The Dickinson press., 1894-09-15

If it had not been fos Lancashire,
my lad" said Birley, thoroughly reused,
you wouldn't be the big III You
.lre!!'
Are YOU mad!" exclaimed Stein
hardt, striding up and down the hearth
rug. and glaring from Birley to me.
You shall repent this! Mr.. Unwin, I
had better have IL talk with you an
other time"
1 took this rs a dismissal, and was
going:
"Unwin, bidc, lad" said Birley. II
want you to be witness of what I have
to say: l may as well say it now:
it's been bound to come for Il long
while. You sec that man there-that
foreigner. that German-tlat grinds
our Lancashire folk small under his
great clumsy boot, and that threatens
now to ruin me-that's what he means
by saying I'll repent this-I took him
into my office when he was a raw lad.
with no recommend but that he was
willing to work; l gave him II better
| Mace in my print works: l was his
| friend: 1 treated him like q brother"
| The dear old ntar's voice well-nigh
broke: it WAS not pleasant to see the
u%nrelentin., uncompro,nisins malisnity
with which Stcinllard listened. II
gave him money To get him Il partner
ship with Paul -"
(Which 1 paid back" interrupted
S%teinhardt.
GAY, lad" said Rirl,y. you paid me
back more than that: YOU paid me
back for all l did in your own way
you took MY print works from me
Your own mad extravaganza did
that"
you set my friend Paul against me-"
continued Birley. waving away his i'll
terruption: you've got my Otlc.. shop
now almost into your hands 49,"
Your bad management has done
that"
you've done with Paul's money MS
If il We're your own; AMI you've pro
posed I" me that | should agr4" t, your
taking that foO,O@ of the lawsuit from
his girls fortune"
"Soh!' srOwled S%teinllardt, becoming
more German in his rage. sit is now
done: There is an end! We arc NO
more to each other"
II know that, Manuel. my lad And
you're glad of it. and so. l think, an
/. And now you may finish me off
but you shall not bcy.sar the orphan
girl. Now my say is done. YOUR,
very proud tonight Of having deceived
an English court Of law. hut don't yo,
hGlloa so loud till YOU q IL of til.
wood; you haven't done yet with law
nor La!lcaSllirc."
The Old man turned and left the room
looking ten years older; he seemed t,
falter in his step, and the usually rul
DIV fintS IN his fam ln1 .1iu1 1,& Iur,,
ing his cheeks and lips Of an ashy hue
I followed him without Il word. In til
hall he took his hat: l did the sam
and accompanied him in silence iron
the house and through the village;
would have seen him home, but he in
sisted on my leaving him when m.
lodgings We're reached.
I went indoors. but l could not stay
I was in the widest perturbation o
feeling which, I think, l had even en-
perienced. The close air of my littl
sitting:room stif1cd me, and when l lief
it the air of the village oppressed nj
almost as much. l could not, strive II
l would, to turn my attention to othe
things. get rid of the burning impress
sion of that painful scene in the dinini
0 of Tfmperley Hall. My resent
ment of the burlesque treatment I ha,
myself experienced from Steinhard
was keen; but 1t was nothing compare
with the Indignation l felt ut the tel
dibly pathetic tale of ingratitude re
vealed by old Birley's words; and thu
again to give place to n feeling of hol
rible dread and loathing Of that unscru
pulous, overbearing German ruffian.
To my horror I found that the SUE
picion Of what had been Lacroix's fat
which had hitherto been whirling an
curling in my Imagination like a luri
vapor was now assuming definite shap
and settling upon Steinhardt! VIII,
should he have done to death his par
ner? I could not tell; I could scarcel
make a guess worth the name. If b
had, vas the method of it such as ha
been indicated in Dicks confession?
he had-how, where had he bestowe
the traces of his crime?