The Lion and The Mouse: A Story Of American Life

  There was one other person in New York who, that same morning, hadread the newspaper item regarding the Ryder-Roberts betrothal, andhe did not take the matter so calmly as Shirley had done. On thecontrary, it had the effect of putting him into a violent rage.This was Jefferson. He was working in his studio when he read itand five minutes later he was tearing up-town to seek the authorof it. He understood its object, of course; they wanted to forcehis hand, to shame him into this marriage, to so entangle him withthe girl that no other alternative would be possible to anhonourable man. It was a despicable trick and he had no doubt thathis father was at the back of it. So his mind now was fully madeup. He would go away at once where they could not make his life aburden with this odious marriage which was fast becoming anightmare to him. He would close up his studio and leaveimmediately for Europe. He would show his father once for all thathe was a man and expected to be treated as one.

  He wondered what Shirley was doing. Where had she gone, what wasthis mysterious work of which she had spoken? He only realizednow, when she seemed entirely beyond his reach, how much he lovedher and how empty his life would be without her. He would know nohappiness until she was his wife. Her words on the porch did notdiscourage him. Under the circumstances he could not expect her tohave said anything else. She could not marry into John Ryder'sfamily with such a charge hanging over her own father's head, but,later, when the trial was over, no matter how it turned out, hewould go to her again and ask her to be his wife.

  On arriving home the first person he saw was the ubiquitous Mr.Bagley, who stood at the top of the first staircase giving someletters to the butler. Jefferson cornered him at once, holding outthe newspaper containing the offending paragraph.

  "Say, Bagley," he cried, "what does this mean? Is this any of yourdoing?"

  The English secretary gave his employer's son a haughty stare, andthen, without deigning to reply or even to glance at thenewspaper, continued his instructions to the servant:

  "Here, Jorkins, get stamps for all these letters and see they aremailed at once. They are very important."

  "Very good, sir."

  The man took the letters and disappeared, while Jefferson,impatient, repeated his question:

  "My doing?" sneered Mr. Bagley. "Really, Jefferson, you go toofar! Do you suppose for one instant that I would condescend totrouble myself with your affairs?"

  Jefferson was in no mood to put up with insolence from anyone,especially from a man whom he heartily despised, so advancingmenacingly he thundered:

  "I mean--were you, in the discharge of your menial-like duties,instructed by my father to send that paragraph to the newspapersregarding my alleged betrothal to Miss Roberts? Yes or No?"

  The man winced and made a step backward. There was a gleam in theRyder eye which he knew by experience boded no good.

  "Really, Jefferson," he said in a more conciliatory tone, "I knowabsolutely nothing about the paragraph. This is the first I hearof it. Why not ask your father?"

  "I will," replied Jefferson grimly.

  He was turning to go in the direction of the library when Bagleystopped him.

  "You cannot possibly see him now," he said. "Sergeant Ellison ofthe Secret Service is in there with him, and your father told menot to disturb him on any account. He has another appointment atthree o'clock with some woman who writes books."

  Seeing that the fellow was in earnest, Jefferson did not insist.He could see his father a little later or send him a messagethrough his mother. Proceeding upstairs he found Mrs. Ryder in herroom and in a few energetic words he explained the situation tohis mother. They had gone too far with this match-making business,he said, his father was trying to interfere with his personalliberty and he was going to put a stop to it. He would leave atonce for Europe. Mrs. Ryder had already heard of the projectedtrip abroad, so the news of this sudden departure was not theshock it might otherwise have been. In her heart she did not blameher son, on the contrary she admired his spirit, and if thetemporary absence from home would make him happier, she would nothold him back. Yet, mother like, she wept and coaxed, but nothingwould shake Jefferson in his determination and he begged hismother to make it very plain to his father that this was final andthat a few days would see him on his way abroad. He would try andcome back to see his father that afternoon, but otherwise she wasto say good-bye for him. Mrs. Ryder promised tearfully to do whather son demanded and a few minutes later Jefferson was on his wayto the front door.

  As he went down stairs something white on the carpet attracted hisattention. He stooped and picked it up. It was a letter. It was inBagley's handwriting and had evidently been dropped by the man towhom the secretary had given it to post. But what interestedJefferson more than anything else was that it was addressed toMiss Kate Roberts. Under ordinary circumstances, a king's ransomwould not have tempted the young man to read a letter addressed toanother, but he was convinced that his father's secretary was anadventurer and if he were carrying on an intrigue in this mannerit could have only one meaning. It was his duty to unveil a rascalwho was using the Ryder roof and name to further his own ends andvictimize a girl who, although sophisticated enough to knowbetter, was too silly to realize the risk she ran at the hands ofan unscrupulous man. Hesitating no longer, Jefferson tore open theenvelope and read:

  My dearest wife that is to be:

  I have arranged everything. Next Wednesday--just a week from to-day--we will go to the house of a discreet friend of mine where a minister will marry us; then we will go to City Hall and get through the legal part of it. Afterwards, we can catch the four o'clock train for Buffalo. Meet me in the ladies' room at the Holland House Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. I will come there with a closed cab. Your devoted FITZ.

  "Phew!" Jefferson whistled. A close shave this for SenatorRoberts, he thought. His first impulse was to go upstairs again tohis mother and put the matter in her hands. She would immediatelyinform his father, who would make short work of Mr. Bagley. But,thought Jefferson, why should he spoil a good thing? He couldafford to wait a day or two. There was no hurry. He could allowBagley to think all was going swimmingly and then uncover the plotat the eleventh hour. He would even let this letter go to Kate,there was no difficulty in procuring another envelope andimitating the handwriting--and when Bagley was just preparing togo to the rendezvous he would spring the trap. Such a cad deservedno mercy. The scandal would be a knock-out blow, his father woulddischarge him on the spot and that would be the last they wouldsee of the aristocratic English secretary. Jefferson put theletter in his pocket and left the house rejoicing.