discovered What a sweet little place you have here It must be charming in summer Why if it were not for this hill my windows would look straight across at yours
Yes and we should see all your beautiful plantations said Laura standing beside him in the window I was wishing only yesterday that the hill was not there
Really I shall be happy to have it removed for you if you would like it
Good gracious cried Laura Why where would you put it
Oh they could run it along the line and dump it anywhere It is not much of a hill A few thousand men with proper machinery and a line of rails brought right up to them could easily dispose of it in a few months
And the poor vicars house Laura asked laughing
I think that might be got over We could run him up a facsimile which would perhaps be more convenient to him Your brother will tell you that I am quite an expert at the designing of houses But seriously if you think it would be an improvement I will see what can be done
Not for the world Mr Haw Why I should be a traitor to the whole village if I were to encourage such a scheme The hill is the one thing which gives Tamfield the slightest individuality It would be the height of selfishness to sacrifice it in order to improve the view from Elmdene
It is a little box of a place this Mr Haw said old McIntyre I should think you must feel quite stifled in it after your grand mansion of which my son tells me such wonders But we were not always accustomed to this sort of thing Mr Haw Humble as I stand here there was a time and not so long ago when I could write as many figures on a cheque as any gunmaker in Birmingham It was—
He is a dear discontented old papa cried Laura throwing her arm round him in a caressing manner He gave a sharp squeak and a grimace of pain which he endeavoured to hide by an outbreak of painfully artificial coughing
Shall we go upstairs said Robert hurriedly anxious to divert his guests attention from this little domestic incident My studio is the real atelier for it is right up under the tiles I shall lead the way if you will have the kindness to follow me
Leaving Laura and Mr McIntyre they went up together to the workroom Mr Haw stood long in front of the Signing of Magna Charta and the Murder of Thomas a Becket screwing up his eyes and twitching nervously at his beard while Robert stood by in anxious expectancy
And how much are these asked Raffles Haw at last
I priced them at a hundred apiece when I sent them to London
Then the best I can wish you is that the day may come when you would gladly give ten times the sum to have them back again I am sure that there are great possibilities in you and I see that in grouping and in boldness of design you have already achieved much But your drawing if you will excuse my saying so is just a little crude and your colouring perhaps a trifle thin Now I will make a bargain with you Mr McIntyre if you will consent to it I know that money has no charms for you but still as you said when I first met you a man must live I shall buy these two canvases from you at the price which you name subject to the condition that you may always have them back again by repaying the same sum
You are really very kind Robert hardly knew whether to be delighted at having sold his pictures or humiliated at the frank criticism of the buyer
May I write a cheque at once said Raffles Haw Here is pen and ink So I shall send a couple of footmen down for them in the afternoon Well I shall keep them in trust for you I dare say that when you are famous they will be of value as specimens of your early manner
I am sure that I am extremely obliged to you Mr Haw said the young artist placing the cheque in his notebook He glanced at it as he folded it up in the vague hope that perhaps this man of whims had assessed his pictures at a higher rate than he had named The figures however were exact Robert began dimly to perceive that there were drawbacks as well as advantages to the reputation of a moneyscorner which he had gained by a few chance words prompted rather by the reaction against his fathers than by his own real convictions
I hope Miss McIntyre said Raffles Haw when they had descended to the sittingroom once more that you will do me the honour of coming to see the little curiosities which I have gathered together Your brother will I am sure escort you up or perhaps Mr McIntyre would care to come
I shall be delighted to come Mr Haw cried Laura with her sweetest smile A good deal of my time just now is taken up in looking after the poor people who find the cold weather very trying Robert raised his eyebrows for it was the first he had heard of his sisters missions of mercy but Mr Raffles Haw nodded approvingly Robert was telling us of your wonderful hothouses I am sure I wish I could transport the whole parish into one of them and give them a good warm
Nothing would be easier but I am afraid that they might find it a little trying when they came out again I have one house which is only just finished Your brother has not seen it yet but I think it is the best of them all It represents an Indian jungle and is hot enough in all conscience
I shall so look forward to seeing it cried Laura clasping her hands It has been one of the dreams of my life to see India I have read so much of it the temples the forests the great rivers and the tigers Why you would hardly believe it but I have never seen a tiger except in a picture
That can easily be set right said Raffles Haw with his quiet smile Would you care to see one
Oh immensely
I will have one sent down Let me see it is nearly twelve oclock I can get a wire to Liverpool by one There is a man there who deals in such things I should think he would be due tomorrow morning Well I shall look forward to seeing you all before very long I have rather outstayed my time for I am a man of routine and I always put in a certain number of hours in my laboratory He shook hands cordially with them all and lighting his pipe at the doorstep strolled off upon his way
Well what do you think of him now asked Robert as they watched his black figure against the white snow
I think that he is no more fit to be trusted with all that money than a child cried the old man It made me positively sick to hear him talk of moving hills and buying tigers and suchlike nonsense when there are honest men without a business and great businesses starving for a little capital Its unchristian—thats what I call it
I think he is most delightful Robert said Laura Remember you have promised to take us up to the Hall And he evidently wishes us to go soon Dont you think we might go this afternoon
I hardly think that Laura You leave it in my hands and I will arrange it all And now I must get to work for the light is so very short on these winter days
That night Robert McIntyre had gone to bed and was dozing off when a hand plucked at his shoulder and he started up to find his sister in some white drapery with a shawl thrown over her shoulders standing beside him in the moonlight
Robert dear she whispered stooping over him there was something I wanted to ask you but papa was always in the way You will do something to please me wont you Robert
Of course Laura What is it
I do so hate having my affairs talked over dear If Mr Raffles Haw says anything to you about me or asks any questions please dont say anything about Hector You wont will you Robert for the sake of your little sister
No not unless you wish it
There is a dear good brother She stooped over him and kissed him tenderly
It was a rare thing for Laura to show any emotion and her brother marvelled sleepily over it until he relapsed into his interrupted doze
CHAPTER VI A STRANGE VISITOR
The McIntyre family was seated at breakfast on the morning which followed the first visit of Raffles Haw when they were surprised to hear the buzz and hum of a multitude of voices in the village street Nearer and nearer came the tumult and then of a sudden two maddened horses reared themselves up on the other side of the garden hedge prancing and pawing with ears laid back and eyes ever glancing at some horror behind them Two men hung shouting to their bridles while a third came rushing up the curved gravel path Before the McIntyres could realise the situation their maid Mary darted into the sittingroom with terror in her round freckled face
If you please miss she screamed your tiger has arrove
Good heavens cried Robert rushing to the door with his halffilled teacup in his hand This is too much Here is an iron cage on a trolly with a great ramping tiger and the whole village with their mouths open
Mad as a hatter shrieked old Mr McIntyre I could see it in his eye He spent enough on this beast to start me in business Whoever heard of such a thing Tell the driver to take it to the policestation
Nothing of the sort papa said Laura rising with dignity and wrapping a shawl about her shoulders Her eyes were shining her cheeks flushed and she carried herself like a triumphant queen
Robert with his teacup in his hand allowed his attention to be diverted from their strange visitor while he gazed at his beautiful sister
Mr Raffles Haw has done this out of kindness to me she said sweeping towards the door I look upon it as a great attention on his part I shall certainly go out and look at it
If you please sir said the carman reappearing at the door its all as we can do to old in the osses
Let us all go out together then suggested Robert
They went as far as the garden fence and stared over while the whole village from the schoolchildren to the old greyhaired men from the almshouses gathered round in mute astonishment The tiger a long lithe venomouslooking creature with two blazing green eyes paced stealthily round the little cage lashing its sides with its tail and rubbing its muzzle against the bars
What were your orders asked Robert of the carman
It came through by special express from Liverpool sir and the train is drawn up at the Tamfield siding all ready to take it back If it ad been royalty the railway folk couldnt ha shown it more respec We are to take it back when youre done with it Its been a cruel job sir for our arms is pulled clean out of the sockets aolding in of the osses
What a dear sweet creature it is cried Laura How sleek and how graceful I cannot understand how people could be afraid of anything so beautiful
If you please marm said the carman touching his skin cap he out with his paw between the bars as we stood in the station yard and if I adnt pulled my mate Bill back it would ha been a case of kingdom come It was a proper near squeak I can tell ye
I never saw anything more lovely continued Laura loftily overlooking the remarks of the driver It has been a very great pleasure to me to see it and I hope that you will tell Mr Haw so if you see him Robert
The horses are very restive said her brother Perhaps Laura if you have seen enough it would be as well to let them go
She bowed in the regal fashion which she had so suddenly adopted Robert shouted the order the driver sprang up his comrades let the horses go and away rattled the waggon and the trolly with half the Tamfielders streaming vainly behind it
Is it not wonderful what money can do Laura remarked as they knocked the snow from their shoes within the porch There seems to be no wish which Mr Haw could not at once gratify
No wish of yours you mean broke in her father Its different when he is dealing with a wrinkled old man who has spent himself in working for his children A plainer case of love at first sight I never saw
How can you be so coarse papa cried Laura but her eyes flashed and her teeth gleamed as though the remark had not altogether displeased her
For heavens sake be careful Laura cried Robert It had not struck me before but really it does look rather like it You know how you stand Raffles Haw is not a man to play with
You dear old boy said Laura laying her hand upon his shoulder what do you know of such things All you have to do is to go on with your painting and to remember the promise you made the other night
What promise was that then cried old McIntyre suspiciously
Never you mind papa But if you forget it Robert I shall never forgive you as long as I live
CHAPTER VII THE WORKINGS OF WEALTH
It can easily be believed that as the weeks passed the name and fame of the mysterious owner of the New Hall resounded over the quiet countryside until the rumour of him had spread to the remotest corners of Warwickshire and Staffordshire In Birmingham on the one side and in Coventry and Leamington on the other there was gossip as to his untold riches his extraordinary whims and the remarkable life which he led His name was bandied from mouth to mouth and a thousand efforts were made to find out who and what he was In spite of all their pains however the newsmongers were unable to discover the slightest trace of his antecedents or to form even a guess as to the secret of his riches
It was no wonder that conjecture was rife upon the subject for hardly a day passed without furnishing some new instance of the boundlessness of his power and of the goodness of his heart Through the vicar Robert and others he had learned much of the inner life of the parish and many were the times when the struggling man harassed and driven to the wall found thrust into his hand some morning a brief note with an enclosure which rolled all the sorrow back from his life One day a thick doublebreasted peajacket and a pair of good sturdy boots were served out to every old man in the almshouse On another Miss Swire the decayed gentlewoman who eked out her small annuity by needlework had a brand new firstclass sewingmachine handed in to her to take the place of the old wornout treadle which tried her rheumatic joints The palefaced schoolmaster who had spent years with hardly a break in struggling with the juvenile obtuseness of Tamfield received through the post a circular ticket for a two months tour through Southern Europe with hotel coupons and all complete John Hackett the farmer after five long years of bad seasons borne with a brave heart had at last been overthrown by the sixth and had the bailiffs actually in the house when the good vicar had rushed in waving a note above his head to tell him not only that his deficit had been made up but that enough remained over to provide the improved machinery which would enable him to hold his own for the future An almost superstitious feeling came upon the rustic folk as they looked at the great palace when the sun gleamed upon the huge hothouses or even more so perhaps when at night the brilliant electric lights shot their white radiance through the countless rows of windows To them it was as if some minor Providence presided in that great place unseen but seeing all boundless in its power and its graciousness ever ready to assist and to befriend In every good deed however Raffles Haw still remained in the background while the vicar and Robert had the pleasant task of conveying his benefits to the lowly and the suffering
Once only did he appear in his own person and that was upon the famous occasion when he saved the wellknown bank of Garraweg Brothers in Birmingham The most charitable and upright of men the two brothers Louis and Rupert had built up a business which extended its ramifications into every townlet of four counties The failure of their London agents had suddenly brought a heavy loss upon them and the circumstance leaking out had caused a sudden and most dangerous run upon their establishment Urgent telegrams for bullion from all their forty branches poured in at the very instant when the head office was crowded with anxious clients all waving their depositbooks and clamouring for their money Bravely did the two brothers with their staff stand with smiling faces behind the shining counter while swift messengers sped and telegrams flashed to draw in all the available resources of the bank All day the stream poured through the office and when four oclock came and the doors were closed for the day the street without was still blocked by the expectant crowd while there remained scarce a thousand pounds of bullion in the cellars
It is only postponed Louis said brother Rupert despairingly when the last clerk had left the office and when at last they could relax the fixed smile upon their haggard faces
Those shutters will never come down again cried brother Louis and the two suddenly burst out sobbing in each others arms not for their own griefs but for the miseries which they might bring upon those who had trusted them
But who shall ever dare to say that there is no hope if he will but give his griefs to the world That very night Mrs Spurling had received a letter from her old school friend Mrs Louis Garraweg with all her fears and her hopes poured out in it and the whole sad story of their troubles Swift from the Vicarage went the message to the Hall and early next morning Mr Raffles Haw with a great black carpetbag in his hand found means to draw the cashier of the local branch of the Bank of England from his breakfast and to persuade him to open his doors at unofficial hours By halfpast nine the crowd had already begun to collect around Garrawegs when a stranger pale and thin with a bloated carpetbag was shown at his own very pressing request into the bank parlour
It is no use sir said the elder brother humbly as they stood together encouraging each other to turn a brave face to misfortune we can do no more We have little left and it would be unfair to the others to pay you now We can but hope that when our assets are realised no one will be the loser save ourselves
I did not come to draw out but to put in said Raffles Haw in his demure apologetic fashion I have in my bag five thousand hundredpound Bank of England notes If you will have the goodness to place them to my credit account I should be extremely obliged
But good heavens sir stammered Rupert Garraweg have you not heard Have you not seen We cannot allow you to do this thing blindfold can we Louis
Most certainly not We cannot recommend our bank sir at the present moment for there is a run upon us and we do not know to what lengths it may go
Tut tut said Raffles Haw If the run continues you must send me a wire and I shall make a small addition to my account You will send me a receipt by post Goodmorning gentlemen He bowed himself out ere the astounded partners could realise what had befallen them or raise their eyes from the huge black bag and the visiting card which lay upon their table There was no great failure in Birmingham that day and the house of Garraweg still survives to enjoy the success which it deserves
Such were the deeds by which Raffles Haw made himself known throughout the Midlands and yet in spite of all his openhandedness he was not a man to be imposed upon In vain the sturdy beggar cringed at his gate and in vain the crafty letterwriter poured out a thousand fabulous woes upon paper Robert was astonished when he brought some tale of trouble to the Hall to observe how swift was the perception of the recluse and how unerringly he could detect a flaw in a narrative or lay his finger upon the one point which rang false Were a man strong enough to help himself or of such a nature as to profit nothing by help none would he get from the master of the New Hall In vain for example, did old McIntyre throw himself continually across the path of the millionaire and impress upon him by a thousand hints and innuendoes the hard fortune which had been dealt him and the ease with which his fallen greatness might be restored Raffles Haw listened politely bowed smiled but never showed the slightest inclination to restore the querulous old gunmaker to his pedestal
But if the recluses wealth was a lure which drew the beggars from far and near as the lamp draws the moths it had the same power of attraction upon another and much more dangerous class Strange hard faces were seen in the village street prowling figures were marked at night stealing about among the fir plantations and warning messages arrived from city police and county constabulary to say that evil visitors were known to have taken train to Tamfield But if as Raffles Haw held there were few limits to the power of immense wealth it possessed among other things the power of self-preservation as one or two people were to learn to their cost
Would you mind stepping up to the Hall he said one morning putting his head in at the door of the Elmdene sittingroom I have something there that might amuse you He was on intimate terms with the McIntyres now and there were few days on which they did not see something of each other
They gladly accompanied him all three for such invitations were usually the prelude of some agreeable surprise which he had in store for them
I have shown you a tiger he remarked to Laura as he led them into the diningroom I will now show you something quite as dangerous though not nearly so pretty There was an arrangement of mirrors at one end of the room with a large circular glass set at a sharp angle at the top
Look in there—in the upper glass said Raffles Haw
Good gracious what dreadfullooking men cried Laura There are two of them and I dont know which is the worse
What on earth are they doing asked Robert They appear to be sitting on the ground in some sort of a cellar
Most dangerouslooking characters said the old man I should strongly recommend you to send for a policeman
I have done so But it seems a work of supererogation to take them to prison for they are very snugly in prison already However I suppose that the law must have its own."
And who are they and how did they come there Do tell us Mr Haw
Laura McIntyre had a pretty beseeching way with her which went rather piquantly with her queenly style of beauty
I know no more than you do They were not there last night and they are here this morning so I suppose it is a safe inference that they came in during the night especially as my servants found the window open when they came down As to their character and intentions I should think that is pretty legible upon their faces They look a pair of beauties dont they
But I cannot understand in the least where they are said Robert staring into the mirror One of them has taken to butting his head against the wall No he is bending so that the other may stand upon his back He is up there now and the light is shining upon his face What a bewildered ruffianly face it is too I should so like to sketch it It would be a study for the picture I am thinking of of the Reign of Terror
I have caught them in my patent burglar trap said Haw They are my first birds but I have no doubt that they will not be the last I will show you how it works It is quite a new thing This flooring is now as strong as possible but every night I disconnect it It is done simultaneously by a central machine for every room on the groundfloor When the floor is disconnected one may advance three or four steps either from the window or door and then that whole part turns on a hinge and slides you into a padded strongroom beneath where you may kick your heels until you are released There is a central oasis between the hinges where the furniture is grouped for the night The flooring flies into position again when the weight of the intruder is removed and there he must bide while I can always take a peep at him by this simple little optical arrangement I thought it might amuse you to have a look at my prisoners before I handed them over to the headconstable who I see is now coming up the avenue
The poor burglars cried Laura It is no wonder that they look bewildered for I suppose Mr Haw that they neither know where they are nor how they came there I am so glad to know that you guard yourself in this way for I have often thought that you ran a danger
Have you so said he smiling round at her I think that my house is fairly burglarproof I have one window which may be used as an entrance the centre one of the three of my laboratory I keep it so because to tell the truth I am somewhat of a night prowler myself and when I treat myself to a ramble under the stars I like to slip in and out without ceremony It would however be a fortunate rogue who picked the only safe entrance out of a hundred and even then he might find pitfalls Here is the constable but you must not go for Miss McIntyre has still something to see in my little place If you will step into the billiardroom I shall be with you in a very few moments
CHAPTER VIII A BILLIONAIRES PLANS
That morning and many mornings both before and afterwards were spent by Laura at the New Hall examining the treasures of the museum playing with the thousand costly toys which Raffles Haw had collected or sallying out from the smokingroom in the crystal chamber into the long line of luxurious hothouses Haw would walk demurely beside her as she flitted from one thing to another like a butterfly among flowers watching her out of the corner of his eyes and taking a quiet pleasure in her delight The only joy which his costly possessions had ever brought him was that which came from the entertainment of others
By this time his attentions towards Laura McIntyre had become so marked that they could hardly be mistaken He visibly brightened in her presence and was never weary of devising a thousand methods of surprising and pleasing her Every morning ere the McIntyre family were afoot a great bouquet of strange and beautiful flowers was brought down by a footman from the Hall to brighten their breakfasttable Her slightest wish however fantastic was instantly satisfied if human money or ingenuity could do it When the frost lasted a stream was dammed and turned from its course that it might flood two meadows solely in order that she might have a place upon which to skate With the thaw there came a groom every afternoon with a sleek and beautiful mare in case Miss McIntyre should care to ride Everything went to show that she had made a conquest of the recluse of the New Hall
And she on her side played her part admirably With female adaptiveness she fell in with his humour and looked at the world through his eyes Her talk was of almshouses and free libraries of charities and of improvements He had never a scheme to which she could not add some detail making it more complete and more effective To Haw it seemed that at last he had met a mind which was in absolute affinity with his own Here was a helpmate who could not only follow but even lead him in the path which he had chosen
Neither Robert nor his father could fail to see what was going forward but to the latter nothing could possibly be more acceptable than a family tie which should connect him however indirectly with a man of vast fortune The glamour of the gold bags had crept over Robert also and froze the remonstrance upon his lips It was very pleasant to have the handling of all this wealth even as a mere agent Why should he do or say what might disturb their present happy relations It was his sisters business not his and as to Hector Spurling he must take his chance as other men did It was obviously best not to move one way or the other in the matter
But to Robert himself his work and his surroundings were becoming more and more irksome His joy in his art had become less keen since he had known Raffles Haw It seemed so hard to toll and slave to earn such a trifling sum when money could really be had for the asking It was true that he had asked for none but large sums were for ever passing through his hands for those who were needy and if he were needy himself his friend would surely not grudge it to him So the Roman galleys still remained faintly outlined upon the great canvas while Roberts days were spent either in the luxurious library at the Hall or in strolling about the country listening to tales of trouble and returning like a tweedsuited ministering angel to carry Raffles Haws help to the unfortunate It was not an ambitious life but it was one which was very congenial to his weak and easygoing nature
Robert had observed that fits of depression had frequently come upon the millionaire and it had sometimes struck him that the enormous sums which he spent had possibly made a serious inroad into his capital and that his mind was troubled as to the future His abstracted manner his clouded brow and his bent head all spoke of a soul which was weighed down with care and it was only in Lauras presence that he could throw off the load of his secret trouble For five hours a day he buried himself in the laboratory and amused himself with his hobby but it was one of his whims that no one neither any of his servants nor even Laura or Robert should ever cross the threshold of that outlying building Day after day he vanished into it to reappear hours afterwards pale and exhausted while the whirr of machinery and the smoke which streamed from his high chimney showed how considerable were the operations which he undertook singlehanded
Could I not assist you in any way suggested Robert as they sat together after luncheon in the smokingroom I am convinced that you overtry your strength I should be so glad to help you and I know a little of chemistry
Do you indeed said Raffles Haw raising his eyebrows I had no idea of that it is very seldom that the artistic and the scientific faculties go together
I dont know that I have either particularly developed But I have taken classes and I worked for two years in the laboratory at Sir Josiah Masons Institute
I am delighted to hear it Haw replied with emphasis That may be of great importance to us It is very possible—indeed almost certain—that I shall avail myself of your offer of assistance and teach you something of my chemical methods which I may say differ considerably from those of the orthodox school The time however, is hardly ripe for that What is it Jones
A note sir
The butler handed it in upon a silver salver Haw broke the seal and ran his eye over it
Tut tut It is from Lady Morsley asking me to the LordLieutenants ball I cannot possibly accept It is very kind of them but I do wish they would leave me alone Very well Jones I shall write Do you know Robert I am often very unhappy
He frequently called the young artist by his Christian name especially in his more confidential moments
I have sometimes feared that you were said the other sympathetically But how strange it seems you who are yet young healthy with every faculty for enjoyment and a millionaire
Ah Robert cried Haw leaning back in his chair and sending up thick blue wreaths from his pipe You have put your finger upon my trouble If I were a millionaire I might be happy but alas I am no millionaire
Good heavens gasped Robert
Cold seemed to shoot to his inmost soul as it flashed upon him that this was a prelude to a confession of impending bankruptcy and that all this glorious life all the excitement and the colour and change were about to vanish into thin air
No millionaire he stammered
No Robert I am a billionaire—perhaps the only one in the world That is what is on my mind and why I am unhappy sometimes I feel that I should spend this money—that I should put it in circulation—and yet it is so hard to do it without failing to do good—without doing positive harm I feel my responsibility deeply It weighs me down Am I justified in continuing to live this quiet life when there are so many millions whom I might save and comfort if I could but reach them
Robert heaved a long sigh of relief Perhaps you take too grave a view of your responsibilities he said Everybody knows that the good which you have done is immense What more could you desire If you really wished to extend your benevolence further there are organised charities everywhere which would be very glad of your help
I have the names of two hundred and seventy of them Haw answered You must run your eye over them some time and see if you can suggest any others I send my annual mite to each of them I dont think there is much room for expansion in that direction
Well really you have done your share and more than your share I would settle down to lead a happy life and think no more of the matter
I could not do that Haw answered earnestly I have not been singled out to wield this immense power simply in order that I might lead a happy life I can never believe that Now can you not use your imagination Robert and devise methods by which a man who has command of—well let us say for arguments sake boundless wealth could benefit mankind by it without taking away any ones independence or in any way doing harm
Well really now that I come to think of it it is a very difficult problem said Robert
Now I will submit a few schemes to you and you may give me your opinion on them Supposing that such a man were to buy ten square miles of ground here in Staffordshire and were to build upon it a neat city consisting entirely of clean comfortable little fourroomed houses furnished in a simple style with shops and so forth but no publichouses Supposing too that he were to offer a house free to all the homeless folk all the tramps and broken men and outofworkers in Great Britain Then having collected them together let him employ them under fitting superintendence upon some colossal piece of work which would last for many years and perhaps be of permanent value to humanity Give them a good rate of pay and let their hours of labour be reasonable and those of recreation be pleasant Might you not benefit them and benefit humanity at one stroke
But what form of work could you devise which would employ so vast a number for so long a time and yet not compete with any existing industry To do the latter would simply mean to shift the misery from one class to another
Precisely so I should compete with no one What I thought of doing was of sinking a shaft through the earths crust and of establishing rapid communication with the Antipodes When you had got a certain distance down—how far is an interesting mathematical problem—the centre of gravity would be beneath you presuming that your boring was not quite directed towards the centre and you could then lay down rails and tunnel as if you were on the level
Then for the first time it flashed into Robert McIntyres head that his fathers chance words were correct and that he was in the presence of a madman His great wealth had clearly turned his brain and made him a monomaniac He nodded indulgently as when one humours a child
It would be very nice he said I have heard however that the interior of the earth is molten and your workmen would need to be Salamanders
The latest scientific data do not bear out the idea that the earth is so hot answered Raffles Haw It is certain that the increased temperature in coal mines depends upon the barometric pressure There are gases in the earth which may be ignited and there are combustible materials as we see in the volcanoes but if we came across anything of the sort in our borings we could turn a river or two down the shaft and get the better of it in that fashion
It would be rather awkward if the other end of your shaft came out under the Pacific Ocean said Robert choking down his inclination to laugh
I have had estimates and calculations from the first living engineers—French English and American The point of exit of the tunnel could be calculated to the yard That portfolio in the corner is full of sections plans and diagrams I have agents employed in buying up land and if all goes well we may get to work in the autumn That is one device which may produce results Another is canalcutting
Ah there you would compete with the railways
You dont quite understand I intend to cut canals through every neck of land where such a convenience would facilitate commerce Such a scheme when unaccompanied by any toll upon vessels would I think be a very judicious way of helping the human race
And where pray would you cut the canals asked Robert
I have a map of the world here Haw answered rising and taking one down from the paperrack You see the blue pencil marks Those are the points where I propose to establish communication Of course I should begin by the obvious duty of finishing the Panama business
Naturally The mans lunacy was becoming more and more obvious and yet there was such precision and coolness in his manner that Robert found himself against his own reason endorsing and speculating over his plans
The Isthmus of Corinth also occurs to one That however, is a small matter from either a financial or an engineering point of view I propose however to make a junction here through Kiel between the German Ocean and the Baltic It saves you will observe the whole journey round the coast of Denmark and would facilitate our trade with Germany and Russia Another very obvious improvement is to join the Forth and the Clyde so as to connect Leith with the Irish and American routes You see the blue line
Quite so
And we will have a little cutting here It will run from Uleaborg to Kem and will connect the White Sea with the Gulf of Bothnia We must not allow our sympathies to be insular must we Our little charities should be cosmopolitan We will try and give the good people of Archangel a better outlet for their furs and their tallow
But it will freeze
For six months in the year Still it will be something Then we must do something for the East It would never do to overlook the East
It would certainly be an oversight said Robert who was keenly alive to the comical side of the question Raffles Haw however in deadly earnest sat scratching away at his map with his blue pencil
Here is a point where we might be of some little use If we cut through from Batoum to the Kura River we might tap the trade of the Caspian and open up communication with all the rivers which run into it You notice that they include a considerable tract of country Then again I think that we might venture upon a little cutting between Beirut on the Mediterranean and the upper waters of the Euphrates which would lead us into the Persian Gulf Those are one or two of the more obvious canals which might knit the human race into a closer whole
Your plans are certainly stupendous said Robert uncertain whether to laugh or to be awestruck You will cease to be a man and become one of the great forces of Nature, altering moulding and improving
That is precisely the view which I take of myself That is why I feel my responsibility so acutely
But surely if you will do all this you may rest It is a considerable programme
Not at all I am a patriotic Briton and I should like to do something to leave my name in the annals of my country I should prefer however to do it after my own death as anything in the shape of publicity and honour is very offensive to me I have therefore put by eight hundred million in a place which shall be duly mentioned in my will which I propose to devote to paying off the National Debt I cannot see that any harm could arise from its extinction
Robert sat staring struck dumb by the audacity of the strange mans words
Then there is the heating of the soil There is room for improvement there You have no doubt read of the immense yields which have resulted in Jersey and elsewhere from the running of hotwater pipes through the soil The crops are trebled and quadrupled I would propose to try the experiment upon a larger scale We might possibly reserve the Isle of Man to serve as a pumping and heating station The main pipes would run to England Ireland and Scotland where they would subdivide rapidly until they formed a network two feet deep under the whole country A pipe at distances of a yard would suffice for every purpose
I am afraid suggested Robert that the water which left the Isle of Man warm might lose a little of its virtue before it reached Caithness for example."
There need not be any difficulty there Every few miles a furnace might be arranged to keep up the temperature These are a few of my plans for the future Robert and I shall want the cooperation of disinterested men like yourself in all of them But how brightly the sun shines and how sweet the countryside looks The world is very beautiful and I should like to leave it happier than I found it Let us walk out together Robert and you will tell me of any fresh cases where I may be of assistance
CHAPTER IX A NEW DEPARTURE
Whatever good Mr Raffles Haws wealth did to the world there could be no doubt that there were cases where it did harm The very contemplation and thought of it had upon many a disturbing and mischievous effect Especially was this the case with the old gunmaker From being merely a querulous and grasping man he had now become bitter brooding and dangerous Week by week as he saw the tide of wealth flow as it were through his very house without being able to divert the smallest rill to nourish his own fortunes he became more wolfish and more hungryeyed He spoke less of his own wrongs but he brooded more and would stand for hours on Tamfield Hill looking down at the great palace beneath as a thirststricken man might gaze at the desert mirage
He had worked and peeped and pried too until there were points upon which he knew more than either his son or his daughter
I suppose that you still dont know where your friend gets his money he remarked to Robert one morning as they walked together through the village
No father I do not I only know that he spends it very well
Well snarled the old man Yes very well He has helped every tramp and slut and worthless vagabond over the countryside but he will not advance a pound even on the best security to help a respectable business man to fight against misfortune
My dear father I really cannot argue with you about it said Robert I have already told you more than once what I think Mr Haws object is to help those who are destitute He looks upon us as his equals and would not presume to patronise us or to act as if we could not help ourselves It would be a humiliation to us to take his money
Pshaw Besides it is only a question of an advance and advances are made every day among business men How can you talk such nonsense Robert
Early as it was his son could see from his excited quarrelsome manner that the old man had been drinking The habit had grown upon him of late and it was seldom now that he was entirely sober
Mr Raffles Haw is the best judge said Robert coldly If he earns the money he has a right to spend it as he likes
And how does he earn it You dont know Robert You dont know that you arent aiding and abetting a felony when you help him to fritter it away Was ever so much money earned in an honest fashion I tell you there never was I tell you also that lumps of gold are no more to that man than chunks of coal to the miners over yonder He could build his house of them and think nothing of it
I know that he is very rich father I think however that he has an extravagant way of talking sometimes and that his imagination carries him away I have heard him talk of plans which the richest man upon earth could not possibly hope to carry through
Dont you make any mistake my son Your poor old father isnt quite a fool though he is only an honest broken merchant He looked up sideways at his son with a wink and a most unpleasant leer Where theres money I can smell it Theres money there and heaps of it Its my belief that he is the richest man in the world though how he came to be so I should not like to guarantee Im not quite blind yet Robert Have you seen the weekly waggon
The weekly waggon
Yes Robert You see I can find some news for you yet It is due this morning Every Saturday morning you will see the waggon come in Why here it is now as I am a living man coming round the curve
Robert glanced back and saw a great heavy waggon drawn by two strong horses lumbering slowly along the road which led to the New Hall From the efforts of the animals and its slow pace the contents seemed to be of great weight
Just you wait here old McIntyre cried plucking at his sons sleeve with his thin bony hand Wait here and see it pass Then we will watch what becomes of it
They stood by the side of the road until it came abreast of them The waggon was covered with tarpaulin sheetings in front and at the sides but behind some glimpse could be caught of the contents They consisted as far as Robert could see of a number of packets of the same shape each about two feet long and six inches high arranged symmetrically upon the top of each other Each packet was surrounded by a covering of coarse sacking
What do you think of that asked old McIntyre triumphantly as the load creaked past
Why father What do you make of it
I have watched it Robert—I have watched it every Saturday and I had my chance of looking a little deeper into it You remember the day when the elm blew down and the road was blocked until they could saw it in two That was on a Saturday and the waggon came to a stand until they could clear a way for it I was there Robert and I saw my chance I strolled behind the waggon and I placed my hands upon one of those packets They look small do they not It would take a strong man to lift one They are heavy Robert heavy and hard with the hardness of metal I tell you boy that that waggon is loaded with gold
Gold
With solid bars of gold Robert But come into the plantation and we shall see what becomes of it
They passed through the lodge gates behind the waggon and then wandered off among the firtrees until they gained a spot where they could command a view The load had halted not in front of the house but at the door of the outbuilding with the chimney A staff of stablemen and footmen were in readiness who proceeded to swiftly unload and to carry the packages through the door It was the first time that Robert had ever seen any one save the master of the house enter the laboratory No sign was seen of him now however and in half an hour the contents had all been safely stored and the waggon had driven briskly away
I cannot understand it father said Robert thoughtfully as they resumed their walk Supposing that your supposition is correct who would send him such quantities of gold and where could it come from
Ha you have to come to the old man after all chuckled his companion I can see the little game It is clear enough to me There are two of them in it you understand The other one gets the gold Never mind how but we will hope that there is no harm Let us suppose for example, that they have found a marvellous mine where you can just shovel it out like clay from a pit Well then he sends it on to this one and he has his furnaces and his chemicals and he refines and purifies it and makes it fit to sell Thats my explanation of it Robert Eh has the old man put his finger on it
But if that were true father the gold must go back again
So it does Robert but a little at a time Ha ha Ive had my eyes open you see Every night it goes down in a small cart and is sent on to London by the 740 Not in bars this time but done up in ironbound chests Ive seen them boy and Ive had this hand upon them
Well said the young man thoughtfully maybe you are right It is possible that you are right
While father and son were prying into his secrets Raffles Haw had found his way to Elmdene where Laura sat reading the Queen by the fire
I am so sorry she said throwing down her paper and springing to her feet They are all out except me But I am sure that they wont be long I expect Robert every moment
I would rather speak with you alone answered Raffles Haw quietly Pray sit down for I wanted to have a little chat with you
Laura resumed her seat with a flush upon her cheeks and a quickening of the breath She turned her face away and gazed into the fire but there was a sparkle in her eyes which was not caught from the leaping flames
Do you remember the first time that we met Miss McIntyre he asked standing on the rug and looking down at her dark hair and the beautifully feminine curve of her ivory neck
As if it were yesterday she answered in her sweet mellow tones
Then you must also remember the wild words that I said when we parted It was very foolish of me I am sure that I am most sorry if I frightened or disturbed you but I have been a very solitary man for a long time and I have dropped into a bad habit of thinking aloud Your voice your face your manner were all so like my ideal of a true woman loving faithful and sympathetic that I could not help wondering whether if I were a poor man I might ever hope to win the affection of such a one
Your good opinion Mr Raffles Haw is very dear to me said Laura I assure you that I was not frightened and that there is no need to apologise for what was really a compliment
Since then I have found he continued that all that I had read upon your face was true That your mind is indeed that of the true woman full of the noblest and sweetest qualities which human nature can aspire to You know that I am a man of fortune but I wish you to dismiss that consideration from your mind Do you think from what you know of my character that you could be happy as my wife Laura
She made no answer but still sat with her head turned away and her sparkling eyes fixed upon the fire One little foot from under her skirt tapped nervously upon the rug
It is only right that you should know a little more about me before you decide There is however little to know I am an orphan and as far as I know without a relation upon earth My father was a respectable man a country surgeon in Wales and he brought me up to his own profession Before I had passed my examinations however he died and left me a small annuity I had conceived a great liking for the subjects of chemistry and electricity and instead of going on with my medical work I devoted myself entirely to these studies and eventually built myself a laboratory where I could follow out my own researches At about this time I came into a very large sum of money so large as to make me feel that a vast responsibility rested upon me in the use which I made of it After some thought I determined to build a large house in a quiet part of the country not too far from a great centre There I could be in touch with the world and yet would have quiet and leisure to mature the schemes which were in my head As it chanced I chose Tamfield as my site All that remains now is to carry out the plans which I have made and to endeavour to lighten the earth of some of the misery and injustice which weigh it down I again ask you Laura will you throw in your lot with mine and help me in the lifes work which lies before me
Laura looked up at him at his stringy figure his pale face his keen yet gentle eyes Somehow as she looked there seemed to form itself beside him some shadow of Hector Spurling the manly features the clear firm mouth the frank manner Now in the very moment of her triumph it sprang clearly up in her mind how at the hour of their ruin he had stood firmly by them and had loved the penniless girl as tenderly as the heiress to fortune That last embrace at the door too came back to her and she felt his lips warm upon her own
I am very much honoured Mr Haw she stammered but this is so sudden I have not had time to think I do not know what to say
Do not let me hurry you he cried earnestly I beg that you will think well over it I shall come again for my answer When shall I come Tonight
Yes come tonight
Then adieu Believe me that I think more highly of you for your hesitation I shall live in hope He raised her hand to his lips and left her to her own thoughts
But what those thoughts were did not long remain in doubt Dimmer and dimmer grew the vision of the distant sailor face clearer and clearer the image of the vast palace of the queenly power of the diamonds the gold the ambitious future It all lay at her feet waiting to be picked up How could she have hesitated even for a moment She rose and walking over to her desk she took out a sheet of paper and an envelope The latter she addressed to Lieutenant Spurling HMS Active Gibraltar The note cost some little trouble but at last she got it worded to her mind
Dear Hector she said—I am convinced that your father has
never entirely approved of our engagement otherwise he
would not have thrown obstacles in the way of our marriage
I am sure too that since my poor fathers misfortune it is
only your own sense of honour and feeling of duty which have
kept you true to me and that you would have done infinitely
better had you never seen me I cannot bear Hector to allow
you to imperil your future for my sake and I have determined
after thinking well over the matter to release you from our
boy and girl engagement so that you may be entirely free in
every way It is possible that you may think it unkind of me
to do this now but I am quite sure dear Hector that when you
are an admiral and a very distinguished man you will look back
at this and you will see that I have been a true friend to you
and have prevented you from making a false step early in your
career For myself whether I marry or not I have determined
to devote the remainder of my life to trying to do good and to
leaving the world happier than I found it Your father is very
well and gave us a capital sermon last Sunday I enclose the
banknote which you asked me to keep for you Goodbye for ever
dear Hector and believe me when I say that come what may I am
ever your true friend
Laura S McIntyre
She had hardly sealed her letter before her father and Robert returned She closed the door behind them and made them a little curtsey
I await my familys congratulations she said with her head in the air Mr Raffles Haw has been here and he has asked me to be his wife
The deuce he did cried the old man And you said—
I am to see him again
And you will say—
I will accept him
You were always a good girl Laura said old McIntyre standing on his tiptoes to kiss her
But Laura Laura how about Hector asked Robert in mild remonstrance
Oh I have written to him his sister answered carelessly I wish you would be good enough to post the letter
CHAPTER X THE GREAT SECRET
And so Laura McIntyre became duly engaged to Raffles Haw and old McIntyre grew even more hungrylooking as he felt himself a step nearer to the source of wealth while Robert thought less of work than ever and never gave as much as a thought to the great canvas which still stood dustcovered upon his easel Haw gave Laura an engagement ring of old gold with a great blazing diamond bulging out of it There was little talk about the matter however for it was Haws wish that all should be done very quietly Nearly all his evenings were spent at Elmdene where he and Laura would build up the most colossal schemes of philanthropy for the future With a map stretched out on the table in front of them these two young people would as it were hover over the world planning devising and improving
Bless the girl said old McIntyre to his son she speaks about it as if she were born to millions Maybe when once she is married she wont be so ready to chuck her money into every mad scheme that her husband can think of
Laura is greatly changed Robert answered she has grown much more serious in her ideas
You wait a bit sniggered his father She is a good girl is Laura and she knows what she is about Shes not a girl to let her old dad go to the wall if she can set him right Its a pretty state of things he added bitterly heres my daughter going to marry a man who thinks no more of gold than I used to of gunmetal and heres my son going about with all the money he cares to ask for to help every neerdowell in Staffordshire and heres their father who loved them and cared for them and brought them both up without money enough very often to buy a bottle of brandy I dont know what your poor dear mother would have thought of it
You have only to ask for what you want
Yes as if I were a fiveyearold child But I tell you Robert Ill have my rights and if I cant get them one way I will another I wont be treated as if I were no one And theres one thing if I am to be this mans painlaw Ill want to know something about him and his money first We may be poor but we are honest Ill up to the Hall now and have it out with him He seized his hat and stick and made for the door
No no father cried Robert catching him by the sleeve You had better leave the matter alone Mr Haw is a very sensitive man He would not like to be examined upon such a point It might lead to a serious quarrel I beg that you will not go
I am not to be put off for ever snarled the old man who had been drinking heavily Ill put my foot down now once and for ever He tugged at his sleeve to free himself from his sons grasp
At least you shall not go without Laura knowing I will call her down and we shall have her opinion
Oh I dont want to have any scenes said McIntyre sulkily relaxing his efforts He lived in dread of his daughter and at his worst moments the mention of her name would serve to restrain him
Besides said Robert I have not the slightest doubt that Raffles Haw will see the necessity for giving us some sort of explanation before matters go further He must understand that we have some claim now to be taken into his confidence
He had hardly spoken when there was a tap at the door and the man of whom they were speaking walked in
Goodmorning Mr McIntyre said he Robert would you mind stepping up to the Hall with me I want to have a little business chat He looked serious like a man who is carrying out something which he has well weighed
They walked up together with hardly a word on either side Raffles Haw was absorbed in his own thoughts Robert felt expectant and nervous for he knew that something of importance lay before him The winter had almost passed now and the first young shoots were beginning to peep out timidly in the face of the wind and the rain of an English March The snows were gone but the countryside looked bleaker and drearier all shrouded in the haze from the damp sodden meadows
By the way Robert said Raffles Haw suddenly as they walked up the Avenue Has your great Roman picture gone to London
I have not finished it yet
But I know that you are a quick worker You must be nearly at the end of it
No I am afraid that it has not advanced much since you saw it For one thing the light has not been very good
Raffles Haw said nothing but a pained expression flashed over his face When they reached the house he led the way through the museum Two great metal cases were lying on the floor
I have a small addition there to the gem collection he remarked as he passed They only arrived last night and I have not opened them yet but I am given to understand from the letters and invoices that there are some fine specimens We might arrange them this afternoon if you care to assist me Let us go into the smokingroom now
He threw himself down into a settee and motioned Robert into the armchair in front of him
Light a cigar he said Press the spring if there is any refreshment which you would like Now my dear Robert confess to me in the first place that you have often thought me mad
The charge was so direct and so true that the young artist hesitated hardly knowing how to answer
My dear boy I do not blame you It was the most natural thing in the world I should have looked upon anyone as a madman who had talked to me as I have talked to you But for all that Robert you were wrong and I have never yet in our conversations proposed any scheme which it was not well within my power to carry out I tell you in all sober earnest that the amount of my income is limited only by my desire and that all the bankers and financiers combined could not furnish the sums which I can put forward without an effort
I have had ample proof of your immense wealth said Robert
And you are very naturally curious as to how that wealth was obtained Well I can tell you one thing The money is perfectly clean I have robbed no one cheated no one sweated no one ground no one down in the gaining of it I can read your fathers eye Robert I can see that he has done me an injustice in this matter Well perhaps he is not to be blamed Perhaps I also might think uncharitable things if I were In his place But that is why I now give an explanation to you Robert and not to him You at least have trusted me and you have a right before I become one of your family to know all that I can tell you Laura also has trusted me but I know well that she is content still to trust me
I would not intrude upon your secrets Mr Haw said Robert but of course I cannot deny that I should be very proud and pleased if you cared to confide them to me
And I will Not all I do not think that I shall ever while I live tell all But I shall leave directions behind me so that when I die you may be able to carry on my unfinished work I shall tell you where those directions are to be found In the meantime you must be content to learn the effects which I produce without knowing every detail as to the means
Robert settled himself down in his chair and concentrated his attention upon his companions words while Haw bent forward his eager earnest face like a man who knows the value of the words which he is saying
You are already aware he remarked that I have devoted a great deal of energy and of time to the study of chemistry
So you told me
I commenced my studies under a famous English chemist I continued them under the best man in France and I completed them in the most celebrated laboratory of Germany I was not rich but my father had left me enough to keep me comfortably and by living economically I had a sum at my command which enabled me to carry out my studies in a very complete way When I returned to England I built myself a laboratory in a quiet country place where I could work without distraction or interruption There I began a series of investigations which soon took me into regions of science to which none of the three famous men who taught me had ever penetrated
You say Robert that you have some slight knowledge of chemistry and you will find it easier to follow what I say Chemistry is to a large extent an empirical science and the chance experiment may lead to greater results than could with our present data be derived from the closest study or the keenest reasoning The most important chemical discoveries from the first manufacture of glass to the whitening and refining of sugar have all been due to some happy chance which might have befallen a mere dabbler as easily as a deep student
Well it was to such a chance that my own great discovery—perhaps the greatest that the world has seen—was due though I may claim the credit of having originated the line of thought which led up to it I had frequently speculated as to the effect which powerful currents of electricity exercise upon any substance through which they are poured for a considerable time I did not here mean such feeble currents as are passed along a telegraph wire but I mean the very highest possible developments Well I tried a series of experiments upon this point I found that in liquids and in compounds the force had a disintegrating effect The wellknown experiment of the electrolysis of water will of course occur to you But I found that in the case of elemental solids the effect was a remarkable one The element slowly decreased in weight without perceptibly altering in composition I hope that I make myself clear to you
I follow you entirely said Robert deeply interested in his companions narrative
I tried upon several elements and always with the same result In every case an hours current would produce a perceptible loss of weight My theory at that stage was that there was a loosening of the molecules caused by the electric fluid and that a certain number of these molecules were shed off like an impalpable dust all round the lump of earth or of metal which remained of course the lighter by their loss I had entirely accepted this theory when a very remarkable chance led me to completely alter my opinions
I had one Saturday night fastened a bar of bismuth in a clamp and had attached it on either side to an electric wire in order to observe what effect the current would have upon it I had been testing each metal in turn exposing them to the influence for from one to two hours I had just got everything in position and had completed my connection when I received a telegram to say that John Stillingfleet an old chemist in London with whom I had been on terms of intimacy was dangerously ill and had expressed a wish to see me The last train was due to leave in twenty minutes and I lived a good mile from the station I thrust a few things into a bag locked my laboratory and ran as hard as I could to catch it
It was not until I was in London that it suddenly occurred to me that I had neglected to shut off the current and that it would continue to pass through the bar of bismuth until the batteries were exhausted The fact however seemed to be of small importance and I dismissed it from my mind I was detained in London until the Tuesday night and it was Wednesday morning before I got back to my work As I unlocked the laboratory door my mind reverted to the uncompleted experiment and it struck me that in all probability my piece of bismuth would have been entirely disintegrated and reduced to its primitive molecules I was utterly unprepared for the truth
When I approached the table I found sure enough that the bar of metal had vanished and that the clamp was empty Having noted the fact I was about to turn away to something else when my attention was attracted to the fact that the table upon which the clamp stood was starred over with little patches of some liquid silvery matter which lay in single drops or coalesced into little pools I had a very distinct recollection of having thoroughly cleared the table before beginning my experiment so that this substance had been deposited there since I had left for London Much interested I very carefully collected it all into one vessel and examined it minutely There could be no question as to what it was It was the purest mercury and gave no response to any test for bismuth
I at once grasped the fact that chance had placed in my hands a chemical discovery of the very first importance If bismuth were under certain conditions to be subjected to the action of electricity it would begin by losing weight and would finally be transformed into mercury I had broken down the partition which separated two elements
But the process would be a constant one It would presumably prove to be a general law and not an isolated fact If bismuth turned into mercury what would mercury turn into There would be no rest for me until I had solved the question I renewed the exhausted batteries and passed the current through the bowl of quicksilver For sixteen hours I sat watching the metal marking how it slowly seemed to curdle to grow firmer to lose its silvery glitter and to take a dull yellow hue When I at last picked it up in a forceps and threw it upon the table it had lost every characteristic of mercury and had obviously become another metal A few simple tests were enough to show me that this other metal was platinum
Now to a chemist there was something very suggestive in the order in which these changes had been effected Perhaps you can see the relation, Robert which they bear to each other
No I cannot say that I do
Robert had sat listening to this strange statement with parted lips and staring eyes
I will show you Speaking atomically bismuth is the heaviest of the metals Its atomic weight is 210 The next in weight is lead 207 and then comes mercury at 200 Possibly the long period during which the current had acted in my absence had reduced the bismuth to lead and the lead in turn to mercury Now platinum stands at 1975 and it was accordingly the next metal to be produced by the continued current Do you see now
It is quite clear
And then there came the inference which sent my heart into my mouth and caused my head to swim round Gold is the next in the series. Its atomic weight is 197 I remembered now and for the first time understood why it was always lead and mercury winch were mentioned by the old alchemists as being the two metals which might be used in their calling With fingers which trembled with excitement I adjusted the wires again and in little more than an hour—for the length of the process was always in proportion to the difference in the metals—I had before me a knob of ruddy crinkled metal which answered to every reaction for gold
Well Robert this is a long story but I think that you will agree with me that its importance justifies me in going into detail When I had satisfied myself that I had really manufactured gold I cut the nugget in two One half I sent to a jeweller and worker in precious metals with whom I had some slight acquaintance asking him to report upon the quality of the metal With the other half I continued my series of experiments and reduced it in successive stages through all the long series of metals through silver and zinc and manganese until I brought it to lithium which is the lightest of all
And what did it turn to then asked Robert
Then came what to chemists is likely to be the most interesting portion of my discovery It turned to a greyish fine powder which powder gave no further results however much I might treat it with electricity And that powder is the base of all things it is the mother of all the elements it is in short the substance whose existence has been recently surmised by a leading chemist and which has been christened protyle by him I am the discoverer of the great law of the electrical transposition of the metals and I am the first to demonstrate protyle so that I think Robert if all my schemes in other directions come to nothing my name is at least likely to live in the chemical world
There is not very much more for me to tell you I had my nugget back from my friend the jeweller confirming my opinion as to its nature and its quality I soon found several methods by which the process might be simplified and especially a modification of the ordinary electric current which was very much more effective Having made a certain amount of gold I disposed of it for a sum which enabled me to buy improved materials and stronger batteries In this way I enlarged my operations until at last I was in a position to build this house and to have a laboratory where I could carry out my work on a much larger scale As I said before I can now state with all truth that the amount of my income is only limited by my desires
It is wonderful gasped Robert It is like a fairy tale But with this great discovery in your mind you must have been sorely tempted to confide it to others
I thought well over it I gave it every consideration It was obvious to me that if my invention were made public its immediate result would be to deprive the present precious metals of all their special value Some other substance—amber we will say or ivory—would be chosen as a medium for barter and gold would be inferior to brass as being heavier and yet not so hard No one would be the better for such a consummation as that Now if I retained my secret and used it with wisdom I might make myself the greatest benefactor to mankind that has ever lived Those were the chief reasons and I trust that they are not dishonourable ones which led me to form the resolution which I have today for the first time broken
But your secret is safe with me cried Robert My lips shall be sealed until I have your permission to speak
If I had not known that I could trust you I should have withheld it from your knowledge And now my dear Robert theory is very weak work and practice is infinitely more interesting I have given you more than enough of the first If you will be good enough to accompany me to the laboratory I shall give you a little of the latter
CHAPTER XI A CHEMICAL DEMONSTRATION
Raffles Haw led the way through the front door and crossing over the gravelled drive pushed open the outer door of the laboratory—the same through which the McIntyres had seen the packages conveyed from the waggon On passing through it Robert found that they were not really within the building but merely in a large bare antechamber around the walls of which were stacked the very objects which had aroused his curiosity and his fathers speculations All mystery had gone from them now however for while some were still wrapped in their sackcloth coverings others had been undone and revealed themselves as great pigs of lead
There is my raw material said Raffles Haw carelessly nodding at the heap Every Saturday I have a waggonload sent up which serves me for a week but we shall need to work double tides when Laura and I are married and we get our great schemes under way I have to be very careful about the quality of the lead for of course every impurity is reproduced in the gold
A heavy iron door led into the inner chamber Haw unlocked it but only to disclose a second one about five feet further on
This flooring is all disconnected at night he remarked I have no doubt that there is a good deal of gossip in the servantshall about this sealed chamber so I have to guard myself against some inquisitive ostler or too adventurous butler
The inner door admitted them into the laboratory a high bare whitewashed room with a glass roof At one end was the furnace and boiler the iron mouth of which was closed though the fierce red light beat through the cracks and a dull roar sounded through the building On either side innumerable huge Leyden jars stood ranged in rows tier topping tier while above them were columns of Voltaic cells Roberts eyes as he glanced around lit on vast wheels complicated networks of wire stands testtubes coloured bottles graduated glasses Bunsen burners porcelain insulators and all the varied debris of a chemical and electrical workshop
Come across here said Raffles Haw picking his way among the heaps of metal the coke the packingcases and the carboys of acid Yours is the first foot except my own which has ever penetrated to this room since the workmen left it My servants carry the lead into the anteroom but come no further The furnace can be cleaned and stoked from without I employ a fellow to do nothing else Now take a look in here
He threw open a door on the further side and motioned to the young artist to enter The latter stood silent with one foot over the threshold staring in amazement around him The room which may have been some thirty feet square was paved and walled with gold Great brickshaped ingots closely packed covered the whole floor while on every side they were reared up in compact barriers to the very ceiling The single electric lamp which lighted the windowless chamber struck a dull murky yellow light from the vast piles of precious metal and gleamed ruddily upon the golden floor
This is my treasure house remarked the owner You see that I have rather an accumulation just now My imports have been exceeding my exports You can understand that I have other and more important duties even than the making of gold just now This is where I store my output until I am ready to send it off Every night almost I am in the habit of sending a case of it to London I employ seventeen brokers in its sale Each thinks that he is the only one and each is dying to know where I can get such large quantities of virgin gold They say that it is the purest which comes into the market The popular theory is I believe that I am a middleman acting on behalf of some new South African mine which wishes to keep its whereabouts a secret What value would you put upon the gold in this chamber It ought to be worth something for it represents nearly a weeks work
Something fabulous I have no doubt said Robert glancing round at the yellow barriers Shall I say a hundred and fifty thousand pounds
Oh dear me it is surely worth very much more than that cried Raffles Haw laughing Let me see Suppose that we put it at three ten an ounce which is nearly ten shillings under the mark That makes roughly fiftysix pounds for a pound in weight Now each of these ingots weighs thirtysix pounds which brings their value to two thousand and a few odd pounds There are five hundred ingots on each of these three sides of the room but on the fourth there are only three hundred on account of the door but there cannot be less than two hundred on the floor which gives us a rough total of two thousand ingots So you see my dear boy that any broker who could get the contents of this chamber for four million pounds would be doing a nice little stroke of business
And a weeks work gasped Robert It makes my head swim
You will follow me now when I repeat that none of the great schemes which I intend to simultaneously set in motion are at all likely to languish for want of funds Now come into the laboratory with me and see how it is done
In the centre of the workroom was an instrument like a huge vice with two large brasscoloured plates and a great steel screw for bringing them together Numerous wires ran into these metal plates and were attached at the other end to the rows of dynamic machines Beneath was a glass stand which was hollowed out in the centre into a succession of troughs
You will soon understand all about it said Raffles Haw throwing off his coat and pulling on a smokestained and dirty linen jacket We must first stoke up a little He put his weight on a pair of great bellows and an answering roar came from the furnace That will do The more heat the more electric force and the quicker our task Now for the lead Just give me a hand in carrying it
They lifted a dozen of the pigs of lead from the floor on to the glass stand and having adjusted the plates on either side Haw screwed up the handle so as to hold them in position
It used in the early days to be a slow process he remarked but now that I have immense facilities for my work it takes a very short time I have now only to complete the connection in order to begin
He took hold of a long glass lever which projected from among the wires and drew it downwards A sharp click was heard followed by a loud sparkling crackling noise Great spurts of flame sprang from the two electrodes and the mass of lead was surrounded by an aureole of golden sparks which hissed and snapped like pistolshots The air was filled with the peculiar acid smell of ozone
The power there is immense said Raffles Haw superintending the process, with his watch upon the palm of his hand It would reduce an organic substance to protyle instantly It is well to understand the mechanism thoroughly for any mistake might be a grave matter for the operator You are dealing with gigantic forces But you perceive that the lead is already beginning to turn
Silvery dewlike drops had indeed begun to form upon the dullcoloured mass and to drop with a tinkle and splash into the glass troughs Slowly the lead melted away like an icicle in the sun the electrodes ever closing upon it as it contracted until they came together in the centre and a row of pools of quicksilver had taken the place of the solid metal Two smaller electrodes were plunged into the mercury which gradually curdled and solidified until it had resumed the solid form with a yellowish brassy shimmer
What lies in the moulds now is platinum remarked Raffles Haw We must take it from the troughs and refix it in the large electrodes So Now we turn on the current again You see that it gradually takes a darker and richer tint Now I think that it is perfect He drew up the lever removed the electrodes and there lay a dozen bricks of ruddy sparkling gold
You see according to our calculations our mornings work has been worth twentyfour thousand pounds and it has not taken us more than twenty minutes remarked the alchemist as he picked up the newlymade ingots and threw them down among the others
We will devote one of them to experiment said he leaving the last standing upon the glass insulator To the world it would seem an expensive demonstration which cost two thousand pounds but our standard you see is a different one Now you will see me run through the whole gamut of metallic nature
First of all men after the discoverer Robert saw the gold mass when the electrodes were again applied to it change swiftly and successively to barium to tin to silver to copper to iron He saw the long white electric sparks change to crimson with the strontium to purple with the potassium to yellow with the manganese Then finally after a hundred transformations it disintegrated before his eyes and lay as a little mound of fluffy grey dust upon the glass table
And this is protyle said Haw passing his fingers through it The chemist of the future may resolve it into further constituents but to me it is the Ultima Thule
And now Robert he continued after a pause I have shown you enough to enable you to understand something of my system This is the great secret It is the secret which endows the man who knows it with such a universal power as no man has ever enjoyed since the world was made This secret it is the dearest wish of my heart to use for good and I swear to you Robert McIntyre that if I thought it would tend to anything but good I would have done with it for ever No I would neither use it myself nor would any other man learn it from my lips I swear it by all that is holy and solemn
His eyes flashed as he spoke and his voice quivered with emotion Standing pale and lanky amid his electrodes and his retorts there was still something majestic about this man who amid all his stupendous good fortune could still keep his moral sense undazzled by the glitter of his gold Roberts weak nature had never before realised the strength which lay in those thin firm lips and earnest eyes
Surely in your hands Mr Haw nothing but good can come of it he said
I hope not—I pray not—most earnestly do I pray not I have done for you Robert what I might not have done for my own brother had I one and I have done it because I believe and hope that you are a man who would not use this power should you inherit it for selfish ends But even now I have not told you all There is one link which I have withheld from you and which shall be withheld from you while I live But look at this chest Robert
He led him to a great ironclamped chest which stood in the corner and throwing it open he took from it a small case of carved ivory
Inside this he said I have left a paper which makes clear anything which is still hidden from you Should anything happen to me you will always be able to inherit my powers and to continue my plans by following the directions which are there expressed And now he continued throwing his casket back again into the box I shall frequently require your help but I do not think it will be necessary this morning I have already taken up too much of your time If you are going back to Elmdene I wish that you would tell Laura that I shall be with her in the afternoon
CHAPTER XII A FAMILY JAR
And so the great secret was out and Robert walked home with his head in a whirl and the blood tingling in his veins He had shivered as he came up at the damp cold of the wind and the sight of the mistmottled landscape That was all gone now His own thoughts tinged everything with sunshine and he felt inclined to sing and dance as he walked down the muddy deeplyrutted country lane Wonderful had been the fate allotted to Raffles Haw but surely hardly less important that which had come upon himself He was the sharer of the alchemists secret and the heir to an inheritance which combined a wealth greater than that of monarchs to a freedom such as monarchs cannot enjoy This was a destiny indeed A thousand goldtinted visions of his future life rose up before him and in fancy he already sat high above the human race with prostrate thousands imploring his aid or thanking him for his benevolence
How sordid seemed the untidy garden with its scrappy bushes and gaunt elm trees How mean the plain brick front with the green wooden porch It had always offended his artistic sense but now it was obtrusive in its ugliness The plain room too with the American leather chairs the dullcoloured carpet and the patchwork rug he felt a loathing for it all The only pretty thing in it upon which his eyes could rest with satisfaction was his sister as she leaned back in her chair by the fire with her white clear beautiful face outlined against the dark background
Do you know Robert she said glancing up at him from under her long black lashes Papa grows unendurable I have had to speak very plainly to him and to make him understand that I am marrying for my own benefit and not for his
Where is he then
I dont know At the Three Pigeons no doubt He spends most of his time there now He flew off in a passion and talked such nonsense about marriage settlements and forbidding the banns and so on His notion of a marriage settlement appears to be a settlement upon the brides father He should wait quietly and see what can be done for him
I think Laura that we must make a good deal of allowance for him said Robert earnestly I have noticed a great change in him lately I dont think he is himself at all I must get some medical advice But I have been up at the Hall this morning
Have you Have you seen Raffles Did he send anything for me
He said that he would come down when he had finished his work
But what is the matter Robert cried Laura with the swift perception of womanhood You are flushed and your eyes are shining and really you look quite handsome Raffles has been telling you something What was it Oh I know He has been telling you how he made his money Hasnt he now
Well yes He took me partly into his confidence I congratulate you Laura with all my heart for you will be a very wealthy woman
How strange it seems that he should have come to us in our poverty It is all owing to you you dear old Robert for if he had not taken a fancy to you he would never have come down to Elmdene and taken a fancy to some one else
Not at all Robert answered sitting down by his sister and patting her hand affectionately It was a clear case of love at first sight He was in love with you before he ever knew your name He asked me about you the very first time I saw him
But tell me about his money Bob said his sister He has not told me yet and I am so curious How did he make it It was not from his father he told me that himself His father was just a country doctor How did he do it
I am bound over to secrecy He will tell you himself
Oh but only tell me if I guess right He had it left him by an uncle eh Well by a friend Or he took out some wonderful patent Or he discovered a mine Or oil Do tell me Robert
I mustnt really cried her brother laughing And I must not talk to you any more You are much too sharp I feel a responsibility about it and besides I must really do some work
It Is very unkind of you said Laura pouting But I must put my things on for I go into Birmingham by the 120
To Birmingham
Yes I have a hundred things to order There is everything to be got You men forget about these details Raffles wishes to have the wedding in little more than a fortnight Of course it will be very quiet but still one needs something
So early as that said Robert thoughtfully Well perhaps it is better so
Much better Robert Would it not be dreadful if Hector came back first and there was a scene If I were once married I should not mind Why should I But of course Raffles knows nothing about him and it would be terrible if they came together
That must be avoided at any cost
Oh I cannot bear even to think of it Poor Hector And yet what could I do Robert You know that it was only a boy and girl affair And how could I refuse such an offer as this It was a duty to my family was it not
You were placed in a difficult position—very difficult her brother answered But all will be right and I have no doubt Hector will see it as you do But does Mr Spurling know of your engagement
Not a word He was here yesterday and talked of Hector but indeed I did not know how to tell him We are to be married by special licence in Birmingham so really there is no reason why he should know But now I must hurry or I shall miss my train
When his sister was gone Robert went up to his studio and having ground some colours upon his palette he stood for some time brush and mahlstick in hand in front of his big bare canvas But how profitless all his work seemed to him now What object had he in doing it Was it to earn money Money could be had for the asking or for that matter without the asking Or was it to produce a thing of beauty But he had artistic faults Raffles Haw had said so and he knew that he was right After all his pains the thing might not please and with money he could at all times buy pictures which would please and which would be things of beauty What then was the object of his working He could see none He threw down his brush and lighting his pipe he strolled downstairs once more
His father was standing in front of the fire and in no very good humour as his red face and puckered eyes sufficed to show
Well Robert he began I suppose that as usual you have spent your morning plotting against your father
What do you mean father
I mean what I say What is it but plotting when three folk—you and she and this Raffles Haw—whisper and arrange and have meetings without a word to me about it What do I know of your plans
I cannot tell you secrets which are not my own father
But Ill have a voice in the matter for all that Secrets or no secrets you will find that Laura has a father and that he is not a man to be set aside I may have had my ups and downs in trade but I have not quite fallen so low that I am nothing in my own family What am I to get out of this precious marriage
What should you get Surely Lauras happiness and welfare are enough for you
If this man were really fond of Laura he would show proper consideration for Lauras father It was only yesterday that I asked him for a loancondescended actually to ask for it—I who have been within an ace of being Mayor of Birmingham And he refused me point blank
Oh father How could you expose yourself to such humiliation
Refused me point blank cried the old man excitedly It was against his principles if you please But Ill be even with him—you see if I am not I know one or two things about him What is it they call him at the Three Pigeons A smasher—thats the worda coiner of false money Why else should he have this metal sent him and that great smoky chimney of his going all day
Why can you not leave him alone father expostulated Robert You seem to think of nothing but his money If he had not a penny he would still be a very kindhearted pleasant gentleman
Old McIntyre burst into a hoarse laugh
I like to hear you preach said he Without a penny indeed Do you think that you would dance attendance upon him if he were a poor man Do you think that Laura would ever have looked twice at him You know as well as I do that she is marrying him only for his money
Robert gave a cry of dismay There was the alchemist standing in the doorway pale and silent looking from one to the other of them with his searching eyes
I must apologise he said coldly I did not mean to listen to your words I could not help it But I have heard them As to you Mr McIntyre I believe that you speak from your own bad heart I will not let myself be moved by your words In Robert I have a true friend Laura also loves me for my own sake You cannot shake my faith in them But with you Mr McIntyre I have nothing in common and it is as well perhaps that we should both recognise the fact
He bowed and was gone ere either of the McIntyres could say a word
You see said Robert at last You have done now what you cannot undo
I will be even with him cried the old man furiously shaking his fist through the window at the dark slowpacing figure You just wait Robert and see if your old dad is a man to be played with
CHAPTER XIII A MIDNIGHT VENTURE
Not a word was said to Laura when she returned as to the scene which had occurred in her absence She was in the gayest of spirits and prattled merrily about her purchases and her arrangements wondering from time to time when Raffles Haw would come As night fell however without any word from him she became uneasy
What can be the matter that he does not come she said It is the first day since our engagement that I have not seen him
Robert looked out through the window
It is a gusty night and raining hard he remarked I do not at all expect him
Poor Hector used to come rain snow or fine But then of course he was a sailor It was nothing to him I hope that Raffles is not ill
He was quite well when I saw him this morning answered her brother and they relapsed into silence while the rain pattered against the windows and the wind screamed amid the branches of the elms outside
Old McIntyre had sat in the corner most of the day biting his nails and glowering into the fire with a brooding malignant expression upon his wrinkled features Contrary to his usual habits he did not go to the village inn but shuffled off early to bed without a word to his children Laura and Robert remained chatting for some time by the fire she talking of the thousand and one wonderful things which were to be done when she was mistress of the New Hall There was less philanthropy in her talk when her future husband was absent and Robert could not but remark that her carriages her dresses her receptions and her travels in distant countries were the topics into which she threw all the enthusiasm which he had formerly heard her bestow upon refuge homes and labour organisations
I think that greys are the nicest horses she said Bays are nice too but greys are more showy We could manage with a brougham and a landau and perhaps a high dogcart for Raffles He has the coachhouse full at present but he never uses them and I am sure that those fifty horses would all die for want of exercise or get livers like Strasburg geese if they waited for him to ride or drive them
I suppose that you will still live here said her brother
We must have a house in London as well and run up for the season I dont of course like to make suggestions now but it will be different afterwards I am sure that Raffles will do it if I ask him It is all very well for him to say that he does not want any thanks or honours but I should like to know what is the use of being a public benefactor if you are to have no return for it I am sure that if he does only half what he talks of doing they will make him a peer—Lord Tamfield perhaps—and then of course I shall be my Lady Tamfield and what would you think of that Bob She dropped him a stately curtsey and tossed her head in the air as one who was born to wear a coronet
Father must be pensioned off she remarked presently He shall have so much a year on condition that he keeps away As to you Bob I dont know what we shall do for you We shall make you President of the Royal Academy if money can do it
It was late before they ceased building their aircastles and retired to their rooms But Roberts brain was excited and he could not sleep The events of the day had been enough to shake a stronger man There had been the revelation of the morning the strange sights which he had witnessed in the laboratory and the immense secret which had been confided to his keeping Then there had been his conversation with his father in the afternoon their disagreement and the sudden intrusion of Raffles Haw Finally the talk with his sister had excited his imagination and driven sleep from his eyelids In vain he turned and twisted in his bed or paced the floor of his chamber He was not only awake but abnormally awake with every nerve highly strung and every sense at the keenest What was he to do to gain a little sleep It flashed across him that there was brandy in the decanter downstairs and that a glass might act as a sedative
He had opened the door of his room when suddenly his ear caught the sound of slow and stealthy footsteps upon the stairs His own lamp was unlit but a dim glimmer came from a moving taper and a long black shadow travelled down the wall He stood motionless listening intently The steps were in the hall now and he heard a gentle creaking as the key was cautiously turned in the door The next instant there came a gust of cold air the taper was extinguished and a sharp snap announced that the door had been closed from without
Robert stood astonished Who could this night wanderer be It must be his father But what errand could take him out at three in the morning And such a morning too With every blast of the wind the rain beat up against his chamberwindow as though it would drive it in The glass rattled in the frames and the tree outside creaked and groaned as its great branches were tossed about by the gale What could draw any man forth upon such a night
Hurriedly Robert struck a match and lit his lamp His fathers room was opposite his own and the door was ajar He pushed it open and looked about him It was empty The bed had not even been lain upon The single chair stood by the window and there the old man must have sat since he left them There was no book no paper no means by which he could have amused himself nothing but a razorstrop lying on the windowsill
A feeling of impending misfortune struck cold to Roberts heart There was some illmeaning in this journey of his fathers He thought of his brooding of yesterday his scowling face his bitter threats Yes there was some mischief underlying it But perhaps he might even now be in time to prevent it There was no use calling Laura She could be no help in the matter He hurriedly threw on his clothes muffled himself in his topcoat and seizing his hat and stick he set off after his father
As he came out into the village street the wind whirled down it so that he had to put his ear and shoulder against it and push his way forward It was better however when he turned into the lane The high bank and the hedge sheltered him upon one side The road however was deep in mud and the rain fell in a steady swish Not a soul was to be seen but he needed to make no inquiries for he knew whither his father had gone as certainly as though he had seen him
The iron side gate of the avenue was half open and Robert stumbled his way up the gravelled drive amid the dripping firtrees What could his fathers intention be when he reached the Hall Was it merely that he wished to spy and prowl or did he intend to call up the master and enter into some discussion as to his wrongs Or was it possible that some blacker and more sinister design lay beneath his strange doings Robert thought suddenly of the razorstrop and gasped with horror What had the old man been doing with that He quickened his pace to a run and hurried on until he found himself at the door of the Hall
Thank God all was quiet there He stood by the big silent door and listened intently There was nothing to be heard save the wind and the rain Where then could his father be If he wished to enter the Hall he would not attempt to do so by one of the windows for had he not been present when Raffles Haw had shown them the precautions which he had taken But then a sudden thought struck Robert There was one window which was left unguarded Haw had been imprudent enough to tell them so It was the middle window of the laboratory If he remembered it so clearly of course his father would remember it too There was the point of danger
The moment that he had come round the corner of the building he found that his surmise had been correct An electric lamp burned in the laboratory and the silver squares of the three large windows stood out clear and bright in the darkness The centre one had been thrown open and even as he gazed Robert saw a dark monkeylike figure spring up on to the sill and vanish into the room beyond For a moment only it outlined itself against the brilliant light beyond but in that moment Robert had space to see that it was indeed his father On tiptoe he crossed the intervening space, and peeped in through the open window It was a singular spectacle which met his eyes
There stood upon the glass table some halfdozen large ingots of gold which had been made the night before but which had not been removed to the treasurehouse On these the old man had thrown himself as one who enters into his rightful inheritance He lay across the table his arms clasping the bars of gold his cheek pressed against them crooning and muttering to himself Under the clear still light amid the giant wheels and strange engines that one little dark figure clutching and clinging to the ingots had in it something both weird and piteous
For five minutes or more Robert stood in the darkness amid the rain looking in at this strange sight while his father hardly moved save to cuddle closer to the gold and to pat it with his thin hands Robert was still uncertain what he should do when his eyes wandered from the central figure and fell on something else which made him give a little cry of astonishment—a cry which was drowned amid the howling of the gale
Raffles Haw was standing in the corner of the room Where he had come from Robert could not say but he was certain that he had not been there when he first looked in He stood silent wrapped in some long dark dressinggown his arms folded and a bitter smile upon his pale face Old McIntyre seemed to see him at almost the same moment for he snarled out an oath and clutched still closer at his treasure looking slantwise at the master of the house with furtive treacherous eyes
And it has really come to this said Haw at last taking a step forward You have actually fallen so low Mr McIntyre as to steal into my house at night like a common burglar You knew that this window was unguarded I remember telling you as much But I did not tell you what other means I had adopted by which I might be warned if knaves made an entrance But that you should have come You
The old gunmaker made no attempt to justify himself but he muttered some few hoarse words and continued to cling to the treasure
I love your daughter said Raffles Haw and for her sake I will not expose you Your hideous and infamous secret shall be safe with me No ear shall hear what has happened this night I will not as I might arouse my servants and send for the police But you must leave my house without further words I have nothing more to say to you Go as you have come
He took a step forward and held out his hand as if to detach the old mans grasp from the golden bars The other thrust his hand into the breast of his coat and with a shrill scream of rage flung himself upon the alchemist So sudden and so fierce was the movement that Haw had no time for defence A bony hand gripped him by the throat and the blade of a razor flashed in the air Fortunately as it fell the weapon struck against one of the many wires which spanned the room and flying out of the old mans grasp tinkled upon the stone floor But though disarmed he was still dangerous With a horrible silent energy he pushed Haw back and back until coming to a bench they both fell over it McIntyre remaining uppermost His other hand was on the alchemists throat and it might have fared ill with him had Robert not climbed through the window and dragged his father off from him With the aid of Haw he pinned the old man down and passed a long cravat around his arms It was terrible to look at him for his face was convulsed his eyes bulging from his head and his lips white with foam
Haw leaned against the glass table panting with his hand to his side
You here Robert he gasped Is it not horrible How did you come
I followed him I heard him go out
He would have robbed me And he would have murdered me But he is mad—stark staring mad
There could be no doubt of it Old McIntyre was sitting up now and burst suddenly into a hoarse peal of laughter rocking himself backwards and forwards and looking up at them with little twinkling cunning eyes It was clear to both of them that his mind weakened by long brooding over the one idea had now at last become that of a monomaniac His horrid causeless mirth was more terrible even than his fury
What shall we do with him asked Haw We cannot take him back to Elmdene It would be a terrible shock to Laura
We could have doctors to certify in the morning Could we not keep him here until then If we take him back some one will meet us and there will be a scandal
I know We will take him to one of the padded rooms where he can neither hurt himself nor anyone else I am somewhat shaken myself But I am better now Do you take one arm and I will take the other
Halfleading and halfdragging him they managed between them to convey the old gunmaker away from the scene of his disaster and to lodge him for the night in a place of safety At five in the morning Robert had started in the gig to make the medical arrangements while Raffles Haw paced his palatial house with a troubled face and a sad heart
CHAPTER XIV THE SPREAD OF THE BLIGHT
It may be that Laura did not look upon the removal of her father as an unmixed misfortune Nothing was said to her as to the manner of the old mans seizure but Robert informed her at breakfast that he had thought it best acting under medical advice to place him for a time under some restraint She had herself frequently remarked upon the growing eccentricity of his manner so that the announcement could have been no great surprise to her It is certain that it did not diminish her appetite for the coffee and the scrambled eggs nor prevent her from chatting a good deal about her approaching wedding
But it was very different with Raffles Haw The incident had shocked him to his inmost soul He had often feared lest his money should do indirect evil but here were crime and madness arising before his very eyes from its influence In vain he tried to choke down his feelings and to persuade himself that this attack of old McIntyres was something which came of itself—something which had no connection with himself or his wealth He remembered the man as he had first met him garrulous foolish but with no obvious vices He recalled the change which week by week had come over him—his greedy eye his furtive manner his hints and innuendoes ending only the day before in a positive demand for money It was too certain that there was a chain of events there leading direct to the horrible encounter in the laboratory His money had cast a blight where he had hoped to shed a blessing
Mr Spurling the vicar was up shortly after breakfast some rumour of evil having come to his ears It was good for Haw to talk with him for the fresh breezy manner of the old clergyman was a corrective to his own sombre and introspective mood
Prut tut said he This is very bad—very bad indeed Mind unhinged you say and not likely to get over it Dear dear I have noticed a change in him these last few weeks He looked like a man who had something upon his mind And how is Mr Robert McIntyre
He is very well He was with me this morning when his father had this attack
Ha There is a change in that young man I observe an alteration in him You will forgive me Mr Raffles Haw if I say a few serious words of advice to you Apart from my spiritual functions I am old enough to be your father You are a very wealthy man and you have used your wealth nobly—yes sir nobly I do not think that there is a man in a thousand who would have done as well But dont you think sometimes that it has a dangerous influence upon those who are around you
I have sometimes feared so We may pass over old Mr McIntyre It would hardly be just perhaps to mention him in this connection But there is Robert He used to take such an interest in his profession He was so keen about art If you met him the first words he said were usually some reference to his plans or the progress he was making in his latest picture He was ambitious pushing selfreliant Now he does nothing I know for a fact that it is two months since he put brush to canvas He has turned from a student into an idler and what is worse I fear into a parasite You will forgive me for speaking so plainly
Raffles Haw said nothing but he threw out his hands with a gesture of pain
And then there is something to be said about the country folk said the vicar Your kindness has been perhaps a little indiscriminate there They dont seem to be as helpful or as selfreliant as they used There was old Blaxton whose cowhouse roof was blown off the other day He used to be a man who was full of energy and resource Three months ago he would have got a ladder and had that roof on again in two days work But now he must sit down and wring his hands and write letters because he knew that it would come to your ears and that you would make it good Theres old Ellary too Well of course he was always poor but at least he did something and so kept himself out of mischief Not a stroke will he do now but smokes and talks scandal from morning to night And the worst of it is that it not only hurts those who have had your help but it unsettles those who have not They all have an injured surly feeling as if other folk were getting what they had an equal right to It has really come to such a pitch that I thought it was a duty to speak to you about it Well it is a new experience to me I have often had to reprove my parishioners for not being charitable enough but it is very strange to find one who is too charitable It is a noble error
I thank you very much for letting me know about it answered Raffles Haw as he shook the good old clergymans hand I shall certainly reconsider my conduct in that respect
He kept a rigid and unmoved face until his visitor had gone and then retiring to his own little room he threw himself upon the bed and burst out sobbing with his face buried in the pillow Of all men in England this the richest was on that day the most miserable How could he use this great power which he held Every blessing which he tried to give turned itself into a curse His intentions were so good and yet the results were so terrible It was as if he had some foul leprosy of the mind which all caught who were exposed to his influence His charity so well meant so carefully bestowed had yet poisoned the whole countryside And if in small things his results were so evil how could he tell that they would be better in the larger plans which he had formed If he could not pay the debts of a simple yokel without disturbing the great laws of cause and effect which lie at the base of all things what could he hope for when he came to fill the treasury of nations to interfere with the complex conditions of trade or to provide for great masses of the population He drew back with horror as he dimly saw that vast problems faced him in which he might make errors which all his money could not repair The way of Providence was the straight way Yet he a halfblind creature must needs push in and strive to alter and correct it Would he be a benefactor Might he not rather prove to be the greatest malefactor that the world had seen
But soon a calmer mood came upon him and he rose and bathed his flushed face and fevered brow After all was not there a field where all were agreed that money might be well spent It was not the way of nature, but rather the way of man which he would alter It was not Providence that had ordained that folk should live halfstarved and overcrowded in dreary slums That was the result of artificial conditions and it might well be healed by artificial means Why should not his plans be successful after all and the world better for his discovery Then again it was not the truth that he cast a blight on those with whom he was brought in contact There was Laura who knew more of him than she did and yet how good and sweet and true she was She at least had lost nothing through knowing him He would go down and see her It would be soothing to hear her voice and to turn to her for words of sympathy in this his hour of darkness
The storm had died away but a soft wind was blowing and the smack of the coming spring was in the air He drew in the aromatic scent of the firtrees as he passed down the curving drive Before him lay the long sloping countryside all dotted over with the farmsteadings and little red cottages with the morning sun striking slantwise upon their grey roofs and glimmering windows His heart yearned over all these people with their manifold troubles their little sordid miseries their strivings and hopings and petty soulkilling cares How could he get at them How could he manage to lift the burden from them and yet not hinder them in their life aim For more and more could he see that all refinement is through sorrow and that the life which does not refine is the life without an aim
Laura was alone in the sittingroom at Elmdene for Robert had gone out to make some final arrangements about his father She sprang up as her lover entered and ran forward with a pretty girlish gesture to greet him
Oh Raffles she cried I knew that you would come Is it not dreadful about papa
You must not fret dearest he answered gently It may not prove to be so very grave after all
But it all happened before I was stirring I knew nothing about it until breakfasttime They must have gone up to the Hall very early
Yes they did come up rather early
What is the matter with you Raffles cried Laura looking up into his face You look so sad and weary
I have been a little in the blues The fact is Laura that I have had a long talk with Mr Spurling this morning
The girl started and turned white to the lips A long talk with Mr Spurling Did that mean that he had learned her secret
Well she gasped
He tells me that my charity has done more harm than good and in fact that I have had an evil influence upon every one whom I have come near He said it in the most delicate way but that was really what it amounted to
Oh is that all said Laura with a long sigh of relief You must not think of minding what Mr Spurling says Why it is absurd on the face of it Everybody knows that there are dozens of men all over the country who would have been ruined and turned out of their houses if you had not stood their friend How could they be the worse for having known you I wonder that Mr Spurling can talk such nonsense
How is Roberts picture getting on
Oh he has a lazy fit on him He has not touched it for ever so long But why do you ask that You have that furrow on your brow again Put it away sir
She smoothed it away with her little white hand
Well at any rate I dont think that quite everybody is the worse said he looking down at her There is one at least who is beyond taint one who is good and pure and true and who would love me as well if I were a poor clerk struggling for a livelihood You would would you not Laura
You foolish boy of course I would
And yet how strange it is that it should be so That you who are the only woman whom I have ever loved should be the only one in whom I also have raised an affection which is free from greed or interest I wonder whether you may not have been sent by Providence simply to restore my confidence in the world How barren a place would it not be if it were not for womans love When all seemed black around me this morning I tell you Laura that I seemed to turn to you and to your love as the one thing on earth upon which I could rely All else seemed shifting unstable influenced by this or that base consideration In you and you only could I trust
And I in you dear Raffles I never knew what love was until I met you
She took a step towards him her hands advanced love shining in her features when in an instant Raffles saw the colour struck from her face and a staring horror spring into her eyes Her blanched and rigid face was turned towards the open door while he standing partly behind it could not see what it was that had so moved her
Hector she gasped with dry lips
A quick step in the hall and a slim weathertanned young man sprang forward into the room and caught her up in his arms as if she had been a feather
You darling he said I knew that I would surprise you I came right up from Plymouth by the night train And I have long leave and plenty of time to get married Isnt it jolly dear Laura
He pirouetted round with her in the exuberance of his delight As he spun round however his eyes fell suddenly upon the pale and silent stranger who stood by the door Hector blushed furiously and made an awkward sailor bow standing with Lauras cold and unresponsive hand still clasped in his
Very sorry sir—didnt see you he said Youll excuse my going on in this mad sort of way but if you had served you would know what it is to get away from quarterdeck manners and to be a free man Miss McIntyre will tell you that we have known each other since we were children and as we are to be married in I hope a month at the latest we understand each other pretty well
Raffles Haw still stood cold and motionless He was stunned benumbed by what he saw and heard Laura drew away from Hector and tried to free her hand from his grasp
Didnt you get my letter at Gibraltar she asked
Never went to Gibraltar Were ordered home by wire from Madeira Those chaps at the Admiralty never know their own minds for two hours together But what matter about a letter Laura so long as I can see you and speak with you You have not introduced me to your friend here
One word sir cried Raffles Haw in a quivering voice Do I entirely understand you Let me be sure that there is no mistake You say that you are engaged to be married to Miss McIntyre
Of course I am Ive just come back from a four months cruise and I am going to be married before I drag my anchor again
Four months gasped Haw Why it is just four months since I came here And one last question sir Does Robert McIntyre know of your engagement
Does Bob know Of course he knows Why it was to his care I left Laura when I started But what is the meaning of all this What is the matter with you Laura Why are you so white and silent And—hallo Hold up sir The man is fainting
It is all right gasped Haw steadying himself against the edge of the door
He was as white as paper and his hand was pressed close to his side as though some sudden pain had shot through him For a moment he tottered there like a stricken man and then with a hoarse cry he turned and fled out through the open door
Poor devil said Hector gazing in amazement after him He seems hard hit anyhow But what is the meaning of all this Laura
His face had darkened and his mouth had set
She had not said a word but had stood with a face like a mask looking blankly in front of her Now she tore herself away from him and casting herself down with her face buried in the cushion of the sofa she burst into a passion of sobbing
It means that you have ruined me she cried That you have ruinedruined—ruined me Could you not leave us alone Why must you come at the last moment A few more days and we were safe And you never had my letter
And what was in your letter then he asked coldly standing with his arms folded looking down at her
It was to tell you that I released you I love Raffles Haw and I was to have been his wife And now it is all gone Oh Hector I hate you and I shall always hate you as long as I live for you have stepped between me and the only good fortune that ever came to me Leave me alone and I hope that you will never cross our threshold again
Is that your last word Laura
The last that I shall ever speak to you
Then goodbye I shall see the Dad and go straight back to Plymouth He waited an instant in hopes of an answer and then walked sadly from the room
CHAPTER XV THE GREATER SECRET
It was late that night that a startled knocking came at the door of Elmdene Laura had been in her room all day and Robert was moodily smoking his pipe by the fire when this harsh and sudden summons broke in upon his thoughts There in the porch was Jones the stout headbutler of the Hall hatless scared with the raindrops shining in the lamplight upon his smooth bald head
If you please Mr McIntyre sir would it trouble you to step up to the Hall he cried We are all frightened sir about master
Robert caught up his hat and started at a run the frightened butler trotting heavily beside him It had been a day of excitement and disaster The young artists heart was heavy within him and the shadow of some crowning trouble seemed to have fallen upon his soul
What is the matter with your master then he asked as he slowed down into a walk
We dont know sir but we cant get an answer when we knock at the laboratory door Yet hes there for its locked on the inside It has given us all a scare sir that and his goinson during the day
His goingson
Yes sir for he came back this morning like a man demented atalkin to himself and with his eyes starin so that it was dreadful to look at the poor dear gentleman Then he walked about the passages a long time and he wouldnt so much as look at his luncheon but he went into the museum and gathered all his jewels and things and carried them into the laboratory We dont know what hes done since then sir but his furnace has been aroarin and his big chimney spoutin smoke like a Birmingham factory When night came we could see his figure against the light aworkin and aheavin like a man possessed No dinner would he have but work and work and work Now its all quiet and the furnace cold and no smoke from above but we cant get no answer from him sir so we are scared and Miller has gone for the police and I came away for you
They reached the Hall as the butler finished his explanation and there outside the laboratory door stood the little knot of footmen and ostlers while the village policeman who had just arrived was holding his bullseye to the keyhole and endeavouring to peep through
The key is halfturned he said I cant see nothing except just the light
Heres Mr McIntyre cried halfadozen voices as Robert came forward
Well have to beat the door in sir said the policeman We cant get any sort of answer and theres something wrong
Twice and thrice they threw their united weights against it until at last with a sharp snap the lock broke and they crowded into the narrow passage The inner door was ajar and the laboratory lay before them
In the centre was an enormous heap of fluffy grey ash reaching up halfway to the ceiling Beside it was another heap much smaller of some brilliant scintillating dust which shimmered brightly in the rays of the electric light All round was a bewildering chaos of broken jars shattered bottles cracked machinery and tangled wires all bent and draggled And there in the midst of this universal ruin leaning back in his chair with his hands clasped upon his lap and the easy pose of one who rests after hard work safely carried through sat Raffles Haw the master of the house and the richest of mankind with the pallor of death upon his face So easily he sat and so naturally with such a serene expression upon his features that it was not until they raised him and touched his cold and rigid limbs that they could realise that he had indeed passed away
Reverently and slowly they bore him to his room for he was beloved by all who had served him Robert alone lingered with the policeman in the laboratory Like a man in a dream he wandered about marvelling at the universal destruction A large broadheaded hammer lay upon the ground and with this Haw had apparently set himself to destroy all his apparatus having first used his electrical machines to reduce to protyle all the stock of gold which he had accumulated The treasureroom which had so dazzled Robert consisted now of merely four bare walls while the gleaming dust upon the floor proclaimed the fate of that magnificent collection of gems which had alone amounted to a royal fortune Of all the machinery no single piece remained intact and even the glass table was shattered into three pieces Strenuously earnest must have been the work which Raffles Haw had done that day
And suddenly Robert thought of the secret which had been treasured in the casket within the ironclamped box It was to tell him the one last essential link which would make his knowledge of the process complete Was it still there Thrilling all over he opened the great chest and drew out the ivory box It was locked but the key was in it He turned it and threw open the lid There was a white slip of paper with his own name written upon it With trembling fingers he unfolded it Was he the heir to the riches of El Dorado or was he destined to be a poor struggling artist The note was dated that very evening and ran in this way
MY DEAR ROBERT—My secret shall never be used again I cannot
tell you how I thank Heaven that I did not entirely confide it to
you for I should have been handing over an inheritance of misery
both to yourself and others For myself I have hardly had a happy
moment since I discovered it This I could have borne had I been
able to feel that I was doing good but alas the only effect of my
attempts has been to turn workers into idlers contented men into
greedy parasites and worst of all true pure women into
deceivers and hypocrites If this is the effect of my interference
on a small scale I cannot hope for anything better were I to carry
out the plans which we have so often discussed The schemes of my
life have all turned to nothing For myself you shall never see me
again I shall go back to the student life from which I emerged
There at least if I can do little good I can do no harm It is
my wish that such valuables as remain in the Hall should be sold
and the proceeds divided amidst all the charities of Birmingham
I shall leave tonight if I am well enough but I have been much
troubled all day by a stabbing pain in my side It is as if wealth
were as bad for health as it is for peace of mind Goodbye
Robert and may you never have as sad a heart as I have tonight
Yours very truly
RAFFLES HAW
Was it suicide sir Was it suicide broke in the policeman as Robert put the note in his pocket
No he answered I think it was a broken heart
And so the wonders of the New Hall were all dismantled the carvings and the gold the books and the pictures and many a struggling man or woman who had heard nothing of Raffles Haw during his life had cause to bless him after his death The house has been bought by a company now who have turned it into a hydropathic establishment and of all the folk who frequent it in search of health or of pleasure there are few who know the strange story which is connected with it
The blight which Haws wealth cast around it seemed to last even after his death Old McIntyre still raves in the County Lunatic Asylum and treasures up old scraps of wood and metal under the impression that they are all ingots of gold Robert McIntyre is a moody and irritable man for ever pursuing a quest which will always evade him His art is forgotten and he spends his whole small income upon chemical and electrical appliances with which he vainly seeks to rediscover that one hidden link His sister keeps house for him a silent and brooding woman still queenly and beautiful but of a bitter dissatisfied mind Of late however she has devoted herself to charity and has been of so much help to Mr Spurlings new curate that it is thought that he may be tempted to secure her assistance for ever So runs the gossip of the village and in small places such gossip is seldom wrong As to Hector Spurling he is still in her Majestys service and seems inclined to abide by his fathers wise advice that he should not think of marrying until he was a Commander It is possible that of all who were brought within the spell of Raffles Haw he was the only one who had occasion to bless it