Part 90 (1/2)
”My name shocks you--no wonder,” said Lionel, deeply mortified, and bowing down his head as he gently dropped the old man's hand.
”Reproaches to myself!--Ah, sir, I am here as Charles Haughton's son!”
”What!” exclaimed Waife, ”you know? How could you know that Charles Haughton--”
LIONEL (interrupting).--”I know. His own lips confessed his shame to have so injured you.”
WAIFE.--”Confessed to whom?”
LIONEL.--”To Alban Morley. Relieve me, my father's remorse was bitter; it dies not in his grave, it lives in me. I have so longed to meet with William Losely.”
Waife seated himself in silence, shading his face with one hand while with the other he made a slight gesture, as if to discourage or rebuke farther allusion to ancient wrong. Lionel, in quick accents, but more connected meaning, went on--
”I have just come from Mr. Darrell, where I and Colonel Morley (here Lionel's countenance was darkly troubled) have been staying some days.
Two days ago I received this letter from George Morley, forwarded to me from London. It says--let me read it: 'You will rejoice to learn that our dear Waife'--pardon that name.”
”I have no other--go on.”
”'Is once more with his grandchild.'” (Here Lionel sighed heavily--sigh like Sophy's.) ”'You will rejoice yet more to learn that it has pleased Heaven to allow me and another witness, who, some years ago, had been misled into condemning Waife, to be enabled to bear incontrovertible testimony to the complete innocence of my beloved friend; nay, more--I say to you most solemnly, that in all which appeared to attest guilt, there has been a virtue, which, if known to Mr. Darrell, would make him bow in reverence to that old man. Tell Mr. Darrell so from me; and add, that in saying it, I express my conviction of his own admiring sympathy--for all that is n.o.ble and heroic.'”
”Too much-this is too, too much,” stammered out Waife, restlessly turning away; ”but--but, you are folding up the letter. That is all?--he does not say more? he does not mention any one else?--eh?--eh?”
”No, sir; that is all.”
”Thank Heaven! He is an honourable man! Yet he has said more than he ought--much more than he can prove, or than I--” he broke off, and abruptly asked--”How did Mr. Darrell take these a.s.sertions? With an incredulous laugh--eh?--'Why, the old rogue had pleaded guilty!'”
”Sir, Alban Morley was there to speak of the William Losely whom he had known; to explain, from facts which he had collected at the time, of what nature was the evidence not brought forward. The motive that induced you to plead guilty I had long guessed; it flashed in an instant on Guy Darrell; it was not mere guess with him! You ask me what he said? This: 'Grand nature! George is right! and I do bow my head in reverence!'”
”He said that?--Guy Darrell? On your honour, he said that?”
”Can you doubt it? Is he not a gentleman?” Waife was fairly overcome.
”But, sir,” resumed Lionel, ”I must not conceal from you, that though George's letter and Alban Morley's communications sufficed to satisfy Darrell, without further question, your old friend was naturally anxious to learn a more full account, in the hope of legally substantiating your innocence. He therefore despatched by the telegraph a request to his nephew to come at once to Fawley. George arrived there yesterday. Do not blame him, sir, that we share his secret.”
”You do? Good heavens! And that lawyer will be barbarous enough to--but no--he has an interest in not accusing of midnight robbery his daughter's husband; Jasper's secret is safe with him. And Colonel Morley--surely his cruel nephew will not suffer him to make me--me, with one foot in the grave--a witness against my Lizzy's son!”
”Colonel Morley, at Darrell's suggestion, came with me to London; and if he does not accompany me to you, it is because he is even now busied in finding out your son, not to undo, but to complete the purpose of your self-sacrifice. 'All other considerations,' said Guy Darrell, 'must be merged in this one thought--that such a father shall not have been in vain a martyr.' Colonel Morley is empowered to treat with your son on any terms; but on this condition, that the rest of his life shall inflict no farther pain, no farther fear on you. This is the sole use to which, without your consent, we have presumed to put the secret we have learned. Do you pardon George now?”
Waife's lips murmured inaudibly, but his face grew very bright; and as it was raised upwards, Lionel's ear caught the whisper of a name--it was not Jasper, it was ”Lizzy.”
”Ah! why,” said Lionel, sadly, and after a short pause, ”why was I not permitted to be the one to attest your innocence--to clear your name?
I, who owed to you so vast an hereditary debt! And now--dear, dear Mr.
Losely--”
”Hus.h.!.+ Waife!--call me Waife still!--and always.”
”Willingly! It is the name by which I have accustomed myself to love you. Now, listen to me. I am dishonoured until at least the mere pecuniary debt, due to you from my father, is paid. Hist! Hist!--Alban Morley says so--Darrell says so. Darrell says, 'he cannot own me as kinsman till that debt is cancelled.' Darrell lends me the means to do it; he would share his kinsman's ignominy if he did not. Before I could venture even to come hither, the sum due to you from my father was repaid. I hastened to town yesterday evening--saw Mr. Darrell's lawyer.
I have taken a great liberty--I have invested this sum already in the purchase of an annuity for you. Mr. Darrell's lawyer had a client who was in immediate want of the sum due to you; and, not wis.h.i.+ng permanently to burthen his estate by mortgage, would give a larger interest by way of annuity than the public offices would; excellent landed security. The lawyer said it would be a pity to let the opportunity slip, so I ventured to act for you. It was all settled this morning. The particulars are on this paper, which I will leave with you.
Of course the sum due to you is not exactly the same as that which my father borrowed before I was born. There is the interest--compound interest; nothing more. I don't understand such matters; Darrell's lawyer made the calculation--it must be right.”