Part 33 (1/2)

”What's it all about?” shouted the excited Mr. Vickers.

Mr. Russell looked up and blinked at him. ”I can't believe it,” he murmured. ”It's like a fairy tale, ain't it? What do you think of it?”

The exasperated Mr. Vickers, thrusting him back in his chair, shouted insults in his ear until his friend, awaking to the true position of affairs, turned to the beginning again and proceeded with much unction to read aloud the doc.u.ment that Mr. Tredgold had given to Selina some months before. Mr. Vickers listened in a state of amazement which surpa.s.sed his friend's, and, the reading finished, besought him to go over it again. Mr. Russell complied, and having got to the end put the paper down and gazed enviously at his friend.

”You won't have to do no more work,” he said, wistfully.

”Not if I 'ad my rights,” said Mr. Vickers. ”It's like a dream, ain't it?”

”They bought a s.h.i.+p, so I 'eard,” murmured the other; ”they've got eight or nine men aboard, and they'll be away pretty near a year. Why, Selina'll 'ave a fortune.”

Mr. Vickers, sitting with his legs stretched out stiffly before him, tried to think. ”A lot o' good it'll do me,” he said, bitterly. ”It's young Joseph Tasker that'll get the benefit of it.”

Mr. Russell whistled. ”I'd forgot him,” he exclaimed, ”but I expect she only took him becos she couldn't get anybody else.”

Mr. Vickers eyed him sternly, but, reflecting that Selina was well able to fight her own battles, forbore to reply.

”She must ha' told him,” pursued Mr. Russell, following up a train of thought. ”n.o.body in their senses would want to marry Selina for anything else.”

”Ho! indeed,” said Mr. Vickers, coldly.

”Unless they was mad,” admitted the other. ”What are you going to do about it?” he inquired, suddenly.

”I shall think it over,” said Mr. Vickers, with dignity. ”As soon as you've gone I shall sit down with a quiet pipe and see what's best to be done.”

Mr. Russell nodded approval. ”First thing you do, you put the paper back where you got it from,” he said, warningly.

”I know what I'm about,” said Mr. Vickers. ”I shall think it over when you're gone and make up my mind what to do.”

”Don't you do nothing in a hurry,” advised Mr. Russell, earnestly. ”I'm going to think it, over, too.”

Mr. Vickers stared at him in surprise. ”You?” he said, disagreeably.

”Yes, me,” replied the other. ”After all, what's looks? Looks ain't everything.”

His friend looked bewildered, and then started furiously as the meaning of Mr. Russell's remark dawned upon him. He began to feel like a miser beset by thieves.

”What age do you reckon you are, Bill?” he inquired, after a long pause.

”I'm as old as I look,” replied Mr. Russell, simply, ”and I've got a young face. I'd sooner it was anybody else than Selina; but, still, you can't 'ave everything. If she don't take me sooner than young Joseph I shall be surprised.”

Mr. Vickers regarded him with undisguised astonishment.

”I might ha' married scores o' times if I'd liked,” said Mr. Russell, with a satisfied air.

”Don't you go doing nothing silly,” said Mr. Vickers, uneasily. ”Selina can't abear you. You drink too much. Why, she's talking about making young Joseph sign the pledge, to keep'im steady.”

Mr. Russell waved his objections aside. ”I can get round her,” he said, with cheery confidence. ”I ain't kept ferrets all these years for nothing. I'm not going to let all that money slip through my fingers for want of a little trying.”

He began his courts.h.i.+p a few days afterwards in a fas.h.i.+on which rendered Mr. Vickers almost helpless with indignation. In full view of Selina, who happened to be standing by the door, he brought her unfortunate father along Mint Street, holding him by the arm and addressing him in fond but severe tones on the surpa.s.sing merits of total abstinence and the folly of wasting his children's money on beer.