CHAPTER XXIII.
IN WHICH PHIL MEETS A PALE GENTLEMAN WITH ONE ARM IN A SLING.
"I thought you would come back, my dear Phil," said Mr. LeonidasLynchpinne, as he placed himself in the doorway before me. "I knew youhad so much respect and regard for us that you would not break ourhearts by being long absent. By the way, Phil, how is the weather onthe roof?"
"It is rather cool," I replied, seating myself in the vacant chair,"but not quite so cool as you are, Mr. Leonidas Lynchpinne."
"Phil, be virtuous, and you will always be happy; that is the secret ofmy uninterrupted cheerfulness; that enables me always and everywhere tobe perfectly calm and collected. Be honest, just, and upright, Phil;and then the man don't live that can make you tremble, or, in otherwords, shake in your boots. But besides being all these, Phil, youshould be charitable and humane, especially the latter. I am humane,Phil, and that adds to the sum total of my bliss on earth."
"You must be an exceedingly happy man, Mr. Leonidas Lynchpinne," Iadded; and I saw that he had been drinking some exhilarating beveragesince I left him.
"O, I am--happy as the day is long, and the night too. You were sovery imprudent, Phil, as to make your exit--in other words, yourdeparture--from this room by the way of that front window. You mighthave fallen upon the hard pavement in the street below; and then how Ishould have wept over your brief but wasted life!"
"You are very affectionate."
"Affection is the staple fodder of my existence, Phil. By a processof reasoning which I need not attempt to develop to your unpractisedunderstanding, I arrived at the conclusion that you would be compelledto remain all night on the roof of this and the adjacent houses, unlesssomething was done for you. Dreading lest, benumbed with cold, youshould attempt the fearful feat of returning to this humble apartmentby the same means you used in leaving it, I placed that ladder at theskylight for your use. After all the wrongs, injuries, and insults youhave heaped upon me, I took this means to prevent you from sacrificingyourself on the hard pavement below. That is what I call humanity, andI offer it to you as an exemplification of that noble attribute."
"Thank you; and I will endeavor to profit by your example, at least sofar as it illustrates the attribute of humanity. If you have nothingmore to say to me, I will take my leave of you."
"Stay, Phil; I have more to say to you," he interposed. "Be honest, andyou will be eccentric--I mean, you will be happy."
"I am glad to hear such lessons of practical wisdom from you, Mr.Leonidas Lynchpinne," I replied, hoping he would soon come to thepoint, if he had any point, as Mr. Bogart had suggested.
"You appreciate true wisdom, Phil. Good! Then you will give that noteto this honest young man."
"Certainly I will give it to him when he proves his claim."
I concluded that he was not satisfied with the blank paper sent in theenvelope.
"I knew you would be just, Phil, after the good advice I have givenyou; for you are not a bad boy at heart, though you have been led awayby evil influences. If you stay with me a while, you will be reformed,and then you will lead a good and true life, and then you will beeccentric--happy, I mean. Won't you smoke a cigar, Phil?"
"No, I thank you; I never smoke."
"That's right, Phil. It's a filthy practice, besides leading to othervices more to be condemned," said he, lighting a fresh cigar. "Now,Phil, about that note, which justly and rightly belongs to my goodfriend Morgan Blair. Do you happen to have it about you?"
"Yes; I have it in my pocket," I replied, acting upon the advice of Mr.Bogart.
"Capital! Things always work right for those who are faithful andhumane. I'm faithful and humane. Now, we are going to bring you twogood and true witnesses, who will convince you that Morgan Blair is theson of Matt Rockwood's sister. We have taken a great deal of pains tosend to Vandalia for them, and they will be here to-night--this verynight, Phil. That's all we want to see you for."
"Very well; I should like to hear what they have to say."
"You shall hear them. I will go down and bring them up," he added,rising from the chair.
He had hardly got up before the door was darkened by what to me seemedto be an apparition. It was a gentleman with an overcoat thrown looselyover his shoulders. He wore no other coat, and no vest. I saw thathis left arm was suspended in a sling. His face was very pale, andhe looked very much like my excellent friend Mr. Gracewood, thougha second glance assured me it was not he. When he discovered me, hestarted back, and was disposed to retreat.
"You have company, Mr. Lynch," said the pale gentleman. "I will comeanother time."
"Come in, Mr. Gracewood. Come in!" replied Lynch, placing therocking-chair for the visitor, who was evidently an invalid.
Mr. Gracewood! It certainly was not my kind friend; but the resemblancewas strong enough to assure me that he was a relative, if not a brother.
"Is this the way you keep my secret?" said the pale gentleman,reproachfully, as he retreated a pace into the entry.
"O, it's all right here. This is Phil Farringford, of whom I spoke toyou," added Lynch.
"So much the worse!" exclaimed the invalid, impatiently.
"But he is the very essence of discretion and reserve. Your secret isas safe with him as with me," protested the gambler.
"The mischief is done, whatever it may be. You have called me by myname."
"May I ask if you are a relative of Henry Gracewood?" I inquired, somuch interested in the pale gentleman that I forgot everything else.
"His own brother, and his only brother," replied Mr. Gracewood,bitterly. "I would not have him know that I am here for his fortuneand mine, though I am guilty of no crime against him."
"Mind that, Phil," interposed Lynch; "and remember that discretion isthe better part of valor, and sometimes the better part of virtue. Thishonest gentleman has been unfortunate, but not guilty."
I could not understand how a person in his situation, apparently aninvalid, should happen to be in a gambling-house, and it seemed to methat the secrecy he coveted was an indication of something evil. Hedeclared that he was guilty of no crime against his brother. Respectand regard for the good friend of my early years prompted me not tobetray him, at least before I knew more about him. Then it occurredto me that the detective on the roof, or perhaps in the entry by thistime, might discover more than it was desirable for him to know.
"Do you know where my brother is now, young man?" asked the invalid.
"He is at Delaware City, where his wife is sick," I replied, givinghim the details of the illness of Mrs. Gracewood.
"You can talk it over between you," interposed Lynch. "I have anengagement with the governor of Missouri and half a dozen congressmen;and I hope you will excuse me for half an hour."
Mr. Gracewood nodded, and Lynch and Blair left the room. I had no doubtMr. Bogart, in the entry, would attend to their movements, and I didnot trouble myself about them. I told my companion all I knew about hisbrother.
"I had a letter from him this autumn, saying he expected to return toSt. Louis before winter. He spoke about you, and about his wife anddaughter. I have heard nothing from them since."
"He would have been here a fortnight ago if his wife had not been sick."
"Young man, do you know the character of this house?" said Mr.Gracewood, looking at me very sharply.
"I do, sir, very well indeed; and the character of the man who has justleft us."
"How do you happen to be in such a place, then?"
"I was enticed here by Lynch, who wanted to plunder me of certainproperty in my possession; but I understand him, and he won't makeanything out of me."
"Perhaps you wonder that I am here," he added, looking upon the floor,as though he considered his own position more equivocal than mine.
"I confess that I do, sir, especially as you look like an invalid, andI see you have your arm in a sling."
"I would not have my brother know that I am here for all the world,for I judge from the tone of his letter that a g
reat change has comeover him. He talks to me of the mercies of God, which I feel that Ineed more than all else on earth. I am overwhelmed with shame at mysituation."
Mr. Gracewood covered his face with his hand, and I heard him groan inbitterness of spirit. I pitied him, for whatever he had done, he was apenitent, and I was sure that God's mercy could reach and comfort him.
"If you wish, I will tell you how I happen to be here," I added,intending, if possible, to divert his mind from the woe thatoverwhelmed him.
"No, young man; I do not care to know. As you may see my brother beforeI do, I had better tell you how I happen to be here," he added. "Ihave been gambling, and I have lost thousands and tens of thousands ofdollars. I have even impaired my fortune; and if this calamity had notovertaken me,"--and he pointed to his wounded arm,--"I might even havespent my brother's fortune, which, perhaps you know, he placed in mykeeping. I sold stocks and bonds in which I had invested his money, andlost the proceeds at the gambling table.
"In my home at Glencoe, I cursed my own folly and wickedness in wastingmy substance in games of chance; but I hoped to redeem my heavy losses.I was fully resolved, when I had done so, never to play again. But thejudgment comes when we least expect it. I found, when I looked overmy accounts in the quiet of my chamber at Glencoe, that I had lostabout twenty thousand dollars' worth of stocks and bonds belonging tomy brother. I was appalled, for both his property and mine was largelyinvested in real estate, and I had not the ready money to make goodthe deficiency. A few days before, an offer was made me for a piece ofproperty in this city. I proposed to sell it for thirty thousand, andwas offered twenty-five. Under the pressure of this need to repair mybrother's fortune, I hastened to the city, and closed the bargain atthe lower price.
"The purchaser came to me with the money in his hand as soon as I couldhave the papers prepared. It was four o'clock in the afternoon when thebusiness was completed, and I had twenty-five thousand dollars in mypocket. It was too late to deposit it in the bank that day, and meetingone whose acquaintance I had made at Forstellar's, I came here. I losta thousand dollars before I fully realized what I was doing. Then Irefused to play any more. The one with whom I had come was angry withme. In a word, we had a quarrel, and in his wrath he attempted to stabme; but I warded off the blow with my arm, which was severely wounded.
"The ruffian escaped; but I was taken to a chamber, and a surgeon sentfor. Then I thought of the large sum of money in my possession, and thecharacter of the place, and--"
Mr. Gracewood suddenly placed his hand against his breast, and, withoutanother word, fled from the room.