Part 5 (1/2)

”What if you did, man? Wasn't the sixpence heavy enough?”

Gull knew now that he had found the man he wanted. He drew his hand from his pocket and held a bright half-sovereign towards Mr. Kingsley.

”That's what you give me, in mistake, sir,” he said huskily, adding, ”I'm glad I remembered who 'twas as give it to me.”

Again Mr. Kingsley looked the porter well over. Then he turned his eyes to the further end of the railway carriage, and was relieved to see that his fellow-pa.s.senger was, to all appearance, deeply interested in his evening paper. I say, to all appearance, for the truth is that he was listening to all that pa.s.sed; and it is from him that I heard this story, which is no fiction.

Still, though satisfied that he was unnoticed, Mr. Kingsley did not take the proffered coin. After a moment's pause he said--

”How did you find out that I was coming back this way to-night?”

”I seemed to know as you was a 'season,' sir,” Gull answered, ”and I watched for you.”

”Well, well, man! and now, as to that half-sovereign. I expect it will be of more use to you than to me--eh? Keep it, man; keep it.”

Gull's pale cheeks flushed.

He stammered out, ”You'd--you'd best take it back, sir.” It seemed to him as if this was some new form of that terrible temptation which had been a.s.sailing him all that long day; and he thrust the half-sovereign forward again.

”No, no! Keep it, man!” repeated Mr. Kingsley. ”I'm not going to say a word about your honesty. You are just as much a man as I am; and a true man is always honest. But keep it, _because_ the Christmas bells will ring to-night.”

”Thank you, sir.”

Written, the words appear cold; but said, as Gull said them, they carried an amount of warmth and grat.i.tude which quite satisfied Mr.

Kingsley without the half-involuntary speech that followed, ”So there _will_ be boots for the little lads, after all!”

”Bless the man! How jolly you look! Did you get your tanner, then?”

This was the ticket collector's greeting as Gull pa.s.sed.

”Yon gent's a trump, and no mistake!” answered the other as he hurried along, eager for the delight which _such_ a story would bring to the little ears now listening for his coming in that third floor front in Pleasant Court.

I wonder what it was that moved Mr. Kingsley to a wider generosity that evening than was at all usual in the money-wise, business man? Could it have been that he was led to it partly by the fact--though he was quite unconscious of it--that there was something similar in the home relations of these two men?

For Mr. Kingsley was also a widower; and it was his little only daughter who was pressing her tiny nose against the window-pane, and trying to guess how many people would go by the gate before daddy set it swinging and came up the drive.

Patsy's greeting was quite as loving and vigorous as the one the ”twinses” gave their father every day. The slippers warming at the fire were elegant braided ones, bound round with velvet. Well! what of that?

It was the love that thought of putting them there which made them so comfortable; and so, in that respect, Gull's were quite as good to wear as Mr. Kingsley's.

When the two were comfortably settled, Patsy began to rummage in all daddy's pockets.

”It's Christmas present night!” she cried. ”Where's my little yellow money?”

Mr. Kingsley felt in his pockets with a musing air.

”I don't know what my little maid will say,” he said at last, producing four half-crowns; ”but I have no nice half-sovereign for her to-night--only these big ugly white things. It is true they will buy quite as many toys. And I _might_ have had 'the yellow money,' only now, I expect, it is turned into shoeleather.”