*CHAPTER XXIX.*
*AN ANGRY LAWYER.*
Sir Evas and Toney travelled up to London directly after the weddingpair had left in a private carriage ordered by Toney. In the train theheiress was very quiet. Sir Evas put it down to weariness, and nowonder after all she had accomplished this morning; so the "GoodComrade" respected her silence and read his paper. He was veryunderstanding as Toney always expressed it. At Waterloo, Sir Evascalled a hansom for Toney.
"Toney, you'll only go to Mr. Staines. Eh? Why not come on to CharingCross Hotel later, and have tea or something?"
Toney turned away to find her umbrella. The temptation was very great.
"I shan't have much time, uncle, and I'll get back by the first trainpossible; Aunt Dove will feel dull and will want to hear all about thewedding. She doesn't quite approve of it, so she had a headache; butshe is dying to hear particulars I know!"
"You see, musicians are--well, I mean marrying out of your set wasn'tthe fashion in her day."
"I wish I knew a nice sweep!" said Toney laughing, "but I don't; or Imight, perhaps, fall in love with him; anyhow, I'm booked for awallflower, so I shan't shock her!"
"Humph!" said Sir Evas. "Well, good-bye, I'll do your commission foryou, Toney, in fact I'm going straight to Lawn and Alders now, to ordera 450-bore high velocity cordite rifle for Lewis' lions. Make your mindeasy and I'll be back to-morrow. Any message to Waycott?"
"No, nothing in particular. Tell him it was mean to miss the wedding,and tell him that Maud looked very pretty as well as the bride.Good-bye, Ducky Uncle."
The cab drove off and Sir Evas was left on the platform looking afterit.
"There's something on the child's mind," he said to himself. "It's notLewis Waycott, she could have come to hunt me up if it had been. I laidthat trap nicely."
Chuckling at his own deep artfulness, Sir Evas went off to see about thenecessary kit for killing lions and tigers!
The clerks at Mr. Staines' office paid the heiress great attention. Itannoyed Toney, and indeed she looked so young and so simple it wasdifficult to treat her as a great lady, but they all knew she was worthL50,000 a year! You cannot be treated in an ordinary way if you areworth that amount. Toney was shown into the private room at once.
"How are you, Miss Whitburn? Delighted to see you! This is nicer thanthe telephone."
"Yes. Never quite sure who's hulloing," laughed Toney. "I shan't belong. Do you know Stone House has been begun this week?"
Mr. Staines shook his head.
"It will swallow a large sum of--but you can afford it."
"I've given _carte blanche_ for everything about it The firm is honestand I won't have scamped work. Pups said it never paid. I don't want toruin the building either, and I want a margin for improvements."
"You have a very good head for business, Miss Whitburn. Now, how can Ihelp you?"
Toney rose from the chair, she felt less cramped standing up.
"Why, ever so much!" She took a paper out of her pocket which wascovered with figures. "First, tell me how much I could live on supposeI left Aldersfield House? Not yet; but suppose Aunt and uncle diedsuddenly, the place goes to a distant cousin who is a Judge in NewZealand, and he has a large family?"
"You would then make a home of your own."
"Yes; but I wouldn't have a big place in a park. They sort of stifle me.I want just necessities, because I haven't screwed up my courage to begyet."
"To beg!" Mr. Staines thought his client had gone off her head.
"Yes. St. Francis did, you know--but then at that time you weren'ttaken up for begging as I should be now."
They both laughed.
"I think you would be put in a lunatic asylum begging with L50,000 ayear."
"That's just it. Well, it's no good beating about the bush. StoneHouse will cost a heap to build, but now I want to make sure it'sendowed."
"Endowed! Good heavens!"
"Why, of course, you can't live on nice rooms, can you? It may take inabout forty persons double and single--then----. Yes, I want all mymoney to go to endow it, except just what will prevent my being abeggar."
"When you die you mean," said the lawyer turning a little pink. It waslike someone suggesting throwing a priceless picture into the Thames.
"No, now, at once---- You know, Mr. Staines, my will was onlytemporary. I told you so. If I build and endow Stone House it will bea real monument to the memory of the General and Pups."
"What madness! You are so young, you will marry, and your husband has aright to expect a large proportion of your fortune."
"There it is again," cried Toney. "I won't marry; but if I did, whyshould he expect my money? If I'm not worth loving without, then--oh,I'm glad I shall never, never marry--and if I give this away it willsave a lot of people the trouble of asking me for it."
"It's madness, utter foolishness," cried the lawyer, rising and pacingabout the room; "sheer, downright madness! I won't be a party to it."
Toney turned pale. Would no one help her? Would no one understand thatto give this away was real happiness, that she could never bear theburden alone, and that by keeping it she was a temptation to every manwho required money?
"I think the General would understand, Mr. Staines, and so would UncleEvas."
"Though you are your own mistress, I must consult your uncle."
Toney shook her head.
"It's no use---- He wouldn't like to go slap against you! Old familylawyers are such tyrants."
Mr. Staines looked furious.
"Tyrants, indeed! But for us half the owners of money would commitendless follies such as you wish to do, Miss Whitburn!"
"You can't keep all that pile and remain on the 'Path of Perfection,'"said Toney decidedly, "it can't be done. I wish you would read 'TheLittle Flowers.'"
"This is pure drivelling----"
"Look here, Mr. Staines, I've a real regard for you. You wouldn't runaway with anyone's money, but--you don't understand. Anyhow, I've toldyou I mean to keep some, because there are always needy people, and thenI think I shall keep the Haven to retire to myself, and I could livethen on--there I do want help. I've always lived on nothing before Ihad this pile."
"Are you decided?"
"Quite, quite, quite--if you can't do it, hitch me on to a man thatwill."
Toney stood now firm and strong. The colour returned to her cheeks.
Mr. Staines could not possibly lose the handling of the money, so hebowed to necessity.
"I must reserve enough for your private needs and casual charity," hesaid.
"That's it. I thought you'd come round to see it, Mr. Staines. Only Iwant it done awfully soon, and then I shall breathe again! In fact drawup something now, to make it quite secure. One never knows. I mighthave a smash in the train to-day. You see I couldn't be sure about AuntDove, she does love the coin. Sort of madness, I guess."
"Cannot I first see Sir Evas Dove?" groaned Mr. Staines.
"It would make no difference; still, when it's done you can tell him. Ilike everything above board, don't you?"
"Above board" was the last thing suitable for his position. The lawyerdid not answer.
"I'll go and get a mouthful to eat, Mr. Staines, arguing with you hasmade me so hungry, and then I'll come back and sign."
"Give me discretion to keep a sufficiency for----"
"Yes--and if it's too much I can come again, but, gracious stars! it'senough to stifle a poor girl having to decide all these questions. Halfan hour will do for a preliminary canter, won't it, and make it sure."
Toney departed and took a cab to Lyons' Restaurant, Piccadilly. All thetime she looked out at the passers-by. By a bare chance she might seeLewis Waycott walking about, and she would just nod a last good-bye.What would he say to her action? She didn't know, but she believed hewould say "Quite right, Toney, much better secure it for these people."
Of course he was
the only man who would not reproach her! Her heartfelt lighter.
The Lyons made her think still more of Lewis' lions! She ordered sometea and hot toast to try and get him out of her thoughts, but she feltterribly lonely in the big place so full of people going and coming. Itwas like a miniature world full of persons thinking of their ownconcerns or their own comfort. For the first time she began toappreciate the lonely park at Aldersfield. It was this busy world thatoppressed her now. Was she changing? She who had jostled against somany persons, and who had been afraid of nothing.
She felt better after her tea and jumped into a hansom again, to returnto Mr. Staines. How glad she would be when the deed of gift was doneand signed.
Once more she stood in the private room. Mr. Staines looked reallydistressed.
"You have forced me to go against my conscience," he said, unfolding abig paper.
Toney could not help laughing as she sat down with alacrity to sign.
"I've kept a sufficiency," he said; "don't try me too much."
"You are really nice," she answered, signing her full name with aflourish whilst two clerks came to witness the signature and retired,little guessing what they had helped to do.
"I've endowed Stone House with L30,000 a year. That will be ample for awhole colony. The money you gave to Lady Dove has taken a slice of thecapital, and you have lived in fine style since then! Then the buildingwill take another large slice."
"When Aunt Dove dies I want you to settle the L2,000 on Miss MaudHamilton," said Toney. "She is a great friend of mine and poor. Oh,I've had a glorious time, Mr. Staines, but I knew it was only for atime. St. Francis never kept things with the excuse of giving them awayagain."
"Hang St. Francis!"
Toney laughed, and Mr. Staines could not help smiling.
"Well, good-bye, I've got to catch a train, and please, Mr. Staines,will you accept a little personal present? Not the firm---- Just toshow you forgive me, and _I_ won't say how _you_ are to spend it! Oh,it's from me and the General."
Then like a strange gleam of unearthly sunshine Toney was gone. Mr.Staines opened the envelope and discovered a cheque for a thousandpounds. From another client it is doubtful if he would have accepted it,but a strange smile passed over his face.
"They are going to shut up a wing of the Children's Hospital atMargate," he said; "this will just save it; that girl sets a shockingexample, but I did my best----"
He was not yet happy, but, strange to say, he was somewhat comforted.
Toney walked into the Aldersfield drawing-room half an hour before thedressing bell. Lady Dove was listening to Miss Grossman's rather loudvoice. The novel was dull, and she was glad to stop her. Usually MissGrossman insisted on reading the whole hour before dinner withoutstopping or allowing her employer to talk.
"Oh, Aunt Dove, I've had a nice afternoon. I saw Mr. Staines and had ajolly tea at the Lyons' Restaurant. Uncle is coming back earlyto-morrow, but I knew you'd be dying to hear about our wedding."
"Mrs. Hamilton has been here and told me all. I'm sure, Toney, you musthave wasted a great deal on flowers out of season."
"They did good all round, and Jeanie and Mr. Weston just seemed liftedup by them. So would you have been if you'd seen them."
"I never countenance useless waste," was the answer.
"Sentimentality is not sentiment," interposed Miss Grossman.
To herself Toney said, "Consider the lilies of the field how they grow;"aloud, she added, "Anyhow Miss Honoria agreed that Jeanie and Maudlooked lovely!"
"Mrs. Hamilton really bored me about her daughters' perfections. I saidI was sorry her son-in-law's escutcheon was a blank, but, of course, sheis going to keep Maud in her own set. Lewis Waycott has as manyquarterings as the Hamiltons."
Toney's heart went thump, thump, again. How horrid she was!
"Quarterings are no use at all to the Westons. They will be just perfectwithout them," said Toney.
"But of course," continued Lady Dove, "I do wonder at her countenancingthe marriage of cousins."
"The future owner of Waycott will be an idiot," said Miss Grossmandecidedly. Then Toney rushed away; the atmosphere of the drawing-roomwithout Uncle Evas suffocated her. "If it weren't for him," shethought, "I would fly to the Haven at once, but I can't forsake him, no,I can't, he's so awfully good to me."
Happily everybody was tired that evening (Miss Grossman condescended todine with them as Lady Dove was alone, for Toney's companionship did notcount), and Toney did her best to rattle on about all sorts of thingstill the early bedtime when all three were glad to retire to bed, littleguessing what the night would bring forth, but as Toney said her prayersher heart seemed suddenly to feel light again.
"It will be easier to get to the other side," she thought, "without thatload, anyway!"