CHAPTER XXI.
HAPPY MEETINGS.
FRANK was in splendid health, and his bones set rapidly. A fortnightafter the encounter with the brigands he rode down to the camp on theYuba with his arm in a sling. His attack single-handed upon the fourstage-robbers had rendered him quite a noted character, and he waswarmly greeted upon his arrival. As soon as he had got to the woodenshanty dignified by the name of the "hotel," a deputation waited uponhim.
"We have come," the leader of the party said, "to congratulate you inthe name of the hull of this mining camp on having pretty well clearedout that gang of stage-robbers. The safety of the roads air a matter ofgreat importance to this camp, as well as to all the other camps in theState, seeing that we air obliged to pay a heavy rate of insurance onour gold being carried down, and have the risk of losing it all if wetakes it down ourselves; therefore it air the opinion of this communitythat you have done them a considerable sarvice, and we are obliged toyou."
The four members of the deputation then shook Frank solemnly by thehand.
"I can only say I am much obliged to you," Frank said, "and I onlyregret that one of the four got off safe. However, they had a lesson,and I hope the roads will be safer in future."
"Now," the spokesman of the deputation said, "let's liquor."
Five glasses were poured out by the bar-tender, and drunk off solemnly;this was considered to bring the ceremony to a close.
In the evening Frank was sitting around a fire with some of hisacquaintances, when two persons were seen approaching.
"Can you tell me," one of them said, when he got up to the group,"whether Frank Norris is in the camp, and if so, where I can find him?"
Frank sprang to his feet with a cry of astonishment.
"Uncle," he exclaimed, "is it you, or am I dreaming?"
"My dear boy," Captain Bayley exclaimed, as he grasped Frank's hand,"thank God we have found you! We have been advertising and looking foryou ever since you left, nearly three years ago."
For a minute or two they stood grasping each other's hand, theirfeelings being too full for further speech.
"Sit you down right here, Norris," one of the miners said, rising, "nodoubt you will like a talk together, and we will leave you toyourselves."
The other miners rose, and with the real courtesy and kindness whichlurked under the rough nature of the diggers, all left the spot. CaptainBayley was the first to speak.
"But here is some one else wants to shake your hand, Frank, an oldfriend too."
The fire was not burning very brightly, and although Frank seemed toknow the young fellow who stood leaning lightly on two sticks, he couldnot recall where he had seen him before.
"Don't you remember me, Frank," he said, "the lad whom you took so muchtrouble with over his Homer."
"Harry Holl," Frank said in astonishment.
"It was as Harry Holl that you knew him, but we have since found outthat he is my grandson, the son of my daughter Ella," Captain Bayleyexplained.
"Then you are my cousin," Frank said, advancing and shaking Harry'shand; "but how on earth have you and uncle come out here?"
"Let us sit down by the fire, Frank, for the evening is chilly, and thenI will tell you all about it. But first, how about that enormous bruteof a dog, who doesn't seem to have made up his mind whether the properthing is not to devour us at once."
"Come, Turk, good dog, these are friends of mine."
Finding that the intentions of the new-comers were amicable, of which atfirst he had entertained some doubts, Turk threw himself down by theside of his master.
"First of all, uncle," Frank said, as he sat down, "has that affair beencleared up?"
"Well, not exactly cleared up, Frank, but we have our suspicions. Harryand I never for a moment thought it was you--that is not till you ranaway instead of facing it out. I don't want to scold you now, but thatwas a foolish business."
"Then if you thought me innocent, uncle, why did you not answer myletter? I should never have dreamt of running away if I had not beenheart-broken at the thought that you believed me guilty."
"Letter!" Captain Bayley repeated in astonishment, "what letter? Thatwas just the thing, if you had written me only one line to say you wereinnocent I should never have doubted you for a moment, and even yourrunning away would have made no difference to me."
"But I did write, uncle; I wrote to you the very first thing, tellingyou that I was innocent, although appearances were all against me, andsaying that I could bear anything if I knew that you believed in me, andI begged you to send me just one line by hand. I waited all day for theanswer, and all the evening, and when night came and no letter I feltthat you believed me guilty; I became desperate, and when Fred advisedme to bolt, and offered me the money to take me away, I thought I mightas well go at once as go after the disgrace of being publicly expelledbefore the whole school."
"But I never got the letter," Captain Bayley said, "never got a linefrom you, and it was that which shook my faith."
"I gave the letter to Fred Barkley to post, half an hour after I camedown from school, that is before eleven o'clock, and he told me heposted it at once."
"I am afraid," Captain Bayley said sternly, "that Fred Barkley is a vileyoung scoundrel; we have had our suspicions of him, Harry and I, andthis seems to confirm them. I believe that villain is at the bottom ofthe whole affair. Have you ever suspected him, Frank?"
"Such an idea has flitted across my mind, uncle, but I have neverallowed it to rest there; it was too shocking to believe."
"I am afraid it must be believed," Captain Bayley said. "It was Harrywho first pointed it out to me that, looking at the whole case, thematter really lay between him and you, and that it was just as probablethat he took the note and sent it to you as that you should have takenit and sent it to yourself. Harry urged indeed that Fred had far greatermotives for doing so than you; for whereas you had only to get out of astupid scrape, he would be playing for the money which I was to leave,which was a heavy stake. On the other hand, he admitted that the crimeof stealing the note for the purpose of ruining you would be infinitelygreater than the taking of money in your case.
"I have nearly worried myself into a lunatic asylum over the matter. Ihave been away from England for upwards of a year--partly for the sakeof Harry here, who has got rid of his box long ago, and now gets alongvery fairly on sticks, partly to avoid seeing Fred, for as long as thisthing was unsettled, it was impossible that I could give him my hand.
"My heart has all along been with you, my boy, for you know I loved youas a son; but your silence and your running away were ugly weights inthe scale against you. Now that I find that that villain suppressed yourletter--for he must have done so, else I should have got it--and that itwas he who urged you to fly to get you out of the way, I have no longera shadow of doubt in my mind. I must tell you that Harry here neverdoubted you from the first; and as for Alice, she became a veritablelittle fury when the possibility of your guilt was suggested. We havehad some rare battles and rows over that and her absolute refusal tospeak to Fred, whom from the first she insisted was at the bottom ofit, though how she arrived at that conclusion, except by instinct, ismore than I can tell. Her joy when Harry here was found, and of coursetook the position I had intended for you, and her delight in Fred'sdiscomfiture, were, as I told her several times, absolutely indecent.Not that she minded a farthing; she is the most insubordinate youngperson I ever came across. You will hardly know her again, Frank, she isgrowing fast into a young woman, and a very pretty one too."
"But how did you find me, uncle? Was it from Mr. Adams that you heardwhere I was?"
"Well, Frank, we advertised for you, for over two years, in the Americanand Colonial papers, and at last began almost to despair.
"About two months ago, when we were in Milan--for we have been wanderingabout Europe for the last eight or nine months--your friend Adams foundus out; the good fellow had been hunting for us for two months."
"Ah! that explains why I
have not heard from him," Frank interrupted. "Ihave been looking for a letter for the last two months, and had begun toconclude that as he had nothing pleasant to tell me he had not written,and that I should never hear now."
"Then you thought like a young fool," Captain Bayley said angrily."Well, as soon as Adams had given your message to Alice--and why youshould have supposed that Alice should have believed in your innocenceany more than me, except that women never will believe what they don'twant to believe, I don't know--well, of course, she told us about it atonce, and we came back to England and talked it over, and settled thatthe best thing was for us all to come out and see you."
"All!" Frank repeated in surprise.
"Yes, all; the headstrong young woman would not be left behind, and sheis at Sacramento now, that is if she hasn't been shot by some of thesered-shirted miners, or come to her end some other way. We stayed twodays at San Francisco. I have wandered about a good deal, but I thoughtbefore I saw Sacramento and these places, that city was the residence ofthe roughest and most dangerous set of rascals I ever met.
"We travelled by coach across the plains, and on going to the bank atSacramento found that you had been just shooting some highwaymen, andhad got your arm broken by a bullet. So we put Alice in charge of thelandlady of the hotel, and dared her to stir out of the room till we gotback; we came on to the place where they said you were stopping, butfound that you had come on here this morning. So we took our places inthe coach again, and here we are; and the sooner we get away from herethe better, so I hope you will be ready to start early in the morning."
"But, my dear uncle," Frank began.
"Don't give me any of your buts, sir," Captain Bayley said peremptorily."You have been hiding too long, now you must go back and take your placeagain."
"But I can't clear myself of this affair."
"Don't tell me, sir," the old officer said angrily "you have clearedyourself to me, and I will take good care that the truth is known. Asfor that rascal Fred, I deserve all the trouble that I have gone throughfor being such an old fool as to let him take me in. I want to get backas quickly as possible to make my will again. Ever since Harry put theidea into my mind I have been fretting about the one I had made leavingFred a third of my property. I thought if anything happened to me beforethe matter was cleared up, and I found out in the next world--where Isuppose people know everything--that I had been wrong, I should havebeen obliged to have asked for a furlough to come back again to set itstraight. Alice will be fidgeting her life out, and we must set out atonce; so let us have no more nonsense about delay."
Frank offered no further resistance, and agreed to start on thefollowing morning.
"You look more like yourself now, Frank," his uncle said, "for, exceptby the tones of your voice, I should hardly have known you. You musthave grown ten inches bigger round the shoulders than you were, and havegrown into a very big man. You don't look so big here, where there areso many burly miners about, but when you get back to London people willquite stare at you. Your face at present is tanned almost black, andthat beard, which I suppose is the result of exposure, makes you lookhalf a dozen years older than you really are. I hope you will shave itoff at once, and look like a civilised English gentleman."
"I suppose I must do so," Frank said, rather ruefully, "for one neversees a beard in London, except on a foreigner. I suppose some day menwill be sensible and wear them."
They sat talking until late in the night, Frank hearing all particularsof the discovery of Harry's relationship to Captain Bayley, and the newsof all that had taken place since he had left England. He arranged forsleeping accommodation for them for the night in the hut of thestorekeeper for whom he brought up provisions, judging that this wasmore comfortable and quiet for them than in the crowded and noisy plankedifice called the hotel. The next morning they started by the coach forSacramento, Frank ordering the muleteers to follow with the animals atonce. It was a twenty-four hours' drive; but it did not seem a long oneto any of them, for Frank had so much to tell about his doings andadventures from the day when he last saw them, that there was scarce apause in their talk, until at night Captain Bayley and Harry dozed intheir corner of the coach, while Frank got outside and sat and smoked bythe driver, being altogether too excited by the sudden arrival of hisuncle, and the change in all his plans, to feel inclined for sleep. Itwas ten o'clock in the morning when they drove into Sacramento.
"I think, uncle, I will just go round to my house, for I keep oneregularly here, and put on the garb of civilisation. Alice would notrecognise me in this red shirt and high boots."
"Stuff and nonsense!" Captain Bayley said. "You had a wash-up when webreakfasted, and what do you want more? There, go up and see the girl atonce, Harry and I will join you in a minute or two; according to myexperience, these sort of meetings are always better without thepresence of a third party," and the old officer winked at his grandsonas Frank sprang up the stairs after the waiter whom Captain Bayleydirected to show him to Miss Hardy's sitting-room.
Although Captain Bayley had told him that Alice had become a youngwoman, Frank had not realised the change that three years had producedin her. He had left her a laughing girl--a dear little girl, Frank hadalways thought--but scarcely pretty, and he stood for a moment inastonishment at the tall and very beautiful young woman of eighteen whostood before him. Alice was no less astonished, and for a moment couldscarcely credit that this broad muscular man was her old playfellow,Frank. The pause was but momentary on both parties, and with a cry ofjoy and welcome the girl ran into his arms as frankly and naturally asshe had done as a child.
"There, that's enough, Frank," she said presently. "You mustn't do thatany more, you know, because I am grown up, and you know we are notreally even cousins."
"Cousins or not, Alice," Frank said, laughing, "I have kissed you fromthe time you were a child, and if you suppose I am going to give it upnow, when there is a real pleasure in kissing you, you are mistaken, Ican tell you."
"We shall see about that, sir," the girl said; "we are in Californianow, among wild people, but when we get back to England we must behavelike civilised beings. But, O Frank, what a monster of a dog! Is hesavage? He looks as if he were going to fly at me."
For Turk, to whom greetings of this sort were entirely new, was standingat the door, his bristles half-raised, doubtful whether Alice was to betreated as a friend or foe.
"Come here, Turk. He is the best of dogs, Alice, though it is well notto put him out, for he has killed two men, one in defence of our money,the other of myself; but he is the dearest of dogs, and I will tell yousome day how I found him. Come here, Turk, and give your hand to thislady, she is a very great friend of your master."
Turk gravely approached and offered his paw, which Alice tookcautiously, Frank's report of his doings being by no means encouraging.Turk, satisfied now that there was no occasion for his interference,threw himself down at full length upon the hearthrug, and Alice turnedto Frank.
"I am so glad you are coming home again."
"And I am glad to be coming home again," Frank said, "or rather I shallbe when this matter is quite cleared up."
"I should not bother any more about it," Alice said decidedly. "UncleHarry and I are all quite, quite sure that you had nothing to do withthat horrible business, and that ought to be quite enough for you."
"It isn't quite enough, Alice," he said, "although it is a very greatdeal; but we need not talk about that now. Oh, here is uncle."
In the course of the day Alice heard of the new light which had beenthrown on the matter by the discovery that Frank had written to protesthis innocence, which letter had never come to hand, and that it was Fredwho had urged Frank to fly and had supplied him with money to do so.
"I always knew he was at the bottom of it," Alice said decidedly. "Ialways said it was Fred. But I hope, Frank, you or uncle don't mean totake any steps to get him into trouble. I hate him, you know, and alwayshave; still, I think he will be punished enough with the loss of t
hemoney he so wickedly tried to gain."
"I think so too, Alice; he has behaved like a scoundrel of the worstkind, but, for my part, I am quite content to leave him alone. Still, wemust if possible prove that I was innocent."
"But we all know you are innocent, Frank. Uncle never would have doubtedit if it had not been for the stories Fred told."
"Yes, Alice; but all the fellows at Westminster were told I was guilty.I shall be constantly meeting them in the world, and all my life thisblot will hang to me if it is not set straight. When we get home I shallgo back to the School and see if I cannot hit on some clue or other. Ofcourse if Fred would confess it would be all right, but, after all, wehave not a shadow of real proof against him. We have only our suspicion,and the fact that the letter did not come to hand; and if he faces itout, and declares he posted it all right, who is to gainsay him? Lettershave gone wrong before now. I must clear myself if I can, but I promiseyou that I will not bring public disgrace upon him if it can possibly beavoided."
"He ought to be publicly disgraced," Captain Bayley roared, "the meanscoundrel, with his quiet voice and his treacherous lies. Not disgracehim? I would tie him up to a post in St. Paul's Churchyard, and hire abellman to stand on a chair beside him and tell the story of what he hasdone every half-hour. Why, sir, he would have taken in St. Dunstan withhis pretended hesitation to say anything to your disadvantage, and theaffectation of pain with which he hinted that you had confessed yourguilt to him. The scoundrel, the rascal, the hypocrite! When I thinkwhat his work has done, that you were disgraced at school, and sentwandering for three years--not that that has done you any harm, ratherthe contrary--to think that Alice has been wretched, and I have been onthorns and out of temper with myself and every one else for the sametime, that for the last year we have been wandering about Europe likethree sentimental travellers, wasting our lives, spending our money, andmaking fools of ourselves, I tell you, sir, if I was sitting aspresident of a court-martial on him, I would give him five hundredlashes, and then order him to be drummed out of the regiment."
Frank was about to speak, but Alice shook her head to him behind heruncle's back; she knew that his bark was much worse than his bite, andthat, while contradiction would only render him obstinate, he would, ifleft alone, cool down long before the time for action arrived, and couldthen be coaxed into any course they might all agree upon.
The next morning the party started for San Francisco. Frank had alreadyfound a purchaser for his team of mules at a good price, had wound upall his affairs, and obtained an order from the bank on their agents inEngland for the amount standing to his credit, which came to seventhousand five hundred and sixty pounds.
His uncle was astounded when he heard how much Frank had earned in lessthan two years' work. "I shall look at these red-shirted ruffians withmore respect in future, Frank; for, for aught I know, they may have tensof thousands standing to their credit at the bank."
"My luck has been exceptional, sir," Frank said. "I might dig foranother fifty years without making so much. Of course, there are peoplewho have made a good deal more in the same time, but then there arethousands who are no richer than when they began. We had done littlemore than keep ourselves when we went to work on Adams's claim. We hadnearly four hundred apiece from him, besides what we made for ourlabour, for the horses pretty well kept us; then from the claim sixhundred apiece. We had four thousand each out of the rich strike wemade at the head of the gulch; the bank gave me two thousand more; theodd money represents the receipts of the rest of my digging and of myearnings with the mule team."
They started for Europe by the first steamer which left San Franciscofor Panama, and reached home without adventure. The next morning CaptainBayley took Frank to Mr. Griffith, and told him the story as he hadlearned it from Frank.
"There, Griffith," he said triumphantly, when he had finished, "if youare not ready to admit that you are the most obstinate, pig-headedfellow that ever lived, I give you up altogether."
"I was wrong, I am glad to see," the lawyer said, smiling, "but I cannotadmit that I was wrong as far as the evidence that was before me went;but certainly with the light our young friend has thrown upon the matterI cannot doubt that the view you took was the correct one. Still,remember there is still no actual proof such as a court of justice wouldgo upon. Morally we may be convinced, but unless you obtain furtherevidence I do not think you are in a position openly to charge FredBarkley with stealing that ten-pound note, nor do I see how you are toset about getting such evidence."
"We are going to try, anyhow," Captain Bayley said. "Frank and I aregoing down to Westminster to-morrow to open the investigation again, andwith what we know now it is hard if we don't manage to get something."