MORNA DALE; OR, The Guardian's Forgery.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 107, 7 May 1887, Page 1 (Supplement)

MORNA DALE; OR, The Guardian's Forgery.

8 ,-SYLIMNUS COBB, Jr.

CHAPTER Xli

Rivers had been for almost $-otS years the leading- attorney and W~ ktfallingnainj and in the country. W' er, been the trusted attorney of Sir fle p a j e> a nd of Dr. Lawrence Dale. item °f leS al business' liacl either 8 £*r transacted in Cornwall tha* (.mina^ed for them. And since I ted do' ™ - ° 'ffilliam's departure for India, his Jonas Crandal, had looked to the . c 9 for all that he had required at - " dull. Arvi^y evening, from three to "" \:i subsequent to the disappearance 'ill Asiimore, a single oil lamp was 01 an o ld desk in one of the smaller ts oi tie Sll'te w'"cn nad _been •Ass ie *aw cnalll^ers ° the I^-^er Rivera ; and by the fitful * M lamp a man safe engaged in i deed from one of the largo T | which the dingy shelves of the ! "flsamamvho might have been forty: iUtto-ebeeiv? ft, y v° 110 thii?§\ hrv«bcertain; He had grown old before I*! In truth, he had seen not more j So-score years ; but his hair was thin *:' . his features were, pinched and I -hiseyes, gleaming behind a pair Stowed spectacles, were humid and lyshot- his form WfUS slu' imken aml ' t-'findwhen his thin, soiled hands began t lake so that his pen threatened to run ~■,,.. i e took a few swallows from a black , Jjfistoodon the ledge of the desk Davnley Werter. He had been j ta o f (rood blood ; and though much Sw than William Dale, he had yet Uf'ttofc gentleman's classmate and ftml in college. On graduating he had stied law i and just as he had been fitted to the roll of attorneys a fortune tf been left him, winch lie had felt •Wad to spend. At all events, he had rirta himself to that work, and a speedy Jjrkhehad made of it. His fortune gone, le lived while he could on credit; then he soil* Whelp-himself by gambling ; and ihe brought up in prison. From prison Sir William Dale, his oldfefesmate,: set him free, and obtained forhima place in the employ of Mortimer Eiviri^Foraitime Mr Rivers, in the goodjgs of his heirt, had been more like a We^ora father, to the poor unfortunate Hanlikea'master : but when, at length, he loaadall his kindness and'forbearance worse tlianthrown away,— when- he found that te drunkard:betrayed every confidence, id sold-every kindness, —took every dnntage within his reach to get his one nnngvant—^the one thing he told himsSkeMtild not live without—brandy !— ito the tiled and worried lawyer disandaDthis, he was obliged to draw the fefettly; and keep the poor waif under

: MptEivers would not let him go. SHim earnest.lv besought that the '■■ DJasie man should be kept from the I jsfedthe work-house. He could not fflfe&thought that a classmate of his iraMbaan object of piiblic charity. M teides, Darnley Werter was worth, fcife busy 'attorney, all tlie rest of his ; (dlielpers put together—that is, when he re soberly himself. Not only was lie a jAnd and clear-headed jurist; but he •sqaick with his pen; always correct; s4»ben sober, as perfect a gentleman as Would wish to see.

And now, morally and physically on his Wejs,;poor Werter was employed by feofl lawyer's : many clients to make of papers to them of importance, Tlicb^had existence only in the folios of And as he wrote, on this chill, ■Mess evening, he was aroused by a cautious rap on the door communicating ™> tie onter jxissag-e and the main ofiVce. wiusfflysivallowecl" a goodly potion from m i black: bottle; then put the cork in W, then raised'the top of his desk, snd hid the treasure away within. Asa j*<i;rap:sounded, he called out, in a ™se, broken voice :. " Come in !" ' And a ™I|i sliadowy form j)resently appeared dingy backgi-ound of tlie door, *h the newcomer had noiselessly closed fcdhim. -. .•■ -• ;■' H

of the sliadowy form ] did wyetadvauce. He turned and felt for the S«ifhen he had found it, he shot the Woftlielock: Then he came forwanl,: MUieworker beheld the powerful form' ■JJ4 sinister face of Jonas Crandal. t^yP«>r Darnley, do they still keep you Jj^to, pinched face was raised,-and 17™, fairly blazed as they rested | tHe hard, full, dark features of the

.^orkbecauselamglad to get wbrk 2 Jonas Crandal, for what have you g!»a>»! What do you want?" The ,y ouie took-on strength, and there Reeling in the utterance. J'^l'arnley, I have come to give J« that shall, pay you well, more, I , w say,: than you could earn in t, !L at tllis drudgery over which you 4iX:o astin2;''>oui> time and y°m" 8 brought a bit of ■*mh me." And he drew from a fit P^efc of his coat a flask ■ that IT^aaqnavt..- ---\ f-v^' 8 Byes sparkled for a; mofQ7f:3llicfcf''eager tremor shook his fire/died iiiit, and, with a %**?!¥'; settled back, and exv aP»Uatthe flask first, my dear TieJt 11'™ are shaky."' yC^ll'caught the flask its Sedjt ?■ the stopper—and ,ps>' Ifc was; a different c had drunk for: a long, 1?? 16 Martel brandy, as WirasnAfi °"'and sweet as nectar. * fitb it i Onihe Palate "no interfer-hWsAb,r.eatll-scarcely any taste Hrfnl 4 ell?ht- "But its power was c P°°i- Mow had drank a Haiidv ;a"d fery soon he felt itn 1 enin 9 effe=t :in every ?:» li m^-: Hel^d become sudVi,i7jnan. The last tremor was of; glowing satisfaction Mty of fchouo-ht and feels wits, and given >jCSj^ ■^ne^whatisifc? What do you 0^ else in any of the \, «the visitor, castinr/a glance t^Bo^ l Was the only man till ■"*«L^y other room is locked,

Grandal then opened the little swinging gate of the railing that shut the desk-room out from the front and main part of the omee, and passed in to Werter's side. Then he took from his bosom a large pocket-book, from which he drew forth,; a folded paper. He opened it carefully, .smoothing out the creases, and hnally spread it out Before »he clerk. • -•..•;.-,

"Werter look carefully—and tell me who wrote that name."

The old scrivener bent his gaze upon the page. It was a fair, blank sheet of foolscap, imperial, with a name written on the extreme lower margin in the right-hand corner, or near thereto

"Lawrence Dale wrote it," was the answer, promptly and confidentially given. J

\on are right, Darnley. Dr. Dale did truly write it, with his own hand and with Ins own pen. I might, if I chose, tell you that he gave it to me as a carte, blanche; that I might fill in the very instrument which L propose you may now write for me. 1 might tell you this with good grace, but you might not believe me ; and, furthermore, there is no need. It's enough for you to know that it is, truly and honestly, the old doctor's sign-manual, and that it is now my property." " la it honestly yours, Mr Crandal ?" " That is none of yoxu- business !"—with the worst show of temper that had as yot boon manifest; " and, if I wero to toll you you might shake your head. Enough" for you to know it is mine. And now 1 want you to make it of use to mo !"

The poor clerk looked up into his visitor's face with something like a shudder perceptible. Degraded ;v:d sunken as ho was, lie felt, the touch, and the confidenti.-ii speech of tlie man honoured and respected in .society, as contamination to him !

" Speak out! What is it yi..i. want written on this paper?" <l _'. ~Sn i^f1.1 *1!, "Ah! now you talk. Wait." He went and gofc a tall stool—a mate to that on which Werter sat and lifted his ponderous body upon it. Then he went on :

" You are knowing, Werter, to the arrangement Doctor Dale made with me concerning his estate and his business before he went away ?"

" Yes. I drew up the instrument of instructions which, I believe, you demanded."'

"1 asked for them, and he gave them to me in writing. Well, — hu forgot to give me any proper guardianship over his daughter. Never mind what arrangement we made under that head —enough to say, it does not satisfy me."

"Jonas Crandal!" exclaimed the clerk, his eyes now fairly .blazing,, and his wan sunken face aglow,—"you wane me to make for you a deed of guardianship over Morra Dale-to make you her legal parent in the eyes of the law—uiul to forge the name of Mortimer Rivers to the instrument."

"My dear man," said .(.Vandal; with a smile that was horrible in its fiendish malevolence, " you have hit,it exactly." "I'll not do it ! -Never !, Never !." , " 0 ! yes, yon will." , > " Never !. It is too diabolic !"' ~ "Pshaw! You'll doit, Werter. Dyu't make a fool of yourself."

"I tell you, man!—fiend !—demon !--I will not do it! That girl is an angel. 0!, think of it, you man of cruel heart.! When I was sick, nigh unto death, she nursed we. Aye,—had I been her own'brother, she could not have been more kind. She found me in the forest, senseless—benumbed —"

" Drunk ! you mean, poor Werter. Pshaw ! I don't want to bear about that. Let us come to business. I .mnst have this tiling written, and finished, arid cany it home with me to-night." The poor wretch shrank as from a heavy, cruel blow ; and still shook his head in refusal. Then Crandal drew forth his pocketbook once more, and tapped it significantly.

" Werter ! yoxi have not. forgotten what I have safely laid in here. Don't be a fool. Don't force me after\«o long a time, to bring this thing to light." For a brief space the quivering wretch cowered and shrank; but presently lie started up. "No ! villain. I defy you. Sir William is dead. He cannot appear against me !" Jonas Crandal laughed -a bitter, wicked laugh. ''"Poor fool ! Idiot! Sir William in dead. Were he alive, he night save you; but How, he cannot. Don't you know that I am the agent who must settle his estate ? Think of it, my dear Werter. 1 find a forged cheque—aye, a cheque which I myself cashed, as the agent of him whose name it bore. What becomes my duty V Poor Werter ! Think of it." :.!

The.wretched man collapsed. He saw it plainly. Oh ! 'liow well he remembered that season of dark and dread despair, when, in a moment of frenzy, he had forged the name of his best and truest friend. As Crandal had said, he had taken up tjie paper. He had by accident discovered its exislen.ee, and had paid it, and put it into Ids pocket, that he might have a slave in the office of .the most popular attorney in Cornwall. What could he do I Should he refuse to grant the man's request to accede to his demand that forged paper would be made public, and he end his days in bitter disgrace, transported away from the land of Ins birth to live the rest of his brief,, ■ bitter life among . outcasts, and pariahs, and among them—die ! . • ■' Here, my 'dear fellow, take another pull at this. It will set you up." The quivering wretch needed no second invitation. That which he had before drunk had been all used up in his excitement, and he felt the need of it painfully. He drank heavily—drank until Crandal drew the flask from his lips, and very soon-he was once more steady, and more than half his resolution was gone. The end could not now be doubtful. When Jonas saw that the last draught had produced its effect, he drew from his pocketbook another paper, and spread it open on the desk. It was a draft which he had made of the instrument he" would have /written upon the paper bearing Lawrence Dale's signature. Werter read jt.carefully through , read some portions of it a. second time, and in the end he said: . ■ ■ : . "Crandal, you found a,legal form and coined it; This is not your composition." " You are right," nodded fche visitor, with a smile ; I found it in a Book of Legal Forms in the Abbey library., I have .supplied the names ; you can altar, or amend, where you think it necessary. You know exactly what I want.",- ; . ■ = •• ; ■ • Darnley Werter looked upon the two papers before hjm for a little time,, and then raised his.eye.s to the face of his companion, -;. " You have told me what you .want me to do for you. Now, what dp you propose to do in return for me ?" . ■ ; ' " Werter !" with not more than two seconds of pause, " when yon have given into my hands the instrument making me letral Guardian of MprnaDalo -And I swear to you I mean her no harm. I wouldn t do her an injury for the world. When you have given that into my hands, I will give you one hundred pounds You shall have it in gold or Bank of England notes as you shall prefer. Surely you would not ask for "The clerk toyed with his pen a few moments, his face wearing the marks of c;i must thought. By and -by "he answered.

" That is money enough. Will you give me: that cheque you have in your pocketbook in addition ?"

Crandal started. He had not thought of that.

"Really, Werter, that is asking too much."

•'All right," responded the scribe with a dogged ring in his voice which spoke volumes. "If the deed you crave is not worth to you the paltry piece of paper you hold, the only value of which is that it proves that I once did a criminal act if it is not worth that scrap of paper, you cannot want it badly."

" Eh ! Do you mean that for a threat f

"Take it as you will, Jonas Crandal; and give it to me if you will. All is, if you give to me the hundred pounds and the check, I will make out the deed of guardianship." " And if I do not ?"

" I touch not a peri to your paper."

" Werter ! are you willing to face tlie charge wnich I could bring against you ?" " Yes ; and I will face it, if you say the word. And once before the court, 1 will tell the whole story of this night's transaction. Do you think people will not believe me ? By the heavens above us, Jonas Crandal ! I think the people will believe me more wi.'ingly than they will you. Do you know Let me whisper : Who carried Ralph Anhmore off? Oho ! you quail ! Know you, man—people are whispering even now. Ido not believe you would find it healthy to drag me before a court of justice."

The arch plotter turned pale, and trembled at every joint. A little time so, then he shook himself resolutely and tried to laugh.

" Werter, you have had your turn, but your breath has been wasted. I had intended to give you the cheque from the first, but 1 hail hoped that I might have the privilege of making it a froo gift. However, it does not matter. I take no offence. Tlie cheque shall be yours, with tlie money as soon as the deed is complete.''

The clevk knew that the man lied when he said he had. planned to give him the cheque, but it would not pay to accuse him of it. He obtained a solemn promise that the old paper should be given into his hand as soon as the required deed was complete, and shortly thereafter he went at work. He took a swallow from the flask, then mended two or three quill pens, then .■mother draught, heavier than the last — and he was ready for work.

He procured from an old lile an instrument of guardianship, whore a guardian had been appointed under circumstances exactly like those which Mr Crandal would fabricate--a deed in Mr Rivera's own hand. And this lie copied upon the paper which had boon given him by his Satanic employer —copied it word for word, saying only tho change of names, of locality, and a few items of a. per.-onal nature and of little import. He had so nicely calculated the writing, as to space, that when the last word of tlie body of the instrument had been set down, the margin of the signature was exact.

One more swallow of brandy, and he prepared to forget the signature of Mortimer Rivers. A mistake here would be fatal. He balanced his pen over the paper its nib well worn—and dashed it oil.

"Bravo!" cried Crandal, when ho had: seen. " The old man himself could not have beaten that !"., : : :

It was a perfect fac-simile of tho old attorney's signature. Werter added his own name as a witness, then atlixed .the seals, with tho stamp of Rivers's own crest, and the deed was done.

Jonas Crandal gave to the clerk one hundred pounds in Bank of England notes, together with the forged cheque which he had held so long : and shortly thereafter he was crawling out by a rear postern into the darkness of midnight. In' the attorney's office, at his desk, ,sat the worn and shattered clerk, looking at the memento of a former crime which had been,so long held over his head, a source of terror and alarm. He had won it from his enemy at length ; but ah ! what might be the outcome of the new crime the commission of which had given it to him ?

(To be continved.)