Part 53 (1/2)
Then he relented, and cabled to him. Getting no news, he came East to look for him. He met Costobell the day after the lady died, and the two swore--the stout uncle can swear a treat--anyhow, they vowed to be revenged on Ventnor, and to clear Anstruther's character, living or dead. Poor old chap! He cried like a baby when he asked the youngster to forgive him. It was quite touching. I can tell you----”
Playdon affected to search for his pocket-handkerchief.
”Do tell us, or it will be worse for you,” cried his mentor.
”Give me time, air, a drink! What you fellows want is a phonograph. Let me see. Well, Costobell shook Ventnor off at last, with the final observation that Anstruther's court-martial has been quashed. The next batch of general orders will re-instate him in the regiment, and it rests with him to decide whether or not a criminal warrant shall be issued against his lords.h.i.+p for conspiracy. Do you fellows know what conspir----?”
”You cuckoo! What did Miss Deane do?”
”Clung to Anstruther like a weeping angel, and kissed everybody all round when Ventnor got away. Well--hands off. I mean her father, Anstruther and the stout uncle. Unfortunately I was not on in that scene. But, for some reason, they all nearly wrung my arm off, and the men were so excited that they gave the party a rousing cheer as their rickshaws went off in a bunch. Will no Christian gentleman get me a drink?”
The next commotion arose in the hotel when Sir Arthur Deane seized the first opportunity to explain the predicament in which his company was placed, and the blow which Lord Ventnor yet had it in his power to deal.
Mr. William Anstruther was an interested auditor. Robert would have spoken, but his uncle restrained him.
”Leave this to me, lad,” he exclaimed. ”When I was coming here in the _Sirdar_ there was a lot of talk about Sir Arthur's scheme, and there should not be much difficulty in raising all the bra.s.s required, if half what I heard be true. Sit you down, Sir Arthur, and tell us all about it.”
The s.h.i.+powner required no second bidding. With the skill for which he was noted, he described his operations in detail, telling how every farthing of the first instalments of the two great loans was paid up, how the earnings of his fleet would quickly overtake the deficit in capital value caused by the loss of the three s.h.i.+ps, and how, in six months' time, the leading financial houses of London, Paris, and Berlin would be offering him more money than he would need.
To a shrewd man of business the project could not fail to commend itself, and the Yorks.h.i.+re squire, though a trifle obstinate in temper, was singularly clear-headed in other respects. He brought his great fist down on the table with a whack.
”Send a cable to your company, Sir Arthur,” he cried, ”and tell them that your prospective son-in-law will provide the ten thousand pounds you require. I will see that his draft is honored. You can add, if you like, that another ten will be ready if wanted when this lot is spent.
I did my lad one d--er--deuced bad turn in my life. This time, I think, I am doing him a good one.”
”You are, indeed,” said Iris's father enthusiastically. ”The unallotted capital he is taking up will be worth four times its face value in two years.”
”All the more reason to make his holding twenty instead of ten,” roared the Yorks.h.i.+reman. ”But look here. You talk about dropping proceedings against that precious earl whom I saw to-day. Why not tell him not to try any funny tricks until Robert's money is safely lodged to your account? We have him in our power. Dash it all, let us use him a bit.”
Even Iris laughed at this naive suggestion. It was delightful to think that their arch enemy was actually helping the baronet's affairs at that very moment, and would continue to do so until he was flung aside as being of no further value. Although Ventnor himself had carefully avoided any formal commitment, the cablegrams awaiting the s.h.i.+powner at Singapore showed that confidence had already been restored by the uncontradicted use of his lords.h.i.+p's name.
Robert at last obtained a hearing.
”You two are quietly a.s.suming the att.i.tude of the financial magnates of this gathering,” he said. ”I must admit that you have managed things very well between you, and I do not propose for one moment to interfere with your arrangements. Nevertheless, Iris and I are really the chief moneyed persons present. You spoke of financial houses in England and on the Continent backing up your loans six months hence, Sir Arthur.
You need not go to them. We will be your bankers.”
The baronet laughed with a whole-hearted gaiety that revealed whence Iris got some part, at least, of her bright disposition.
”Will you sell your island, Robert?” he cried. ”I am afraid that not even Iris could wheedle any one into buying it.”
”But father, dear,” interrupted the girl earnestly, ”what Robert says is true. We have a gold mine there. It is worth so much that you will hardly believe it until then? can no longer be any doubt in your mind.
I suppose that is why Robert asked me not to mention his discovery to you earlier.”
”No, Iris, that was not the reason,” said her lover, and the older men felt that more than idle fancy inspired the astounding intelligence that they had just heard. ”Your love was more to me than all the gold in the world. I had won you. I meant to keep you, but I refused to buy you.”
He turned to her father. His pent-up emotion mastered him, and he spoke as one who could no longer restrain his feelings.
”I have had no chance to thank you for the words you uttered at the moment we quitted the s.h.i.+p. Yet I will treasure them while life lasts.
You gave Iris to me when I was poor, disgraced, an outcast from my family and my profession. And I know why you did this thing. It was because you valued her happiness more than riches or reputation. I am sorry now I did not explain matters earlier. It would have saved you much needless suffering. But the sorrow has sped like an evil dream, and you will perhaps not regret it, for your action today binds me to you with hoops of steel. And you, too, uncle. You traveled thousands of miles to help and comfort me in my anguish. Were I as bad as I was painted, your kind old heart still pitied me; you were prepared to pluck me from the depths of despair and degradation. Why should I hate Lord Ventnor? What man could have served me as he did? He has given me Iris. He gained for me at her father's hands a concession such as mortal has seldom wrested from black-browed fate. He brought my uncle to my side in the hour of my adversity. Hate him! I would have his statue carved in marble, and set on high to tell all who pa.s.sed how good may spring out of evil--how G.o.d's wisdom can manifest itself by putting even the creeping and crawling things of the earth to some useful purpose.”