Evening star., 1905-09-06
CHAPTER VI.
An Offer of Purchase.


CHAPTER VI.
An Offer Of Purchase.
THAT" said Sir Eustace Holland dec1-
sively. ''is the situation as I see 1t"
Harvey Wiseman rubbed his hands ana
chuokled. He was Ill at ease, SO by force
of habit he pretended to be amused. He
had often put an opponent of his guard In
that way.
Doesn't 1t strike you," he said pleasant
ly, as he held open side gate which led
from the garden to the beech avenue, that
for a returned ne'er-do-weel you are TAX
ing a somewhat high hand? Do you think
you will be able to keep 1t up? Catch my
meaning?
Sir Eustace looked at him sharply.
mo" he said. What Is your meaning?
We'll walk on bit, and I'll tell you.
said Harvey. Twelve years ago l knew
you pretty well, and am quite sure that
the high-fiown morality business WASH WASH
much in your line then. am really curious
to know whether you honestly belleve you
can do it successfully now. Doesn't seem
likely, with your record, does III
Suppose you leave my record aione
Eustace began.
'Oh, but / cant do that Harvey inter-
rupted. One has to take a man as one
finds him-or rather as one knows him, !
/ "A
spots. even in twelve years; and scoun-
dreI in the twenties doesn't become a Bay.
ard in the thirties. Susan believes you are
the Bayard, of course. In spite of every
thing. You may be clever enough to make
Mary believe it, too, In time: but you can't
suppose that am going to be taken In IKE
the women. Come. you're not fool;' why
should you suppose that am?'
Il assure you that don't said Eustace
grimly. But there is an alternative"
You mean that I am knave?"
Il don't dismiss the possibility from my
calculations.
Harvey Wiseman laughed. He was not
annoyed in the slightest. Moreover he no.
tfced with some satisfaction that his COM
panion was equally unmoved. If man
eau hear himself plainly called a scoundrel
without showing any sign of anger at the
charge, the chances are that the charge is
still true. And it would suit Harry Wise
mans plans that 1t should still be true.
':Scoundrel and knave should be able TO
come to terms, in this imperfect world" he
said. with grin. 81 won't despair"
They had passed down the beech avenue
while they talked. and were approaching
the back entrance of the Holland Abbey
diStitlery. EuStace stopped.
81 won't pretend to misunderstood YOU,
he said. You made offer last night
which showed plainly enough what sort of
man you think l am. was angry
them
''And you are sorry now that you were"' :
Harvey cut in quickly. Well, the offer is
still OPEN -te E..<S {
Eustace controlled a movement of impa-
tience :
''You are duller than thought you were,"
he said, contemptuously, ''or you would see
the mistake you are making. But l think
you are sharp enough to understand plain
speech
Harvey laughed pleasantly.
You are going to speak plainly?' he
asked, with an uneasy show of amusement.
you've developed! There was nothing you
to hofa hat he
MY sister,"
"Oh, we've discussed that. haven't we?
You have just refused my offer"
Your offer did not exhaust the subject.
What am going to say now however, does.
You have been forcing unwelcome atteu-
tions upon Mary. More than that, you have
threatened-whiIe you still believed that
was dead, and that Holland Abbey was
yours-to turn two helpless women out to
shift for themselves unless Mary consented
to marry yor.
Il never made that threat" said Wise
man.
Perhaps not in words" said Eustace.
with a shrug But you made it. They
both understood YOU.
What does it matter If 1 did? 1t won't
be carried out"
Eustace smiled.
NO" he said. "since, to your great dis
appointment. am not dead yet"
1T wouldn't be carried out II you were.
1t wouldn't have been necessary to carry
it out, because Mary would have married
me. She will marry me, though you are
alive"
Il shall make it my business to see that
she doesn't. And l won't allow you to put
any pressure on her, or to annoy Der In any
way Is my speech sufficiently plain now!
"Since it appears to amount to declara-
ton of war between US. yes. said Wise
man. But don't think you are wise.
'In refusing to welcome Harvey Wisenan
as brother-in-law?
I'm attempting to bluff Harvey Wiseman!
Is 1T war;"
Eustace looked him up and down, and an
swered unconcernedly:
Yes"
Harvey chuckled as though again there
was hidden joke which he was ENJOYING
every WELL" he said. grinning. come to
my quarters, and we will discuss the terms
of It, 1 have a man who makes rather a
good cocktail that 1 should like your opin-
ion Of. You may as WELL ne ADDED az
Eustace hesitated.' You can drink my
cocktail without prejudice. as the lawyers
say; and l won't poison 1t.
He chuckled again. as he led the way into
the distillery. He was genuinely amused.
because he thought he held in his hand
card which Sir Eustace Holland had for
gotten How was 1t that this foolish young
man expected to be able to remain 20
thwart him when the Offices of the British
admiralty were at the end of wire whose
other end was the post office in Elgin? IL
Eustace interfered with his game. Harvey
Wiseman would have a sixpenny telegram,
or even the penny post, the master trump
in that game.
Eustace followed him. because his plain
speaking was not finished yet. He had not
forgotten the trump card which Harvey
held. but he had wondered whether the
man was mean enough to play it. Harvey
would have been surprised had he known
that his chuckles of amusement, SO far
from putting his adversary off the scent,
had actually helped that adversary to make
a shrewd guess that the d.stiller was cal
cula ting the advantages and disadvantages
Of betraying him.
Wisemans snuggery at the SdlstfHefy was
furnished with luxury. and even taste Eus-
tace knew enough about art to be aware
that the three four engravings which he
saw were good, and he noted with some
surprise that the whole circle OF the walls
was fitted for four feet up from the floor
with bookshelvss. A glance at some Of
the titles gave him a surprising hint OF
what the dfstilIer's taste in literature was.
A section was filled with Sir John Lub-
books Hundred Best Books" but Eustace