Litchfield enquirer., 1880-10-14


as have an old friend on board, and l shall
look out to see if your men succeed in their
capture"
''She ought to be in by eleven"
Gerald sat some little time over his break
fast after the chief OF the constabulary had
left.
II must save him if possible, for her sake, 4"
he said to himself at last. "He is q swindler
and, fear, q bad lot altogether; but she loves
him, and that is enough for me. Even if she
did not love him / would spare her the dis
grace of his trial and punishment.
At eleven o'clock Gerald stood on the wharf
watching the Taunton Castle coming along
side. Near him stood couple of constables.
He knew them, as both had been engaged In
hunting up more than one fraudulent debtor
to the firm.
81 hear from Captain Peters that you are On
the lookout for passenger"
eyes Sir. We hope 80, but there doesn't
seem much certainty about it,"
AS the ship came alongside Gerald was one
of the first to leap On beard. He looked hastl-
ly ronnd, and among the passengers he at once
saw the man he was searching for. Paul
Gossett was looking i'll, and had grown a
beard, but there was no other change about
him.
"What is that gentleman's name ?" he asked
q lad who was standing near. sfF"
"HOpkins, 1.-THE boy said.
Then Gerald went up to him with out
stretched hand. Gossett gave start but'a
gesture commanding caution on the part of
Gerald caused him to repress it.
"How are you, Hopkinsp What time it
is since we met-ages almost! How are
YOU ?" 49, = - - A"S -
He spoke in loud tones, in order that the
constables, who were close by, might hear.
"Well, what sort of voyage have you
had and how did you leave every one at
homer"
Paul Gossett had prepared himself fora
rest at the moment of landing. He knew that
if any suspicion had been excited that Paul
Gossett and James Hopkins were one and the
same person, that the constables would be on
the quay to arrest him as he landed. He was
therefore prepared to meet whatever came
and after the first slight start he recognized
by the action and tone of voice, that Gerald
was trying to save him, and fell into the lead.
A man who has for months and years been
running great risk must necessarily have his
nerves well under control, and the constables,
who stood short distance off listening to the
conversation, did not for moment suspect
that it was forced. . -
For few minutes they talked SO, and then
Gerald said
"You knowI am only in bachelors .lodg-
ings, but have taken room for you at the
Royal. shall see you later in the day. l
must 60 of to my Office now. Well. officers"
he said to the constables, as he turned from
Gossett, ''have you got your man? Which Is
hep"
"We haven't got him, and we amt a-going
to. The chap that we were put on was the
very gent as you have been talking with"
"What my friend Hopkins? That is a
joke"
Cant be no mistake, suppose. Sir ?"
mistake, man! Why. have known him
for years. We have been down at the sea-
side together. In fact, saved his life once"
''Thats good enough, Sir. It's quite clear
the people at home have gone after wrong
scent altogether; very likely put on it so as to
render it more easy for him to slip off in some
other direction"
''Likely enough" Gerald said carelessly.
Sat any rate, it is as we'll for Mr.. Hopkins
that happened to meet him here Imagine
his establishment at being seized and locked
up. Ii he had mot had any one to identify him
and you had detained him for a couple of
months, till some one came out from England
to swear to him, he would have had grounds
for an action, and would have got swinging
damages against all your people,"
Twice in the course of the evening Gerald |
called at the Royal, but each time he was told
that Hopkins was out He was relieved to
he was bound to call in order to keep up the |
story of their acquaintanceship, yet that he
would far rather that they did not meet. Next |
morning when he called at the hotel he was
told Mr.. Hopkins had gone up country, but |
that he had left a note for him.
Its contents were brief:
'You are grand fellow, Gerald Mayfield !
You have saved me twice, and have returned
good for evil. II I could undo the past,
heaven knows that would. am going up
the country to get work Of some sort only
got of with enough to pay my passage
out"
Ten months later Gerald received from the
doctor of hospital at Ballarat the certificate
of the death of Peul Gossett, MORALLY injured
by fall OF the roof in one of the mines there,
He had lived few days, had said who he
was, and had written to his wife. He had
ordered that the certificate of his death and
his letter to his wife might be forwarded to
Mr.. Mayfeld, who would, he was sure, see
that they were sent to his widow.
For another ten months Gerald Mayfeld
worked on at Melbourne, and then, having
been relieved by his junior partner, he sailed
for England. Maud was, be knew, living at
Brighton, where she was supporting herself by
giving music lessons, having firmly declined
TO touch the money anonymously paid to her
account.
Then he went down and peremptorily took
posse of her. Maud had determined upon
resistance, for she had schooled herself to be-
lieye that it would be wrong for her to marry
again. She acknowledged freely to herself
that she loved Gerald Mayfeld She had
heard from her husband how Gerald had saved
him from arrest; she felt sure that il was Ger
aid who would have provided for her; she
never doubted that he would come back and
claim her; but she had assured herself, over
and over again, that she would never allow
the stigma of her name to attach to him, hard
though it might be to refuse him. But when
he came in, and straightway took her in his
arms and held her there when he stopped her
lips as she tried to speak about disgrace, and
wiped away her tears as they fell, there was
nothing for her to do but to yield, and even to
allow him, in his masterful way, to settle that,
as the marriage would be perfectly quiet, there
was no reason in the world why it should be
delayed beyond a month at the outside.
''You foolish Gerald" she said to him, later
on in the evening, ''yOu are always in ex-
tremes; you lost me five years ago because
you were so timid you would not stand up tor
yourself and now you have become per-
fect tyrant, and won't allow me to have ever
DO little bit of my own way"
"You shall have all your own way, darling
when you are once my wife," he said shut
till then mean to be master; so your best
plan is to hurry on your preparations as fastas
you can in order to free yourself from my tyr
amy. And there is one thing, Maud, if you
don't object: / should like to spend part, at
least, of or honeymoon at Ilfracombe. Another
year you shall travel all over the Continent, If
yu like; but if it is not painful to you
1 should like Ilfracombe now OF course
we will not 60 to the hotel, but get into some
quiet lodging, and ramble on the rocks as we
used to do.
eyes, should like it," Maud said ssand
we will agree to believe that we were only
there few weeks ago, and that this Eve years |
has been bad dream, never to be talked
about or thought of willingly again TINS
kys Magazine. = ~ +
Summers Heat