CHAPTER XXXIV.
THE CUP AND THE LIP.
Affairs in Millville had gone on much as usual. Mrs. Rushton had not yetexhausted the supply of money left by Robert in the hands of his friendthe lawyer. Her expenses were small, and were eked out by her earnings;for she continued to braid straw, and was able in this way to earn twodollars a week. Indeed, she made it a point to be as economical aspossible, for she thought it likely Robert would spend all his money,and return penniless. She had received no letter from him since the oneannouncing his being about to sail for Calcutta, and this made hernaturally anxious. But Mr. Paine assured her that letters were likely tobe irregular, and there was no ground for alarm. So she waited with whatpatience she could till Robert should return, hoping that by somestrange chance he might succeed in his quest, and bring his father backwith him.
Meanwhile, fortune had improved with Mr. Davis, the superintendent ofthe factory. He had lost largely by speculation, but had blundered atlast into the purchase of a stock in which some interested parties hadeffected a corner. It went up rapidly, and on the morning when weintroduce him again to the reader he was in high good spirits, havingjust received intelligence from his broker that he had cleared seventhousand dollars by selling at the top of the market.
"Another cup of coffee, Mrs. Davis," he said, passing his cup across thetable.
Seeing that his father appeared in good humor, Halbert ventured toprefer a request, which, however, he had little hope of having granted.
"Have you seen Will Paine's pony?" he said, paving the way for therequest.
"Yes," said his father; "I saw him on it yesterday."
"It's a regular beauty--I wish I had one."
"How much did it cost?"
"Two hundred dollars."
"That is rather a high price."
"But it will increase in value every year. I wish you would buy me one,father."
"I think I will," said the superintendent, helping himself to a freshslice of toast.
"Do you mean it?" asked Halbert, in the utmost astonishment.
"Certainly I do. I can afford you a pony as well as Mr. Paine canafford to buy William one."
"Thank you!" said Halbert, his selfish nature more nearly affected bygratitude than ever before. "You are very kind. When will you see aboutit?"
"I am busy. You may go yourself and ask Mr. Paine where he got William'spony, and if he knows of any other equally good."
"That I will," said Halbert, leaving the table in haste.
"Halbert, you have eaten scarcely anything," said his mother.
"I am not hungry," said the excited boy, seizing his hat, and dashingoff in the direction of Mr. Paine's office.
"By the way, Mrs. Davis," said the husband, "I think you mentioned lastweek that the parlor needed a new carpet."
"So it does. The old one is looking very shabby."
"How much will a new one cost?"
"I can get a nice Brussels for a hundred dollars."
"Well, you may order one."
It was the wife's turn to be astonished, for on broaching the subjectthe week previous, her husband had given her a lecture on extravagance,and absolutely refused to consider her request. This was before thetidings of his good fortune. She was not slow to accept the presentconcession, and assumed an unusually affectionate manner, in the excessof her delight.
Meanwhile, Halbert, in opening the front door, came in collision with aboy taller and stouter than himself, brown and sunburned. But, changedas he was, he was not slow in recognizing his old enemy, Robert Rushton.
"What, are you back again?" he said, ungraciously.
"So it appears. Is your father at home?"
"Yes; but he is at breakfast. I don't think you can see him."
"I'll make the attempt, at any rate," said Robert.
"Where have you been all this time?" asked Halbert, more from curiositythan interest.
"I went to Calcutta."
"Common sailor, I suppose," said Halbert, contemptuously.
"No, I was a passenger."
"Where did you get your money to pay the passage?"
"I'm sorry that I can't stop to gratify your curiosity just at present,but I have important business with your father."
"You're getting mighty important," sneered Halbert.
"Am I?"
"I wouldn't advise you to put on so many airs, just because you've beento Calcutta."
"I never thought of putting on any. I see you haven't changed much sinceI went away. You have the same agreeable, gentlemanly manners."
"Do you mean to say that I am not a gentleman?" blustered Halbert.
"Not at all. You may be one, but you don't show it."
"I have a great mind to put you out of the yard."
Robert glanced at Halbert's figure, slight compared with his own, andlaughed.
"I think you would find it a difficult undertaking," he said.
Halbert privately came to the same conclusion, and decided to war onlywith words.
"I have got something better to do than to stand here listening to yourimpudence. I won't soil my fingers by touching you."
"That's a sensible conclusion. Good-morning."
Halbert did not deign to respond, but walked off, holding his nose veryhigh in the air. Then, as he thought of the pony, he quickened his pace,and bent his steps to Mr. Paine's office.
"A young man to see you, Mr. Davis," said Bridget, entering thebreakfast-room.
"Who is it?"
"I think it's young Robert Rushton, but he's much grown entirely."
"That boy home again!" exclaimed the superintendent, in displeasedsurprise. "Well, you may ask him into the next room."
"Good-morning, Mr. Davis," said Robert, as the superintendent entered.
"Good-morning. When did you get home?" was the cold reply.
"Last evening."
"Where have you been?"
"To Calcutta."
"On a fool's errand."
"I felt it my duty to search for my father."
"I could have told you beforehand you would not succeed. Did you go as asailor?"
"No."
"Where did you raise money to pay your expenses?"
"I found friends who helped me."
"It is a poor policy for a boy to live on charity."
"I never intend to do it," said Robert, firmly. "But I would rather doit than live on money that did not belong to me."
"What do you mean by that, sir?" said the superintendent, suspiciously.
"It was a general remark," said Robert.
"May I ask what is your motive in calling upon me?" asked Mr. Davis. "Isuppose you have some object."
"I have, and I think you can guess it."
"I am not good at guessing," said Davis, haughtily.
"Then I will not put you to that trouble. You remember, before I sailedfor Calcutta, I called here and asked you to restore the sum of fivethousand dollars deposited with you by my father?"
"I remember it, and at the time I stigmatized the claim as a fraudulentone. No such sum was ever deposited with me by your father."
"How can you say that, when my father expressly stated it in the letter,written by him, from the boat in which he was drifting about on theocean?"
"I have no proof that the letter was genuine, and even if it were, Ideny the claim. I am not responsible for money I never received."
"I understand you then refuse to pay the money?"
"You would have understood it long ago, if you had not been uncommonlythick-headed," sneered the superintendent. "Let this be the end of it.When you present my note of acknowledgment for the amount, I will payit and not before."
"That is all I ask," said Robert.
"What?" demanded the superintendent.
"I mean that this assurance is all I want. The note shall be presentedto you in the course of the day."
"What do you mean?" asked Davis, startled.
"I mean this, Mr. Davis: that I found my father in C
alcutta. He camehome with me, and, far from having perished at sea, is now alive andwell. He has with him your note for five thousand dollars, and willpresent it in person."
"You are deceiving me!" exclaimed Davis, in consternation.
"You will soon learn whether I am deceiving you or not," said Robert. "Iwill now bid you good-morning. My father will call upon you in thecourse of the day."
He rose to go, leaving the superintendent thunderstruck at theintelligence of Captain Rushton's return. The five thousand dollars,with arrears of interest, would take the greater part of the money whosesudden acquisition had so elated him. While he was considering thesituation, his wife entered.
"I think, Mr. Davis," she said, "I will go to New York to-day to buycarpeting, if you can spare the money."
"Neither now nor at any other time," he roared, savagely; "the oldcarpet must do."
"Why, then, did you tell me fifteen minutes since that I might buy one?What do you mean by such trifling, Mr. Davis?" said his wife, her eyesflashing.
"I mean what I say. I've changed my mind. I can't afford to buy a newcarpet."
There was a stormy scene between man and wife, which may be passed overin silence. It ended with a fit of hysterics on the part of Mrs. Davis,while her husband put on his hat and walked gloomily over to thefactory. Here he soon received a call from Halbert, who informed him,with great elation, that Mr. Paine knew of a desirable pony which couldbe had on the same terms as his son's.
"I've changed my mind," said his father. "A pony will cost too muchmoney."
All Halbert's entreaties were unavailing, and he finally left hisfather's presence in a very unfilial frame of mind.