CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.
There was no hesitation on the part of Kate Wilton. The dread was gone,and she rapidly drew up the blind and opened the casement window.
"You?" she said quickly, as she held out her hands, which were caught atonce and held.
"Yes; who should it be, my child? Were you afraid that insolent youngscoundrel would dare to do such a thing?"
"At first," she faltered, and then quickly, "I hardly knew what tothink; I was afraid someone was going to break in. Oh, Mr Garstang,why have you come?"
He uttered a little laugh.
"For the same reason, I suppose, that would make a father who knew hischild was in peril act in the same way."
"It is very, very kind of you; but you will be heard, and it will onlycause fresh trouble."
"It can cause no greater than has come to us, my child. I was half-wayto London, but I could not go on; so I got out at a station ten milesaway, walked into the village close by, and found a fly and a man todrive me over. I wanted to know how you were getting on. Have you seenthem again?"
"No. I came straight to my room, and have not left it since."
"Good girl! That was very brave of you. Then you took my advice."
"Of course."
"And Master Claud?"
He felt her start and shudder.
"Don't talk about him, please. But there, I am very grateful to you forbeing so kind and thoughtful, and for your brave defence."
"Brave nonsense, my child!" he said bluntly. "I did as any man of rightfeeling would have done if he found a ruffian insulting a weak, helplessgirl. Kate, my dear, my blood has been boiling ever since. I could notgo back and leave you in this state; I was compelled to come and see youand have a little consultation about your future. I felt that I must doit before seeing James Wilton again. Not a very reputable way, this, ofcoming to a man's house, even if he is a connection of mine; notrespectful to you, either, my child, but I felt certain that if I cameto the door and asked to see you I should have been refused entrance."
"Yes, yes," said Kate, sadly. "I should not have been told of yourcoming, or I would have insisted upon seeing you."
"You would! Brave girl! I like to hear you speak out so firmly. Well,there was nothing for it but for me, middle-aged man as I am, to playthe daring gallant at the lady's window--lattice, I ought to say."
"Please don't talk like this, Mr Garstang," said Kate. "It does notsound like you to be playful in your manner."
"Thank you, my child, you are right; it does not I accept the reproof.Now, then, to be businesslike. You have been thinking deeply, ofcourse, since you have been alone?"
"Yes, very, very seriously about my position. Mr Garstang, it isimpossible for me to stay here."
"Quite impossible. The conduct to you of your aunt and uncle makesthem--no matter what promises they may give you--quite unworthy of yourtrust. Well?"
"I have pretty well decided that I shall go away to-morrow with Eliza,our old nurse and maid."
"A most worthy woman, my dear. You could not do better; but--"
"But what?" said Kate, nervously.
"I do not wish to alarm you, but do you fully realise your positionhere?"
"Yes, and that is why I have decided to go."
"Exactly; but you do not fully grasp my meaning. What about youruncle?"
"You mean that he will object?"
"Exactly."
"But if I am firm, and insist, he will not dare to detain me," said thegirl warmly.
"You think so? Well, think again, my child. He is your guardian andtrustee; he will absolutely refuse, and will take any steps which heconsiders right to prevent your leaving. I am afraid that by the poweryour poor father left in his hands he will consider himself justified inkeeping you quite as a prisoner until you obey his wishes."
"Mr Garstang, surely he dare not proceed to such extremities!"
"I am afraid that he has the power, and I grieve to say he is in such aposition that he is likely to be reckless in his desire to gain hisends."
Kate drew a deep breath, and gazed appealingly in the speaker's face.
"As a solicitor and the husband of your aunt's late sister, James Wiltonnaturally came to me for help in his money affairs, and I did the best Icould for him. I found that he had been gambling foolishly on the StockExchange, instead of keeping to his farms, and was so involved thatimmediate payments had to be made to save him from absolute ruin."
"But my father surely did not know of this?"
"Not a word. He kept his own counsel, and of course until the will wasread I had no idea of what arrangements your father had made; in fact, Iwas somewhat taken aback, for I thought it possible that he would havemade me one of your trustees. But that by the way. I helped your uncleall I could as a monetary agent, and found clients who were willing toadvance him money on his estate, which is now deeply mortgaged. Thesemoneys are now wanted, for the interest has not been fully paid foryears. In short, James Wilton is in a desperate condition, and myvisits here have been to try and extricate him from his monetary tanglein which he finds himself. Now do you begin to grasp what his designsare?"
"Yes, I see," said Kate, sadly; "it is to get some of the money whichshould be mine, to pay his debts."
"Exactly, and the simplest way to do so is to marry you to Claud."
"No: there is a simpler way, Mr Garstang. If my uncle had come to meand told me his position I should have felt that I could not have done amore kindly deed than to help my father's brother by paying his debts."
"Very kind and generous of you, my child; but he would not believe itpossible, and I must say to you that, after what has passed, you wouldnot be doing your duty to the dead by helping your uncle to this extent.Kate, my dear, since I have been talking to you it has occurred to methat there is but one way out of your difficulty."
"Yes, what is it?" she cried eagerly.
"Of course, you cannot marry your cousin?"
"Mr Garstang!" she cried indignantly.
"It is impossible, of course; and if you stay here you will have tosubmit to endless persecution and annoyance, such as a highly strung,sensitive girl like you are will be unable to combat."
"You do not know me yet, Mr Garstang."
"Indeed? I think I do, as I have known you from a child. You arementally strong, but you have been, and under these circumstances willbe, further sapped by sickness, and it would need superhuman power towin in so cruel a fight. You must not risk it, Kate, my child. Youmust go."
"Yes, I feel that I know I must go, but how can I? You, as a lawyer,should know."
"A long and costly litigation, or an appeal to the Court of Chancerymight save you, and a judge make an order traversing your father's will,but I should shrink from such a course; I know too well theuncertainties of the law."
"Then your idea for extricating me from my difficult position is of novalue," she said, despairingly.
"You have not heard it yet," he said, "because I almost shrink fromproposing such a thing to your father's child."
"Tell me what it is," she said firmly.
"You desire me to?"
"Of course."
"It is this--a simple and effective way of checkmating one who hasproved himself unworthy. My idea was that you should transfer theguardianship to me."
"Willingly, Mr Garstang; but can it be done?"
"It must and shall be done if you are willing, my child," he saidfirmly, "but it would necessitate a very unusual, a bold and immediatestep oh your part."
"What is that, Mr Garstang?" she said quietly.
"You would have to place yourself under my guardianship at once."
"At once?" she said, starting slightly.
"Yes. Think for yourself. It could not be done slowly and legally, forat the first suspicion that I was acting against him, James Wilton wouldplace you immediately completely out of my reach, and take ample carethat I had no further communication with you."
"
Yes," she said quietly; "he would."
"Yes," he said, repeating her words, and speaking in a slow,passionless, judicial way; "if the thing were deferred, or if he werebesieged, he would redouble his pressure. Kate, my dear, that was myidea; but it must sound almost as mad to you as it does to me. Yes, itis impossible; I ought not to have proposed such a thing, and yet I cannot find it in my heart to give up any chance of rescuing you from yourterrible position."
He was silent, and she stood there gazing straight before her for a fewmoments before turning her eyes upon his.
"Tell me plainly what you mean, Mr Garstang."
"Simply this: I did mean that you should take the opportunity of mybeing here and leave at once. I have the fly waiting, and I could takeyou to my town house and place you in the care of my housekeeper and herdaughter. It would of course be checkmating your uncle, who could bebrought to his knees; and then as the price of your pardon you could dosomething to help him out of his difficulties. Possibly a moderatepayment to his creditors might free him on easy terms. But there, mychild, the project is too wild and chimerical. It must almost sound toyou like a romance."
She stood there gazing full in his eyes as he ceased speaking; and atthe end of a minute he said gently, "There, I must not keep you talkinghere in the cold night air. Your chest is still delicate; but strangeas the visit may seem, I am after all glad I have come, if only to giveyou a little comfort--to show you that you are not quite alone in theworld. There, say good-night, and, of course, you will not mention myvisit to anyone. I must go now and catch the night mail at the station.To-morrow I will see a very learned old barrister friend, and lay thematter before him so as to get his advice. He may show me some way outof the difficulty. Keep a good heart. I must show you that you haveone who will act as an uncle should. But listen to me," he said, as hetook her cold hand in his, "you must brace yourself up for theencounters to come. Even if I find that I can assist you, the law movesslowly, and it may be months before you can come out of prison. So noflinching; let James Wilton and that scoundrel Claud know that they havea firm, mentally strong woman to deal with; and now God bless you, mychild! Good-night!"
He let her hand fall, and lowered himself a round of the ladder; but shestood as if carved in marble in the bright moonlight, without uttering aword.
"Say good-night, my dear; and come, be firm."
She made no reply.
"You are not hurt by my proposal?" he said quietly.
"No," she said at last, "I was trying to weigh it. I must have time."
"Yes, you must have time. Think it over, my child; it may strike youdifferently to-morrow, or you may see it in a more impossible light. Somay I. You know my address: Bedford Row will find me. I am well knownin London. Write to me if you require help, and at any cost I will comeand see you, even if I bring police to force my way. Now, good-night,my dear. Heigho! Why did not I have a daughter such as you?"
"Let me think," said Kate gravely.
"No; this is no time for thinking, my child. Once more, good-night."
"No," said Kate firmly. "I will trust you, Mr Garstang. You must notleave me to be kept a prisoner here."
"Possibly they would not dare; and I must warn you that you are taking avery unusual step."
"Not in trusting you, sir," she said firmly. "Treat me as you havetreated the daughter who might have been born to you, and save me atonce from the position I am in. Wait while I go and waken Eliza. Shemust be with us."
"Your maid?" he said.
"Yes, I can not leave her here."
"They will not keep her a prisoner," he said quietly, "and she can joinus afterwards. No, my child, if you go with me now it must be alone andat once. I will not put any pressure on you. Come or stay. You stillhave me to work for you as far as in me lies. Which shall it be? Yourhat and cloak, or good-night?"
"Don't leave me, Mr Garstang. I am weak and hysterical still. I feelnow, after the chance of freedom you have shown me, that I dare not faceto-morrow alone."
"Then you will come?" he said, in the same low passionless way.
"I will."
Five minutes after, John Garstang was helping her carefully to descendthe ladder, guarding her every footstep so that she could not fall; andas they reached the ground, he quietly offered her his arm.
"What a beautifully calm and peaceful night!" he said gravely. "Do youfeel the cold?"
"No; my cheeks are burning," she answered.
"Ah! yes, a little excitement; but don't be alarmed. The fly is waitingabout half a mile away. A sharp walk will bring back the correctcirculation. Almost a shame, though, my child, to take you from theclear pure air of the country to my gloomy house in Great Ormond Street.Not very far from your old home."
"Don't talk to me, please, Mr Garstang," she said painfully.
"I most, my dear; and about everything that will take your attentionfrom the step you are taking. Are your shoes pretty stout? I must nothave you suffering from wet feet. By the way, my dear, you werenineteen on your last birthday. You look much older. I thought soyesterday. Dear, dear, ii my poor wife had lived, how she would haveblessed me for bringing her a daughter to our quiet home! How you wouldhave liked her, my dear! A sweet, good, clever woman--so different toMaria Wilton. Well, well, a good woman, too, in spite of her weaknessfor her boy."
He chatted on, with Kate walking by him in silence, till the fly wasreached, with the horse munching the grass at the road side, and thedriver asleep on the box, but ready to start into wakefulness at a word.
An hour later, Kate sat back in the corner of a first-class carriage,when her strength gave way, and she burst into a hysterical fit ofsobbing. But she heard Garstang's words:
"I am glad to see that, my child. Cry on; it will relieve youroverburdened heart. You will be better then. You have done right;never fear. To-morrow you can rest in peace."