Part 44 (1/2)

”Mr. Merril is not here,” he said. ”He went out of town last night, and executed a trust deed before he left. Mr. Cathcart, one of the trustees, is now inside.”

Jordan looked at Jimmy. ”I don't mind admitting that I expected this,”

he said. Then he turned to the clerk: ”Take our names in.”

They were shown into the inner office, where a gray-haired gentleman listened gravely to what they had to say. Then he took the salvage claim from Jordan, and laid it beneath a pile of other papers.

”It will be considered in its turn,” he said. ”I do not know whether we shall attempt to contest it, or whether there will be funds to meet it, but I may be able to tell you more to-morrow, and would ask you to take no further steps until you have seen me. I am at liberty to say that Mr.

Merril's affairs appear to be considerably involved.”

Jordan promised to wait, and when he turned toward the door, the trustee, who took up an envelope, made a sign to Jimmy.

”I was instructed to hand you this, Captain Wheelock, and to tell you that Miss Merril leaves for Toronto by to-day's express, on the understanding that you make no attempt to communicate with her. It contains her address.”

Jimmy went out with his thoughts confused. All that had come about was, he felt, the result of his action, but he realized that in any case the crisis could not have been much longer delayed. They found the others awaiting them, and when Forster had quietly but firmly insisted on escorting Eleanor into a dry-goods store and leaving her there, they went back together to Jordan's office, where the latter related what he had heard.

”To be quite straight, I must admit that I had a notion of what Jimmy meant to do last night, and took no steps to restrain him,” he said. ”If I had done so, Merril would not have got away. We are both in your hands, but, while you may think differently, I am not sure that what has happened is a serious misfortune from a business point of view.”

Forster said nothing, and there was a few moments' awkward silence until old Leeson spoke.

”Considering everything, I guess you're right,” he said. ”Cathcart's a straight man, and as they can't sell the _Adelaide_ without permission from us, we'll get some of our money, although it's hardly likely the estate will realize enough to go around. Seems to me that's more than we should have done if Merril had kept hold. Well, it's not my proposition that we turn you out.”

He stopped a moment, and glanced at Jimmy with a little dry smile.

”Captain Wheelock has gone 'way further than he should have done without our sanction, but I guess it will meet the case if we leave him to his sister. It's a sure thing Miss Wheelock is far from pleased with him.

Now, there's a point or two I want to mention.”

The others seemed relieved at this, and when Leeson had said his say Forster went away with him. Then Jordan glanced at Jimmy with apprehension in his eyes as Eleanor came in. She stood still, looking at them with the portentous red flush burning in her cheek.

”What I foresaw all along has happened. Jimmy has betrayed you to save that girl,” she said.

Then she turned to Jimmy, flicking her glove in her hand as though she would have struck him with it. ”Jimmy,” she said incisively, ”you are no longer a brother of mine. Neither Charley nor I will speak to you again.”

Jordan straightened himself resolutely. ”Stop there, Eleanor!” he said.

”If you won't speak to him I can't compel you to, but, in this one thing, at least, you can't compel me. Jimmy was my friend before I met you, and I'm standing by him now. Anyway, what has he done?”

”Ah!” said the girl, with an audible indrawing of her breath, ”he has spoiled everything. If he hadn't played the traitor Merril would never have got away. Oh!” and her anger shook her, ”I can never forgive him!”

Once more she turned to her brother. ”There is no longer any tie between us. You have broken it, and that is the last and only thing I have to say to you.”

Jimmy rose, and quietly reached for his hat. ”Then,” he said, ”there is nothing to be gained by pointing out what my views are. We can only wait until you see things differently.”

He went out, and Eleanor sank somewhat limply into a chair.

”Charley,” she said, ”it's a little horrible, but he is a weak coward, and I hate him. You had better break off our engagement; I'm not fit to marry anybody.”

”That's the one thing that holds in spite of everything,” and Jordan looked at her gravely with trouble in his face. ”Go quietly, Eleanor. It will straighten out in time.”

The girl sat still for a while saying nothing, and then she rose with a little s.h.i.+ver. ”Find Forster, and if he is not going back, get a team,”

she said. ”I want Mrs. Forster. I can't stay in the city.”

Jordan went out with her, and, though he had a good deal to do, was not sorry when he failed to find Forster and it became necessary for him to drive her back to the ranch. Eleanor, however, said very little to him during the journey, and he had sense enough to confine his attention to his team. He had also little time to think of anything that did not concern his business when he returned to the city, for the _Shasta_ had to be got ready to go back to sea, and the _Adelaide_ arrived early on the following day. The skipper went with him to interview Merril's trustee, and the latter announced that no steps would be taken to contest the salvage claim when he heard what he had to say. However, he added dryly that it would probably be advisable for the _Shasta_ Company to consider the compromise proposition he would shortly make. Jordan, who fancied he was right in this, went away without having found it necessary to hand him the engineer's confession, and was glad he had not offered to produce it when he ransacked his office for it a few days later.