Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1909-02-12

"Bad as that?" commented GelWI-
quietly. well. what Of il: I'm stand
ing by, l tell you. That's rlghF-a-
Gerald broke down, his body GuLveIiha
under the spasm OF souE1less giiei--
that's the safety valve working. Go"d
| business. Take your time"
1t took long time. and Selwyn sal
| silent ana mo,ionIcss. his whole arm
numb from its position and Gerald
crushing grasp. And at last. seeing ma
was the moment TO speak. lie said:
"Now let's fix up this matter, Gerald
| Come on
Good heavens. H-how can 1t ID
f-Gxed:"
an tell you when you tell me. It's
a money difficulty, suppose, isn't itT'
Eyes"
"Carls%
'P-partly."
"Oh, a note? Case of honor? Where
is this |. o. U. that you gave:'
ITS worse than that. The-the note
is paid. Good God-I can't tell your
"You must. That's why I'm here
Gerald"
'WeIl, then, II drew check
knowing that | had no funds. If tiff
! they return it markell
II see. What are the figures?"
The boy stammercd them out. Sci
wyns grave face grew graver still.
"That Is bad" he said slowly, very
bad. Have you-but Of course sou
couldn't have seen Austin"
I'D kill myself flrstw said Gerald
fiercely.
NO. you wouldn't do that. You're
not that kind. Keep perfectly cool,
| Gerald, because it is going to be fixed.
The method only remains to be de-
cided upon"
Il can't take your money" stammer-
ed the boy. II can't take cent from
you after what I've said--the beastly
| things I've said"
at isn't the things you say to me
Gerald, that matter. Let me think q
| bit, and don't worry. Just lie quietly
and understand that I'll do the worry
ing. And while I'm amusing myself
with little quiet reflection as to ways
and means Just take your own bearings
from this reef and set true course
once more, Gerald. That is all the re-
| proach, all the criticism, you are going
| to get from me. Deal with yourself
and your God in silence"
And in silence and heavy dismay
| Selwyn confronted the sacrifice he
must make to save the honor of the
house of Enroll.
1t meant more than temporary incon-
venience to himself. 1t meant that be
must go into the market and sell Sc
curities which were partly his capital
and from which came the modest in
come that enabled him to live as he
did.
| There was no other way unless he
| went to Austin. But he dared not do
| that-dared not think what Austin's
action in the matter might lie. Ard
he knew that If Gerald were ever
driven into hopeless exile, with Austin's
knowledge of his disgrace ranking, the
boys utter ruin must result inevita-
bly,.
Yet-yet-how could be afford to do
this-unoccupied. earning nothing, be-
reft Of his profession, with only the
chance III view that his chaosite might
turn out stable enough to be market
able? How could he dare so strip HIM
self? Yet there was no other way. It
had TO be done, and done at Cnce-thc
very first thing in the morning, before
Il became too late.
And at first, in the bitter resentment
of the necessity. his impulse was to
turn on Gerald and bind him to Sood
conduct by every pledge the boy could
give. At least there would be c0mppn-
sation. Yet with the thought came The
clear conviction Of its futility. The
boy had brushed too close to diShoror
not to recognize 1t. And il this were
not lifelong lesson TO him no prom
| ises forced from him In his dire reed
and distress no oaths, no pledges,
could bind him. No blame, no aGmOni-
ton, no scorn, no contempt, no re-
proach, could help him to see more
clearly the pit of destruction than he
could see now.
"You need sleep, Gerald" he said
quietly. Don't worry. I'll see that
your check is not dishonored. All you
have to see to is yourself. Good night,
my boy"
But Gerald could not speak, and so
Selwyn left him and walked slowly
back to his own room, where he seat
cd himself ut his desk, grave, absent
eyed, his untitled pipe between his
teeth.
And he sat there until he had bitten
clean through the amber mouthpiece,
so that the brier bowl fell gathering
to the floor. BY that time it was full
daylight but Gerald was still asleep.
He slept late into the afternoon, but
that evening, when Selwyn and Ian
slug came in to persuade him to go
with them to Silverside, Gerald was
gone.
They waited another day for him.
He did not appear. And that night
they left for Silverside without him.