Part 45 (1/2)
”But tell me another thing. Would you have shot Hannibal if Mr. Weil and Miss Fern had not made their appearance?”
”I have not the least doubt of it. He was in my eyes at that moment a crawling adder, whose fangs were liable to penetrate the flesh of some one if he was not put out of the way. But I am more than glad I was spared the infliction of his punishment.”
Gouger wore a strange look.
”And yet he had one most human quality,” said he.
”Yes, I admit that now,” was the reply. ”In his pa.s.sionate, barbaric way, he certainly loved. When I revise my novel I shall try to deal fairly with him.”
”And you will finish it very soon now?”
”As soon as possible.”
A month later Lawrence Gouger received at his office a package marked on the outside, ”From s.h.i.+rley Roseleaf.” He could hardly control his excitement until he had untied the strings, taken off the wrappings and disclosed the tin box inside. It was a square box, just the right size for ma.n.u.script paper such as he had seen Roseleaf use, and the heart of the enthusiast beat high as he took it in his hands. A jewel case filled with the costliest stones would not have seemed to him more precious.
The fame of a new author would soon resound through the world! Cutt & Slashem would have the greatest work of fiction of recent years in their next catalogue! And he, Lawrence Gouger, would be given the credit of discovering--one might almost say of inventing--this wonder!
Opening the box, the critic looked at its contents and then dropped it with an exclamation. It contained nothing but a small sealed envelope and _a heap of ashes_!
Ashes! Ashes made from recently burned paper!
When he recovered enough to open the envelope, this note was found within:
”TO LAWRENCE GOUGER, ESQ:--DEAR SIR: Enclosed herewith you will find the novel for which you have waited so long. I hope it will please you in all respects, as I certainly have taken the greatest pains with it.
”On reading it over I thought it best to more thoroughly disguise the personality of the characters, lest any of them might be injured by its publication. There was the happiness of a newly-made bride to be considered; her husband's ease of mind; her father's serene old age; her sister's feelings. There was even a black man who had perhaps suffered enough, and a critic employed by a large publis.h.i.+ng firm who would not like his true character made manifest in type. In order to protect these people I have applied a match to the pages. You can best tell whether I have performed the work too well.