the man between-第17章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


g；　for　I　don't　find　it　any　great　entertainment。〃

〃I　came　to　talk　to　you　about　Squire　Rawdon。〃

〃What　about　the　Squire？　Keep　it　in　your　mind　that　he　and　I　were　sweethearts　when　we　were　children。　I　haven't　forgotten　that　fact。〃

〃You　know　Rawdon　Court　is　mortgaged　to　me？〃

〃I've　heard　you　say　somore　than　once。〃

〃I　intend　to　foreclose　the　mortgage　in　September。　I　find　that　I　can　get　twice　yes；　three　timesthe　interest　for　my　money　in　American　securities。〃

〃How　do　you　know　they　are　securities？〃

〃Bryce　Denning　has　put　me　up　to　several　good　things。〃

〃Well；　if　you　think　good　things　can　come　that　road；　you　are　a　bigger　fool　than　I　ever　thought　you。〃

〃Fool！　Madam；　I　allow　no　one　to　call　me　a　fool；　especially　without　reason。〃

〃Reason；　indeed！　What　reason　was　there　in　your　dillydallying　after　Dora　Denning　when　she　was　engaged；　and　then　making　yourself　like　a　ghost　for　her　after　she　is　married？　As　for　the　good　things　Bryce　Denning　offers　you　in　exchange　for　a　grand　English　manor；　take　them；　and　then　if　I　called　you　not　fool　before；　I　will　call　you　fool　in　your　teeth　twice　over；　and　much　too　good　for　you！　Aye；　I　could　call　you　a　worse　name　when　I　think　of　the　old　Squirehe's　two　years　older　than　I　ambeing　turned　out　of　his　lifelong　home。　Where　is　he　to　go　to？〃

〃If　I　buy　the　place；　for　of　course　it　will　have　to　be　sold；　he　is　welcome　to　remain　at　Rawdon　Court。〃

〃And　he　would　deserve　to　do　it　if　he　were　that　low…minded；　but　if　I　know　Squire　Percival；　he　will　go　to　the　poor…house　first。　Fred；　you　would　surely　scorn　such　a　dirty　thing　as　selling　the　old　man　out　of　house　and　home？〃

〃I　want　my　money；　or　else　I　want　Rawdon　Manor。〃

〃And　I　have　no　objections　either　to　your　wanting　it　or　having　it；　but；　for　goodness'　sake；　wait　until　death　gives　you　a　decent　warrant　for　buying　it。〃

〃I　am　afraid　to　delay。　The　Squire　has　been　very　cool　with　me　lately；　and　my　agent　tells　me　the　Tyrrel…Rawdons　have　been　visiting　him；　also　that　he　has　asked　a　great　many　questions　about　the　Judge　and　Ethel。　He　is　evidently　trying　to　prevent　me　getting　possession；　and　I　know　that　old　Nicholas　Rawdon　would　give　his　eyelids　to　own　Rawdon　Court。　As　to　the　Judge〃

〃My　son　wants　none　of　it。　You　can　make　your　mind　easy　on　that　score。〃

〃I　think　I　behaved　very　decently；　though；　of　course；　no　one　gives　me　credit　for　it；　for　as　soon　as　I　saw　I　must　foreclose　in　order　to　get　my　own　I　thought　at　once　of　Ethel。　It　seemed　to　me　that　if　we　could　love　each　other　the　money　claims　of　Mostyn　and　the　inherited　claims　of　Rawdon　would　both　be　satisfied。　Unfortunately；　I　found　that　I　could　not　love　Ethel　as　a　wife　should　be　loved。〃

〃And　I　can　tell　you；　Fred；　that　Ethel　never　could　have　loved　you　as　a　husband　should　be　loved。　She　was　a　good　deal　disappointed　in　you　from　the　very　first。〃

〃I　thought　I　made　a　favorable　impression　on　her。〃

〃In　a　way。　She　said　you　played　the　piano　nicely；　but　Ethel　is　all　for　handsome　men；　tall；　erect　six…footers；　with　a　little　swing　and　swagger　to　them。　She　thought　you　small　and　finicky。　But　Ethel's　rich　enough　to　have　her　fancy；　I　hope。〃

〃It　is　little　matter　now　what　she　thought。　I　can't　please　every　one。〃

〃No；　it's　rather　harder　to　do　that　than　most　people　think　it　is。　I　would　please　my　conscience　first　of　all；　Fred。　That's　the　point　worth　mentioning。　And　I　shall　just　remind　you　of　one　thing　more：　your　money　all　in　a　lump　on　Rawdon　Manor　is　safe。　It　is　in　one　place；　and　in　such　shape　as　it　can't　run　away　nor　be　smuggled　away　by　any　man's　trickery。　Now；　then；　turn　your　eighty　thousand　pounds　into　dollars；　and　divide　them　among　a　score　of　securities；　and　you'll　soon　find　out　that　a　fortune　may　be　easily　squandered　when　it　is　in　a　great　many　hands；　and　that　what　looks　satisfactory　enough　when　reckoned　up　on　paper　doesn't　often　realize　in　hard　money　to　the　same　tune。　I've　said　all　now　I　am　going　to　say。〃

〃Thank　you　for　the　advice　given　me。　I　will　take　it　as　far　as　I　can。　This　afternoon　the　Judge　has　promised　to　talk　over　the　business　with　me。〃

〃The　Judge　never　saw　Rawdon　Court；　and　he　cares　nothing　about　it；　but　he　can　give　you　counsel　about　the　‘good　things'　Bryce　Denning　offers　you。　And　you　may　safely　listen　to　it；　for；　right　or　wrong；　I　see　plainly　it　is　your　own　advice　you　will　take　in　the　long　run。〃

Mostyn　laughed　pleasantly　and　went　back　to　his　hotel　to　think　over　the　facts　gleaned　from　his　conversation　with　Madam。　In　the　first　place；　he　understood　that　any　overt　act　against　Squire　Rawdon　would　be　deeply　resented　by　his　American　relatives。　But　then　he　reminded　himself　that　his　own　relationship　with　them　was　merely　sentiment。　He　had　now　nothing　to　hope　for　in　the　way　of　money。　Madam's　apparently　spontaneous　and　truthful　assertion；　that　the　Judge　cared　nothing　for　Rawdon　Court；　was；　however；　very　satisfactory　to　him。　He　had　been　foolish　enough　to　think　that　the　thing　he　desired　so　passionately　was　of　equal　value　in　the　estimation　of　others。　He　saw　now　that　he　was　wrong；　and　he　then　remembered　that　he　had　never　found　Judge　Rawdon　to　evince　either　interest　or　curiosity　about　the　family　home。

If　he　had　been　a　keen　observer；　the　Judge's　face　when　he　called　might　have　given　his　comfortable　feelings　some　pause。　It　was　contracted；　subtle；　intricate；　but　he　came　forward　with　a　congratulation　on　Mostyn's　improved　appearance。　〃A　few　weeks　at　the　seaside　would　do　you　good；〃　he　added；　and　Mostyn　answered；　〃I　think　of　going　to　Newport　for　a　month。〃

〃And　then？〃

〃I　want　your　opinion　about　that。　McLean　advises　me　to　see　the　countryto　go　to　Chicago；　St。　Louis；　Denver；　cross　the　Rockies；　and　on　to　California。　It　seems　as　if　that　would　be　a　grand　summer　programme。　But　my　lawyer　writes　me　that　the　man　in　charge　at　Mostyn　is　cutting　too　much　timber　and　is　generally　too　extravagant。　Then　there　is　the　question　of　Rawdon　Court。　My　finances　will　not　let　me　carry　the　mortgage　on　it　longer；　unless　I　buy　the　place。〃

〃Are　you　thinking　of　that　as　probable？〃

〃Yes。　It　will　have　to　be　sold。　And　Mostyn　seems　to　be　the　natural　owner　after　Rawdon。　The　Mostyns　have　married　Rawdons　so　frequently　that　we　are　almost　like　one　family；　and　Rawdon　Court　lies；　as　it　were；　at　Mostyn's　gate。　The　Squire　is　now　old；　and　too　easily　persuaded　for　his　own　welfare；　and　I　hear　the　Tyrrel…Rawdons　have　been　visiting　him。　Such　a　thing　would　have　been　incredible　a　few　years　ago。〃

〃Who　are　the　Tyrrel…Rawdons？　I　have　no　acquaintance　with　them。〃

〃They　are　the　descendants　of　that　Tyrrel…　Rawdon　who　a　century　ago　married　a　handsome　girl　who　was　only　an　innkeeper's　daughter。　He　was　of　course　disowned　and　disinherited；　and　his　children　sank　to　the　lowest　social　grade。　Then　when　power…loom　weaving　was　introduced　they　went　to　the　mills；　and　one　of　them　was　clever　and　saved　money　and　built　a　little　mill　of　his　own；　and　his　son　built　a　much　larger　one；　and　made　a　great　deal　of　money；　and　became　Mayor　of　Leeds。　The　next　generation　saw　the　Tyrrel…　Rawdons　the　largest　loom…lords　in　Yorkshire。　One　of　the　youngest　generation　was　my　opponent　in　the　last　election　and　beat　mea　Radical　fellow　beats　the　Conservative　candidate　always　where　weavers　and　spinners　hold　the　vote　but　I　thought　it　my　duty　to　uphold　the　Mostyn　banner。　You　know　the　Mostyns　have　always　been　Tories　and　Conservatives。〃

〃Excuse　me；　but　I　am　afraid　I　am　ignorant　concerning　Mostyn　politics。　I　take　little　interest　in　the　English　parties。〃

〃Naturally。　Well；　I　hope　you　will　take　an　interest　in　my　affairs　and　give　me　your　advice　about　the　sale　of　Rawdon　Court。〃

〃I　think　my　advice　would　be　useless。　In　the　first　place；　I　never　saw　the　Court。　My　father　had　an　old　picture　of　it；　which　has　somehow　disappeared　since　his　death；　but　I　cannot　say　that　even　this　picture　interested　me　at　all。　You　know　I　am　an　American；　born　on　the　soil；　and　very　proud　of　it。　Then；　as　you　are　acquainted　with　all　the　ins　and　outs　of　the　difficulties　and　embarrassments；　and　I　know　nothing　at　all　about　them；　you　would　hardly　be　foolish　enough　to　take　my　opinion　against　your　own。　I　suppose　the　Squire　is　in　favor　of　your　buying　the　Court？〃

〃I　never　named　the　subject　to　him。　I　thought　perhaps　he　might　have　written　to　you　on　the　matter。　You　are　the　last　male　of　the　house　in　that　line。〃

〃He　has　never　written　to　me　about