CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.
MR HAMPTON IS UNEASY.
Mr Hampton was the first to break the silence.
"Mr George Harrington is at present absent from home."
"I beg your pardon," was the retort, in firm, convincing tones; "MrGeorge Harrington is here present, and eager to be confronted with thisman."
"As soon as he returns, sir, you and he will doubtless meet; and, as amatter of course, I presume you will lay claim to the estate?"
"I am not thinking of the estate now, sir. I want to meet this man--Iwant to be brought face to face with him. I'll soon bring him to hisknees, and make him confess. The villain!--the murderous wretch! I--Ibeg pardon, ladies. You do not know the truth. This man, Dan Portway,struck me down, and, believing me dead, has imposed upon you all."
"There! I knew it all the time," cried Mrs Hampton emphatically.
"My dear Rachel!"
"Oh, don't talk to me, Phineas. I knew he couldn't be our GeorgeHarrington. A nasty, low-minded, drinking wretch, whose presence Iwould not have tolerated for a minute if it had not been for Gertrudehere. I knew it all the time; something seemed to say to me, as soon asI set eyes upon him, `This man is a cheat.'"
"My dear madam," cried their visitor, smiling, "now you have set eyes onme I hope there is no such whisper to your inner self."
"Indeed there is not, sir."
"My dear Rachel?" cried the lawyer firmly, "this is extremelyindiscreet. We are face to face with a very great difficulty."
"No difficulty at all. Wait till the wretched man comes back, and thensend him about his business."
"You are talking like an inconsistent child, Rachel," said the lawyersternly. "Mr George Harrington--"
"The assumed Mr George Harrington," interposed the new-comer.
"I beg your pardon, sir; until we have the most incontrovertible proofsof the truth of what you advance, this is Mr George Harrington to us;and you seem to forget the old adage: `Possession is nine points of thelaw.'"
"Oh, no, I do not," said the young man quickly; "and I do not forgetthat, little as I know of the law, I have you and the other executor tocall to account for improperly disposing of my estate."
With a wholesome horror of the legal tedium of the profession to whichhe belonged, and startled at the prospect a lawsuit opened out, the oldman sank back in his chair, and, for the moment completely taken aback,stared at his verbal assailant.
"Pray do not misjudge Mr Hampton," said Gertrude coming to his help."He was my grandfather's most trusted friend, and he has actedthroughout with the strictest impartiality. If he has been mistaken--which we do not know yet," she said, colouring deeply beneath the youngman's admiring gaze, "he will, I am sure, do everything that is right."
"I am sure he will, quite sure."
"This is a terrible position in which we are all placed," continuedGertrude, with quiet, matter-of-fact courtesy.
"Yes, a very terrible position, my dear," said the old lawyer, full ofgratitude for the way in which she had come to his help when, to hisannoyance, he had been completely nonplussed; "and this gentleman mustdo nothing rash."
"Will it be rash to seize this scoundrel, and break his neck?"
"Certainly, sir," said the old man, with the comic gravity of one whotakes everything as the French say, _au pied de la lettre_. "You are inEngland now and not in the Far West, where your most famous Justice isJudge Lynch."
"I wish he had hold of this man."
"Yes, exactly, my dear sir; but listen to simple, matter-of-fact reason.You see, of course, how the executors are placed."
"Oh, yes, I see," said the young man, who was watching Gertrude all thetime.
"Prove your position then, my dear sir, and rely upon it you shall havejustice."
"Am I to understand by these words that the executors will offer noopposition?"
"I am sorry to say, sir, that the executors are powerless. They have,as they believed, done their duty conscientiously and well. Youractions for the moment, it seems to me, will be two. One for ejectmentagainst Mr George Harrington."
"Against the impostor, sir."
The lawyer made a deprecatory motion.
"The other against the unfortunate executors. Perhaps I am wrong, butall this is so sudden that I must confess to being a little off myregular balance."
"Look here, sir," cried the young man bluffly. "I have passed my lifeamong tough, lawless men; but there are plenty out West who are true,rough nature's gentlemen. My father was one of these, and I've tried tofollow out his teachings. I suppose I shall have to do what you say--goto law; but if it is made plain to me that you and your fellow executorhave done your duty as gentlemen, and have unwittingly been imposedupon, why I'd sooner give up everything than come down upon you."
"Thank you, sir, thank you," said the old man in a low tone; "thank youfor myself and for Doctor Lawrence."
"Doctor Lawrence!" cried the young man with animation; "ah, I know himby name."
"And I say thank you, too, Mr George Harrington," began Mrs Hampton.
"My dear Rachel," said the old lawyer reprovingly, "you are making anadmission."
"Of course I am. I said Mr George Harrington, because I believe firmlythat we have been imposed upon. I am glad to see you back again,George," she continued, holding out her hand; "and you may depend uponhaving my help. There, there, there, Phineas, don't look at me likethat," she continued, as the young man grasped her hand. "You feel thesame as I do in your human heart, though you cannot in your legal mind.My making an admission does not injure your position behind your books.I say we have been tricked, and the sooner we repent in sackcloth andashes the better."
"Come," cried the young man, "here's sunshine through the clouds. Ihave your support, madam, and that of our dear old granny here."
"Yes, yes," said the old housekeeper, who had wept herself nearly blind,and quite dry. "It's him, Mr Hampton. Oh, I'm sure it's him."
"That's right, old lady; and now I want to enlist another's sympathy inmy cause. Miss Bellwood--Gertrude--I came here to-night to claim myheritage, and to see the lady who would, in all probability, be my wife.You will shake hands?"
He held out his brown, sinewy hand and gazed in the troubled eyes beforehis, as the poor girl stood trembling by Mrs Hampton's side, while therest looked on curiously.
For one moment she shrank and hesitated, then, as if unable to resistthe influence of the eyes which held hers, she slowly raised her hand,to have it clenched with a firm, strong pressure, before it was raisedto the holder's lips to be reverently kissed and then let fall.
"This is really very much out of order," said Mr
Hampton querulously. "I ought not to sit here and--"
"Allow it, sir? Well, perhaps not. There, it is growing late. I willnot inflict my presence upon you longer; and you may rely upon it,ladies, that everything shall be done so as to cause you as littleanxiety as possible."
"I am glad to hear you say that," cried Mr Hampton. "When can I meetthis man, sir?"
"Really, I cannot say. At present I am under the impression that he hasgone to Paris, and he may not be back for some days."
"Then why should I not turn the tables on him, and take possessionhere?"
"It cannot be done, sir," said the old man firmly.
"But suppose I insist."
"If you are the true George Harrington, sir, you will act as a gentlemanshould, and take proper steps to make good your claim."
"Ah! now you disarm me. There: I will go now. Miss Bellwood, MrsHampton, whatever happens in the future you may believe in me.Good-night."
He shooks hands again.
"Mr Hampton, I shall come in the morning and have a long talk withyou."
"You are staying in town?"
"I shall stay in town at Jay's Hotel, Surrey Street."
"Then you will be close to my chambers in Lincoln's Inn. I will bethere, and expect you at twelve."
"And when shall I see Doctor
Lawrence?"
"At twelve to-morrow, at my place."
"Good-night, then; you, too, will shake hands."
"As soon as you prove yourself to be George Harrington."
"Quite right, sir. Good-night. You will show me the way out, granny."
"And with a sorrowful heart, my dear," said the old woman. "To think ofmy having to turn you away from your own old home."
"Only for a while, old lady," said the young man; and passing his armround her he left the room.
No one moved till the gate had been heard to clang, when, without wordor look, Gertrude turned and hurried up to her chamber, to fling herselfupon her knees, sobbing violently.
"And I have promised to be his wife," she moaned. "What shall I do?What shall I do?"
"Well, Phineas," said Mrs Hampton, after she had stood lookingfrowningly at her husband for some time as he sat tapping the table,"what have you to say to all this?"
"Eh? Nothing."
"But you see that was the real man."
"No, I don't. He must prove it."
"But this other one."
"Is to us Mr George Harrington."
"But when he comes back from Paris what will he say?"
"I'm beginning to think, Rachel, that he has gone."
"Well, we know he has gone."
"But I mean for good."
"He couldn't. It's not in him. Gone for bad, you mean."
"I mean gone, never to come back."
"Good gracious, Phineas! Do you think he knows?"
"It is impossible to say; but he has had ten thousand pounds in hardcash."
"The wretch!"
"And I suppose I shall have to be answerable for the amount to therightful heir."
"Why, Phineas, it would half ruin you if you had to pay."
"Yes," said the old man dolefully.
"But you think this is the right man?"
"Yes, Rachel; and I'm afraid I have got myself in a dreadful mess."