CHAPTER XXIV.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 11784, 5 October 1901, Page 2 (Supplement)

CHAPTER XXIV.

Dick hastened to keep his appointment with Villtera.

Lionel was dining out, and did not come very punctually, lie gave Dick a curt nod when he entered.

* Well, what's wrong now ?' he asked, and somehow his tone jarred on the boy, who flashed as he answered.

'I suppose that's the right thing to say, isn't it ? for things are always going wrong with me.'

'My dear Dick/ said Lionel, rather coldly, 'I hate that sort of thing. I have no sympathy for a man who tries to excuse himself by saying he is « fool. Depend upon it, when a man knows that he is a fool, that signifies a criminal tendency to self-indulgence.'

Dick looked at the speaker. He had been longing for this meeting with. Lionel — counting the houra iv fact — and he had not expected to have been.

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•met. in., this way; and.theworstof.it was, he felt that be had uotthe right -to resent this tone. ' fl.am afraid .%_ am tljat sort of a man, Lionel,' he said, with an attempt ataflmile, ■'•,-, «I.am afraid you are,'< was , Villiers reply. He threw himself into a chair, and' lit a .cigar. 'Well, make a cle»n breast of it ; what's the matter now V l«Thi3,' said Dick. He took a note out of his. pocket and held it out to Lionel. It was a curt epistle, briefly stating that, ta certain bill had passed into the •writer's hands in the way of business, and, he. would *be obliged by. Mr, Banting payiog the sum and interest due within the next week ; this sum was a hundred and fifty pounds, and the hil;l -was one that had been signed hy Dick (as a matter of form, so he soppose'i) when contracting his first loan from| *LioneL- ''.\ f j.' Viiliers read it through quickly and then looked across at tbe flashed, nn- 1 -'happy face before him. 'Of course, yon knew that this was likely to happen,' said Lionel. . -Dick rose.. . '- ■ , ' «I.am afraid I did not. I— l thought "I sigued a confidential paper.' -At this Lionel laughed. «My dear Dick/ he s*id, 'yon. have, everything to learn about business, I -see. When you did me the. honor to -consult roe about your affairs, a year or so ago, you led me to,j9Xpect that you wodd b* in a position to pay back the money I was able to lend you, anl I only required a Bimple acknowledgement of the loan, in a businesslike way, by asking you to sign your ntmeto . .-ihb.bilU' . - •'.. ' _ r Dick was silent a moment. • He passed '■•* bis. hand -over his brow. At that moment he looked strangely like Barbara, bafc this resemblance, Wstead of softening the heart of the man who watched him. odly made, that heart more hard and cruel. «I am snre that you did all that was ri^ht, Lionel/ he said, hurriedly, 'bat I —I was Btaitled this morning when. I got that letter., I could not understand how any other person could know • what had passed between as.' ! 'When yon are a little older/ said Lionel Villiers, 'and have had 88 macli - to do with the world as I have, you wall ' understand many things, Dick. lam first of all a basiness-man,; I doubt if I should be as wealthy as lam .if I -were not ; and so I always take means to protect myself. This paper, witb •others bearing your signature, has been negotiated for me by a man with whoun I do soch business; and, in fact, I thought that it would be pleasanter, for - you to make yonr re-payments to a stranger rather" than to myself. The matter has passed oot of my hands.' «But I cannot make this payment/ Dick said, agitatedly, 'You know my position, Liouel j you know I nave pot , a penny in the world to call my own. ♦What have yon done with your share of the insurance money V ' Dick's face flushed, and he was "gilent. : •Yon have aboat 1 two hundred and fifty pounds as your share from the insurance/ Lionel continued; 'Shall I tell you what you bave done with it ? Paid a heavy jeweller's bill for gifts to . a woman who cares about as much for you as she does for the ground upon which she walks.* Dick drew himself up ; his face flashed and then paled. 'How do you know this V he abruptly . asked. ' 'Are you a spy?* 'Yes/ said Lionel, coolly. 'I liaye been a spy, if you like to put it in that way. In other words, I felc that it was due to myself to know what you did with this money. I have been quite • aware that you have been baying expensive jewellery, to send to Nelia Somers , and I don't mind telling you to yonr face that I consider this a most dishonorable ptoceediog.' Dick clenched his hands, then turned suddenly. His resentfal pride, however, suddenly subsided, and he sat .down by the ttble and covered bis face with his hands. Neither man spoke for a little while. To Lionel this was an enjoyable moment ; it seemed to bring him close to that triumph ho bad promised himself. He had no sympathy for Dick, who, though he had been culpable, bad not been an u v solut<>ly free, agent in the ruin he had worked. For the chances bad not been even ; it was hardly likely that Dick, a youngs inexperienced boy, could bare been a match for a man like Lionel. Had he yielded to his first irapolse, "he would bay« turned and left the presence of one who, he felt now, had never been his friend ; but be did oot dare to do this — there was too much at > atake. He lifted his head from his

hands after; that long pause, and looked acrvß3 at I^ioneL,,. „,, ,„ M - , . „.. - .'Can you help me V he said, almost in a whisper. „< , , t „ . Lionel flicked .fche paper he held. .« You, , mean this ? No, I am, afraid I cannot. The money must be pajd sooner or later, and you know you have had a pretty; penny ou,t of me this last year. I 'am rich, bnt' I ooald not 3tand this kind of thing very long/ ' It was a coarse speech ai»d coarsely spoken, and Dick winced as if be had been struck* a blow. It seemed Whim ns if everything were sOme^ hideous dream! Was this, the man who bad been so generous, so lavish in tils offer of help — who "had, in ** ct i drged'the loan upon 1 him ' in 'the first instance 1 ? Was this the man who had repudiated all ideas of formal dealing between, them ?'■ •' -J ( .•■»'?•'•■ '- '" •_ ■;'' Tdr^n't understand yob, "Cione'l;' be said,' not very .steadily: *Why dd'youj speak' to toie^lifce' ( thi4 to^nigtit;' When all this' time yon have been letting me imagine I hardly know what ? I know, thai you have fcfeen" very ' &odd' W me , , bn,i-rbnt'l think, it Would ; have been, kinder 1 if yon had beeri aiore open" with, me, and let me know wh&t;l'Bail to expect' it 1 ' • Villiors shrugged bis shoulders. "' • 'When it I*3 possible*, I alWays shirk, doing disagreeable things/ he answered carelessly ; 'but, after all, Dick/ there Was bbuml to be a reckoning between, us. Do you' happen to know how much you owe me ?' " Dick*B pale li^s trembled. He shook his head,' and the other man walked leisurely to his writing-table, opened a drawer and took out a little book. ' "'ln August of last' year,' he said, 'you borrowed this one hundred and fifty pounds ; the following November you had. another thirty ; ia March, another fifty ; in June, sundry sums* averaging about thirty-six pounds ; and 'again in August (you will remember I sent it to you from abroad), yon had another hundred ; and all this money you agreed to repay, with interest, at given, dates.* . ' Lionel threw down the littlo book on the table and folded his arms. •Will you tell me how you are goin? to start paying back erep half of tbis V Dick caught his breath. 'I don't know/ lie said, hoarsely ; 'I—lI — I don't feel as if I can think pro* perly t'o-nigbt ; but I swear to psy you back, Lionel. Only give me time,' that is a.l , I ask. I will work my fingers to (he bone, but I will get the money somehow ; only I most have time.* With a laugh Lionel unfolded his arms, walked forward, and put his hand on Dick' 3 shoulder. •Poor old cHap,' he said, 4 I have given you a tarn, haven't 1? But I had to do it. You are ode of those who would drift * forever u&less some one polled yon up. Have a whisky and soda, and let us sit down and talk a little more pleasantly/ Dick looked at the speaker almost iDcredulou3ly. ' It was 6n)y natriral that his heart should take a leap upward at these words, and yet he had had an awful shock, and he hardly knew whether it was prudent to trust Lionel. He could not, at «ny rate, drift back into the old' baitnonioas intercourse so quickly; bat Lionel was not disturbed by his silence. He rang the bell for his man to bring the whisky, and 'he offered Dick his cigar-case, and all the time his heart was full of savage pleasure. Only a little while longer, he said to ' himself, and he wonld haVe Barbara at hi 9 feet. 'There is one way out of this difficulty, you know,' he said; as' he watched Diek 1 grow a tittl* like his usual self. , f What 19 that?' asked the boy, quite eagwly. 4 Yon can ask your sister to let you have the other portion of the insurance money I .' ' ( Dick' drew back as if he had been stung. ' . •Impossible!' he exclaimed. 'That money was left by riiy fathet* for Barbara and Basil. As it is, they have little enough 10 live upon, and they want every penny thoy can get. 1 Lionel coolly puffed out some rings of smoke. 'All the same, T think it is what you will have to do,' he said. Bat Dick had a resolate look. '£ shall not let Barbara know of tbis if I can help it,' he •■ said. 'It would give her the upper band of me,' was bis next speech, made a little peevishly. Then he looked across at Lionel. '.You know that we are not on good terms^s it is.' And then something passed into Dick's heart ; worldly as he wag, and selfish, he remembered how dear Barbara bad been to him all his life until now, and he unconsciously resented the expression on the man's face opposite to him.

'Besides,' he said, in, a, low <eoice, 'it fcn^, fair,*,, she is only 'a girl, and sbe< has a hard straggle before her. I ought tp help her* instead of asking her for help. 1 f , ' r „ 'Then how are yoa going to meet this, hiii?' t '„.„"./ u#i ' 0 , :.,.% !• Lionet's qu^elion^as.jyive'a in The roostf emphatic wajr # 'and ,Dick answered wi|K a shuddejring Wh!, ",.',;' ", ,' „ ( " ! *I ,dQn'ii , kn.ow. , VVbat can they do to me, Lionel ?' , ' ' ' *Ob, they can 'make it very unpleasant. There will be a scandal 'at the and yon would ( be probably seni away, and so io ! se yonr } prb* |essjon,and all the money that has been spent on ypu.* t , ' , Dick got up suddenly, his face alarmingly pale. ' . . «Ifyon don't mind, Lionel, I think, I will go,' he ! said, '"in a. sMed/sort off Voice. ' t feel ' t!hat I most be 1 out ib the air!. "Just 'npw'jpt^ said' sou despised ,any ,'man !who called himself a fool ; then yon ought t<> despise me, loir I hare surely ' been a fool, 'and something worse If , , „, ' , 'V' Yflliers fat "arid listened' lp! tneyfoot- ' steps descending i\\e staff s'J ' «fle will rome back* he mentally declared,, confidently. „. f !^ ' He tolcjf, himself .with, contempt that he cogld pretty^ wejll gueps " ev'j&jjkdrif t' in the- mind' of such a .weak creatore as Dick, but for onee 1 , he 'was out or his reckoning. ■-■»!- JPick did not return,, though Lionel sat smoking ' and pondering §\\ tjhe njght, was late; neither was , there,, any communication from Dick the following morning ; nor, as the day wore onj did Btrbara'i brother make' the 1 faintest sign.., Trqs puzzleci Villieip,' arifl upset ,hip calculations not a little! (TO BJS CONTINUED. )