Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-09-22
CHAPTER II.
THE MILLIONAIRE.

Inere Is n6fQy uFlSuteT DOOLu Al
@vanity Fair" to adopt Thackeray's met
aphor, than Scarborough; and its gayety
was at the highest point when 1 reached it
on that pleasant August afternoon The
hotels were full, the promenade was crowded
every morning and evening, the band
played its best, the weather was perfect dur
ing the long warm days, and every night
there was ball at one or other OF tho hotels
1t should have been impossible for a young
man who had no private cares to worry
him, who was passably well off, and who
was now emerging from the shadow of
bereavement, to feel dull in such place.
And yet never did I spend a duller or q moro
miserable week than that which followed
nv arrival at the Grand hotel
Day after day went. Immediately after
breakfast to the famous Spa grounds,
haunting them till became conscious Of
the fact that mon and women alike specu-
lated as to my identity. Night after night
was found in the same spot watching the
giddy, laughing throng Of pleasure seekers,
the young, the old, the rich. the poor, the
wise, the foolish, as they sauntcred up and
down listening to the mingled music of tho
band and of the sea. I even went to some
uf the balls ut the various hotels, and
mingled with the frisky matrons, the dowdy
country girls, and the men Of doubtful entece-
dents and unprepossessins appearance. who
seemed to constitute the stock company at
these entertainments. / went everywhere
where my fellow creatures were in the habit
of congregating, and gave every hour of my
time that was not spent in sleep to the search
on which was intent But all was in vain
Twas angry with myself because of the bond
age in which my fancy hold mo, and again
and again I thought of flying from tho
scene and forgetting everything in distant
travel But whenever was on tn, point OF
carrying out this intention my resolution
failed me. The picture Of tho loveliest face
had ever seen rose before my eyes SOW
her orce again, as had seen her when she
stood before mo, her hand rcstn. lightly ir
my own, and her glance answering mine, as
she spoke the few commonplace words which
were her only farewell And whenever that
vision presented itself to me, tho spell was
thrown over me afreSh and l admitted to
myself that l had met my fate-and sue
cumbed 10 it.
Yet there was nothing that was pleasur-
able in my mood even ut those moments
when thought on.y of the eirrs beauty and
grace. could not drive from Iay recollec-
ton the memory Of that other face-the face
of the man whom had st. uck down at the
railway station at York. Whenever I
thought of th, one, the features OF the other
obtruded themselves upon D,o
What was the reason OF that strange
scene, when she had appealed 70 me to drive
this man from her presence! My heart
grew hot with anger md bitter with un-
availing jealousy US rcfectaL thut at least
be must have known her far better than
did, and that, deeply ns she might hate him
or fear him, he posses cd some power over
her of which knew nothing.
What was the mystery associated with
that beautiful facet IT. vain I racked my
brain for some solution Or the enigma
only knew that in some fashion. holy or
unholy, this GIRL who in brief hour OF time
had made me moro completely her slave
than any other human being had ever done,
was associated with tho man, vicious and
vulgar, whose air of ilsolent triumph as be
greeted her could noTcr recall without
shutlder There werc not wanting other
diversions in Scarborough besid. those Of
which have spoken, but I cared for none
of them, and, Us the days passed, and my
search met with no success, l would faln
have shrunk even from the accidental ac-
quaintances had made in the hotel 1t was
only at the dinner table, indeed, or in the
smoking room late at night. that ever ex-
changed word with fellow creature.
All round me, however, there was enough,
and more than enough, Of noisy talk to hide
my sullen and self-absorbed silence Nor
could shut my mind to knowledge OF the
fact that all Scarborough was just then
buzzng with excitement over new topic OF
interesting gossip.
It was one Of the society journals which
had set the story, about which all were now
talking, afloat The gay watering place had,
it seemed, received, among its many summer
guests, one who was exceptionally distln-
guished. 1t was not that he was of high rank
or ofgreat genius. Rank and genius are novel;
ties to be found at times even at Scarbor-
ough, but they do not appear to make any
great impression upon the ordinary fire.
quenters of the place That which set every
body talkins about Mr. Mauleverer, tho
gentleman whose presence in Scarborough
had been chronicled in the society journal In
question, was his enormous wealth. People
talked Of it, speculated upon it, gloated over
it: and men and women alike were wild
with anxiety to be brought into close con-
tact with one whose riches were said to be
fabulous in their amount.
Mr.. Maueverer, discovered from what l
! saw in the newspapers and heard from those
around me, was millionaire of the new
style. lie was supposed to be some distant
connection of the old Lancashire family OF
tho same name But though English in
blood and name, he was not English either
1,-h h,,kl,1 ln;- To nnlN
and had bean born and had spent all his life
in Australia The scandal-.oving thronG with
whom mixed in the hotel or on the prone
made made light of his origin There were
some indeed some who professed to know
on that "beSt authority" which the tale
bearer always has at his command, that he
was the son OF a convict, q man who had
disgraced his family in the early part of the
present century, and who had expiated bis
sins by transportation. There were Others
who even hinted that he himself was not
free from reproach. But upon two points
there was 10 doubt in the mind OF any body.
The first was, that the man was enormously
r;ch-rich beyond the dreams of avarice-
and the other, that he was a bachelor OF
something more than middle age.
As to the manner in which he had made
the five millions sterling, with the possession
of which he was credited, all sorts Of stories
were told. 1t was Of course in keeping with
the way OF the worl that some of these
stories should be anything but creditable to
the millionaire himself. But young as was,
had learned enough to know that it does
not do to believe all the evil that is spoken of
ones fellows, and for my part inclined to
the moro charitable theory which alleged
that Mauleverer's wealth had been accumu-
lated by the simplest and most natural of all
processes-the enormous increase which had
taken place in the value of land in the colony
in which he had been born. Starting life in
the days when Australia was still III its in
fancy as the owner of vas. tracts of country,
then comparatively valueless, he had seen
his great sheep-walks, and the barren
stretches Of sandy soil which be owned in ths
neighborhood of the little ports that had
since developed into fourishing cities. turned
literally into gold without any effort on his
own part
"Flve millions, If it is penny" This was
what q young barrister named Harding,
whose acquaintance I had made in the hotel
smoking room, was never tired Of saying.
"Five millions and not all encumbrance Of
any kind, or Chick or child to whom to
leave it."
3My dear fellow" responded feebly, for
felt but little interested in this all-absorb-
ing topic, "what does it matter to you or to
me how much the man is worths We shall
never reap any benefit from his gold"
"Ah, you are young" said my lively COM