Part 15 (1/2)
”My books,” said my father, ”still contrive to balance”
”In the year 1788,” Mr Penfield went on, ”you remember that year, do you not? In that year the six of us here engaged in a venture From the north we had carried here five hundred bales of fur, valued at fifty dollars to the bale You contracted with us, Captain Shelton, to convey those bales to England It would have been a nice piece of business, if your supercargo had not been an honest ah he was your brother-in-law, he was h to stop it”
Mr Penfield's voice had risen, so that it rang through the room, and his words followed each other in cold indict my father with strained attention
”Indeed,” he said
”Yes,” said Mr Penfield, ”as you so aptly put it--indeed Your shi+p carrying that consigno, and Ned Aiken, that damned parasite of yours, asaft, which obliged hio was trans-shi+pped When it was aboard again, Jason Hill happened to exaone In their place five hundred bales of chips had been loaded in the hold He went to theheavily, was asleep in the cabin, and on the table beside him was a letter, Shelton You remember that letter? It bore instructions from you to scuttle that shi+p ten miles out of Liverpool harbor”
”And,” said my father, with another bow, ”I was to collect the insurance
It was nicely planned”
”If you remember that, you recall what happened next We called on you, Shelton, and accused you of what you had done You neither confirmed nor denied it We told you then to leave the town We warned you never to return We warned you that ere through with your trickery We were through with your cheating and your thieving We warned you, Shelton, and now you're back, back, by your own confession, on another rogue's errand”
”Not on another's,” my father objected mildly ”One of my own, Mr
Penfield The experience you have outlined so lucidly convinced me that it was better to stick closely to my own affairs”
”Mr Shelton,” Mr Penfield went on, regardless of the interruption, ”arned you yesterday to leave the town before nightfall, and you have failed to take our advice”
”I see no reason why I should leave,” replied my father easily ”I am comfortable here for the iven are specious You got your furs back, and if I recall, they proved to be so badly moth eaten that they were not fit for any trade”
”Even though you see no reason,” said Major Proctor s to leave in one hour If you delay a minute later, ill come with friends ill kno to handle you We will come in an hour with a tar pot and a feather mattress”
”You are not only unwelcome to us on account of your past,” said Mr
Penfield, ”but more recent developments make it impossible, quite impossible for you to stay We have heard your story already froht that it is no concern of ours, except that we reood of this town We have a business with France, and we cannot afford to lose it Major Proctor was blunt just now, and yet he is right Give us credit for warning you, at least You will go, of course?”
My father sain, and smoothed the wrinkles of his coat For soed his shoulders in a deprecatory gesture, walked over to the table, and lifted up a glass of ram
”I remarked before that I was quite comfortable here,” he replied after a moment's pause ”I may add that I am amused Since I have returned to the ancestral roof, and looked again at the portraits of my family, I have had many callers to entertain me Two have tried to rob me One has threatened me with death And now six come, and threatento leave Pray don't interrupt me, Captain Tracy In a moment you shall have the floor”
He took a sip fro them over the bri every period with a perfect courtesy:
”There is one thing, only one, that you and all my other callers appear to have overlooked You fail for sos only of my own volition It is eccentric, I know, but we all have our failings”
He paused to place his glass daintily on the table, and straightened the lace at his wrist with careful solicitude
”Once before thisI have stated that I ae as it may seerown blase People have threatenedto lose your trading privileges, I think
And I a as I choose”