CHAPTER XXXV.
CONCLUSION.
The arrival of Captain Rushton, confidently supposed to be dead,produced a great sensation in Millville, and many were thecongratulatory visits received at the little cottage. Mrs. Rushton wasdoubly happy at the unexpected return of her husband and son, and feltfor the first time in her life perfectly happy. She cared little forpoverty or riches, as long as she had regained her chief treasures.
When Captain Rushton called upon the superintendent, the latter receivedhim with embarrassment, knowing that the captain was aware of hisintended dishonesty. He tried to evade immediate payment, but on thispoint his creditor was peremptory. He had no further confidence in Mr.Davis, and felt that the sooner he got his money back into his hands thebetter. It was fortunate for him that the superintendent had been atlast successful in speculation, or restitution would have beenimpossible. As is was, he received his money in full, nearly sixthousand dollars, which he at once invested in bank stock of reliablecity banks, yielding a good annual income. Only the day after thepayment of this sum, a committee of investigation appointed by thedirectors, whose suspicions had been excited, visited the factory, andsubjected the superintendent's books to a thorough scrutiny. The resultshowed that Mr. Davis, in whom hitherto perfect confidence had beenfelt, had for years pursued a system of embezzlement, which he hadcovered up by false entries in his books, and had appropriated to hisown use from fifteen to twenty thousand dollars belonging to thecorporation. While this investigation was pending, the superintendentdisappeared, leaving his wife and son unprovided for. His estate wasseized in part satisfaction of the amounts he had appropriated, andHalbert's pride was brought low. The wealth and position upon which hehad based his aristocratic pretensions vanished, and in bittermortification he found himself reduced to poverty. He could no longerflaunt his cane and promenade the streets in kid gloves, but was glad toaccept a position in the factory store, where he was compelled to dressaccording to his work. In fact, he had exchanged positions with Robert,who was now, owing to a circumstance which will at once be mentioned,possessed of a considerable inheritance.
The old farmer, Paul Nichols, whom Robert tried to defend from hisunprincipled nephew, Ben Haley, died suddenly of heart disease.Speculation was rife as to who would inherit the estate which he leftbehind him. He had no near relation except Ben Haley, and so great wasthe dislike he entertained toward him that no one anticipated that theestate would go to him, unless through Paul's dying intestate. Butshortly after Haley's visit, his uncle made a will, which he depositedin the hands of Lawyer Paine. On the day after the funeral, the lattermet Captain Rushton and Robert, and said:
"Will you come to my office this afternoon at three o'clock?"
"Certainly," said the captain.
"I suppose you don't want me, Mr. Paine?" said Robert.
"I do want you, particularly," said the lawyer.
Our hero wondered a little why his presence was required, but dismissedthe matter from his mind, until three o'clock found him in the lawyer'soffice.
"Gentlemen," said the lawyer, "I am about to read the last will andtestament of our neighbor, Paul Nichols, recently deceased."
This preamble created surprise, for this was the first intimation thatsuch a will was in existence.
The document was brief, and the substance of it was contained in thefollowing paragraph:
"Having no near relatives, except Benjamin Haley, for whom I haveneither regard nor affection, and who, moreover, has recently stolen aconsiderable sum of money from me, I leave all of which I may diepossessed, whether in land or money, to my brave young friend, RobertRushton, who courageously defended me from my said nephew, at his ownbodily risk, and I hope he may live long to enjoy the property Ibequeath him."
No one was more surprised than Robert at the unexpected inheritance. Hecould hardly realize that he was now possessed of a considerableproperty in his own right. It may be said here that, including the valueof the farm, and the gold concealed, his inheritance amounted to quiteten thousand dollars. Paul had considerately supplied the lawyer with alist of the hiding places where he had secreted his money on thestrictest injunctions of secrecy, and this made the task of finding itquite easy.
Congratulations poured in upon our hero, who received them with modestsatisfaction.
"It is a good thing to have a rich son," said Captain Rushton,humorously. "Robert, I hope you won't look down upon me on account of mycomparative poverty."
"Father," said Robert, "I wish you would take this money--I don't wantit."
"I shall do nothing of the kind, Robert. It is fairly and deservedlyyours, though I confess you may attribute it partly to good luck, forvirtue is not always so well rewarded in this world. I will take care ofit for you, and if you choose to pay your own expenses out of yourincome, I shall allow you to do so, since you are now rich andprosperous."
"You must take all the income, father. Then it will not be necessary foryou to go to sea again."
"I have already made up my mind to stay on land hereafter," said CaptainRushton. "My cruise in an open boat without provisions has cured me ofmy love for the sea. With the little money I have saved, and the help ofa rich son, I think I can afford to stay on shore."
The cottage was enlarged by the erection of another story, as well as bythe addition of a wing and the throwing out of two bay windows, and wasotherwise refitted and so metamorphosed by fresh paint and newfurniture, that it became one of the most attractive houses inMillville. Captain Rushton, who knew something of agriculture, decidedto carry on Robert's farm himself, and found the employment bothpleasant and profitable.
"My only trouble," he used to say, jocosely, "is that I have a veryexacting landlord. Unless the rent were punctually paid, he would besure to resort to legal means to recover it."
When Ben Haley heard that his uncle's estate had been bequeathed to theboy whom he had persecuted, and whom for that reason he hated, his rageand disappointment were unbounded. If he had not been within two hoursof sailing in command of a ship bound to South America, he would at oncehave gone down to Millville, and in his fury he might have done seriousinjury to the boy who had superseded him. But he could not delay the dayof sailing, and so, much against his will, he was forced to forego hisvengeance until his return. But this was destined to be his last voyage.While at Rio Janeiro he became engaged in a fracas with the keeper of alow grogshop, when the latter, who was a desperate ruffian, snatched aknife from his girdle, and drove it into the heart of the unhappycaptain, who fell back on the floor and expired without a groan. Thusterminated a misguided and ill-spent life. I should have been glad toreport Ben Haley's reformation instead of his death, but for the sake ofRobert, whom he hated so intensely, I am relieved that thin source ofperil is closed.
Robert, being now in easy circumstances, decided to pursue his studiesfor two years longer, and accordingly placed himself in a school of highreputation, where he made rapid improvement. He then entered upon abusiness life under the auspices of his friend, Mr. Morgan, and promisesin time to become a prominent and wealthy merchant. He passes everySunday at home in the little cottage occupied by his father, who,however, has ceased to be a farmer, having been promoted to the post ofsuperintendent of the factory, formerly occupied by Mr. Davis. For thefirst twelve months the post was filled by a new man, who proved to beincompetent, and then was offered to Captain Rushton, whose excellentexecutive talents were well known. He soon made himself familiar withhis duties, and the post is likely to be his as long as he cares to holdit.
Hester Paine, as a young lady, fulfills the promise of her girlhood. Themutual attachment which existed between her and Robert, when boy andgirl, still continues, and there is some ground for the report whichcomes from Millville--that they are engaged. The alliance will be in thehighest degree pleasing to both families, for if Hester is fair andattractive, Robert is energetic and of excellent principles, andpossessed of precisely those qualities which, with fair good fortunewill, under the favo
r of Providence, insure his success in life.
THE END.
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