CHAPTER XLIX
WANTED, A SAWYER
To judge Mr. Goad by his own scale of morality and honor, he certainlyhad behaved very well through a trying and unexpected scene. He foughtfor his honor a great deal harder than ever it could have deserved ofhim; and then he strove well to appease it with cash, the mere thoughtof which must have flattered it. However, it was none the worse fora little disaster of this kind. At the call of duty it coalesced withinterest and fine sense of law, and the contact of these must havestrengthened it to face any future production.
For the moment he laid it aside in a drawer--and the smallest hepossessed would hold it--and being compelled to explain his instructions(partly in short-hand and partly in cipher), he kindly, and for the mainof it truly, interpreted them as follows:
"July 31, 1858.--Received directions from M. H. to attend withoutfail, at whatever expense, to any matter laid before us by a tall, darkgentleman bearing his card. M. H. considerably in our debt; but hisfather can not last long. Understand what he means, having dealt withthis matter before, and managed well with it.
"August 2.--Said gentleman called, gave no name, and was very close.Had experienced some great wrong. Said that he was true heir to the C.estates now held by Lord C. Only required a little further evidence toclaim them; and some of this was to be got through us. Importantpapers must be among the effects of the old lord's son, lately dead inCalifornia, the same for whom a reward had been offered, and we had beenemployed about it. Must get possession of those papers, and of the girl,if possible. Yankees to be bribed, at whatever figure, and always standout for a high one. Asked where funds were to come from; gave goodreference, and verified it. To be debited to the account of M. H.Said we would have nothing to do with it without more knowledge of ourprincipal. Replied, with anger, that he himself was Lord C., ousted byusurpers. Had not the necessary proofs as yet, but would get them, andblast all his enemies. Had doubts about his sanity, and still greaterabout his solvency. Resolved to inquire into both points.
"August 3.--M. H. himself, as cool as ever, but shammed to be indignant.Said we were fools if we did not take it up. Not a farthing would he payof his old account, and fellows like us could not bring actions. Also ahatful of money was to be made of this job, managed snugly. Emigrants toCalifornia were the easiest of all things to square up. A whole trainof them disappeared this very year, by Indians or Mormons, and no bonesmade. The best and most active of us must go--too ticklish for an agent.We must carry on all above-board out there, and as if sent by Britishgovernment. In the far West no one any wiser. Resolved to go myself,upon having a certain sum in ready.
"August 5.--The money raised. Start for Liverpool to-morrow. Require achange, or would not go. May hit upon a nugget, etc., etc."
Mr. Goad's memoranda of his adventures, and signal defeat by Uncle Sam,have no claim to be copied here, though differing much from my account.With their terse unfeeling strain, they might make people laugh who hadnot sadder things to think of. And it matters very little how that spyescaped, as such people almost always seem to do.
"Two questions, Goad, if you please," said Major Hockin, who had smiledsometimes, through some of his own remembrances; "what has happenedsince your return, and what is the name of the gentleman whom you havecalled 'M.H.?'"
"Is it possible that you do not know, Sir? Why, he told us quite latelythat you were at his back! You must know Sir Montague Hockin."
"Yes, yes; certainly I do," the old man said, shortly, with a quickgleam in his eyes; "a highly respected gentleman now, though he may havesown his wild oats like the rest. To be sure; of course I know all aboutit. His meaning was good, but he was misled."
In all my little experience of life nothing yet astonished me more thanthis. I scarcely knew whom to believe, or what. That the Major, mostupright of men, should take up his cousin's roguery--all new to him--andspeak of him thus! But he gave me a nudge; and being all confusion, Isaid nothing, and tried to look at neither of them, because my eyes mustalways tell the truth.
"As to the other point," Mr. Goad went on; "since my embassy failed, wehave not been trusted with the confidence we had the right to expect.Ours is a peculiar business, Sir: 'Trust me in all, or trust me not atall,' as one of our modern poets says, is the very essence of it. Andpossibly, Major, if that had been done, even your vigor and our senseof law might not have extorted from me what you have heard. Beingcashiered, as we are, we act according to the strictest honor indivulging things no longer confided to us."
"Goad, you have done yourself the utmost credit, legally,intellectually, and--well, I will not quite say morally. If I ever havea nasty job to do--at least I mean a stealthy one--which God, whohas ever kept me straight, forbid!--I will take care not to lose youraddress. I have a very queer thing occurring on my manor--I believeit is bound up with this affair--never mind; I must think--I hate allunderhanded work."
"Major, our charges are strictly moderate. We do in a week what takeslawyers a twelvemonth. Allow me to hand you one of our new cards."
"No, no. My pockets are all full. And I don't want to have it foundamong my papers. No offense, Mr. Goad, no offense at all. Society isnot as it was when I was young. I condemn no modern institutions, Sir,though the world gets worse every day of its life."
In terror of committing himself to any connection with such a firm, theMajor put on his dark lights again, took up his cane, and let every bodyknow, with a summary rap on the floor, that he might have relaxed, butwould not allow any further liberty about it. And as he marched away,not proudly, yet with a very nice firmness, I was almost afraid to sayany thing to him to disturb his high mental attitude. For Mrs. Hockinmust have exclaimed that here was a noble spectacle.
"But one thing," I forced myself to suggest; "do ask one thing beforewe go. That strange man who called himself 'Lord Castlewood' here, and'Captain Brown' at Soberton--have they any idea where to find him now?And why does he not come forward?"
My comrade turned back, and put these questions; and the privateinquirer answered that they had no idea of his whereabouts, but couldeasily imagine many good reasons for his present reserve of claim. Forinstance, he might be waiting for discovery of further evidence;or (which was even more likely) for the death of the present LordCastlewood, which could not be very far distant, and would remove thechief opponent. It grieved me deeply to find that my cousin's conditionwas so notorious, and treated of in such a cold-blooded way, like a mulefallen lame, or a Chinaman in Frisco.
"My dear, you must grow used to such things," Major Hockin declared,when he saw that I was vexed, after leaving those selfish premises. "Ifit were not for death, how could any body live? Right feeling is shownby considering such points, and making for the demise of others evenmore preparation than for our own. Otherwise there is a selfishnessabout it by no means Christian-minded. You look at things always fromsuch an intense and even irreligious point of view. But such things areout of my line altogether. Your Aunt Mary understands them best."
"Would you be able," I said, "to account to Aunt Mary conscientiouslyfor that dreadful story which I heard you tell? I scarcely knew where Istood, Major Hockin."
"You mean about Montague? Family honor must be defended at any price.Child, I was greatly pained to go beyond the truth; but in such a caseit is imperative. I was shocked and amazed at my cousin's conduct; buthow could I let such a fellow know that? And think what I owe to hisfather, Sir Rufus? No, no; there are times when Bayard himself muststretch a point. Honor and religion alike demand it; and Mrs. Hockinneed never hear of it."
"Certainly I shall not speak of it," I answered, though a littlesurprised at his arguments; "but you mean, of course, to find out allabout it. It seems to me such a suspicious thing. But I never could bearSir Montague."
The Major smiled grimly, and, perceiving that he wished to drop thesubject, I said no more. He had many engagements in London always, and Imust not attempt to engross his time. However, he would not for a momenthear of leaving me any where but with
Betsy, for perhaps he saw howstrange I was. And, being alone at last with her, I could keep up mypride no longer.
Through all that had happened, there never had been such a dreadfultrial as I had borne this day without a word to any one. Danger and lossand sad dreariness of mind, from want of young companionship; mysteryalso, and obscurity of life, had always been my fortune. With all ofthese I had striven, to the best of my very small ability, having fromnature no gift except the dull one of persistence. And throughout thatstruggle I had felt quite sure that a noble yearning for justice and alofty power of devotion were my two impelling principles. But now,when I saw myself sprung of low birth, and the father of my worshipbase-born, down fell all my arduous castles, and I craved to go underthe earth and die.
For every word of Mr. Goad, and every crooked turn of little things intwist against me--even the Major's last grim smile--all began to worktogether, and make up a wretched tumult, sounding in my ears like drums.Where was the use of going on, of proving any body's guilt or any body'sinnocence, if the utmost issue of the whole would be to show my fatheran impostor? Then, and only then, I knew that love of abstract justiceis to little minds impossible, that sense of honor is too prone to hangon chance of birth, and virtue's fountain, self-respect, springs but illfrom parental taint.
When I could no longer keep such bitter imaginings to myself, but pouredthem forth to Betsy, she merely laughed, and asked me how I could besuch a simpleton. Only to think of my father in such a light was beyondher patience! Where was my pride, she would like to know, and my birth,and my family manners? However, she did believe there was something inmy ideas, if you turned them inside out, and took hold of them by theother end. It was much more likely, to her mind, that the villain, theunknown villain at the bottom of all the misery, was really the sonborn out of wedlock, if any such there were at all, and therefore a wildharum-scarum fellow like Ishmael in the Book of Genesis. And it wouldbe just of a piece, she thought, with the old lord's character to drivesuch a man to desperation by refusing to give him a farthing.
"All that might very well be," I answered; "but it would in no way serveto explain my father's conduct, which was the great mystery of all."Nevertheless, I was glad to accept almost any view of the case ratherthan that which had forced itself upon me since the opening of thelocket. Any doubt of that most wretched conclusion was a great reliefwhile it lasted; and, after so long a time of hope and self-reliance,should I cast away all courage through a mere suspicion?
While I was thus re-assuring myself, and being re-assured by my faithfulnurse, sad news arrived, and drove my thoughts into another crookedchannel. Mrs. Hockin, to meet my anxiety for some tidings fromCalifornia, had promised that if any letter came, she would not evenwait for the post, but forward it by special messenger. And thus, thatvery same evening, I received a grimy epistle, in an unknown hand, withthe postmark of Sacramento. Tearing it open, I read as follows:
"MISS 'REMA,--No good luck ever came, since you, to this Blue RiverStation, only to be washed away, and robbed by greasers, and shotthrough the ribs, and got more work than can do, and find an almightynugget sent by Satan. And now the very worst luck of all have come,wholly and out of all denial, by you and your faces and graces andFrench goings on. Not that I do not like you, mind; for you always wasvery polite to me, and done your best when you found me trying to put upwith the trials put on me. But now this trial is the worst of all thatever come to my establishings; and to go away now as I used to thinkof doing when tyrannized upon is out of my way altogether, and only anaction fit for a half-breed. Sawyer Gundry hath cut and run, without aword behind him--no instructions for orders in hand, and pouring in--nodirections where to find him, not even 'God bless you' to any one of themany hands that looked up to him. Only a packet of dollars for me to paythe wages for two months to come, and a power of lawyer to receive alldebts, and go on anyhow just the same. And to go on just the same ismore than the worst of us has the heart for, without the sight of hisold red face. He may have been pretty sharp, and too much the master nowand then, perhaps; but to do without him is a darned sight worse, andthe hands don't take to me like him. Many's the time I have seen hisfaults, of having his own way, and such likes, and paying a man beyondhis time if his wife was out of order. And many's the time I have saidmyself I was fitter to be at the head of it.
"About that I was right enough, perhaps, if I had started upon my ownhook; but to stand in the tracks he has worn to his own foot is togo into crooked compasses. There is never a day without some handthreatening to strike and to better himself, as if they were hogs tocome and go according to the acorns; and such low words I can never putup with, and packs them off immediate. No place can be carried on ifthe master is to shut up his lips to impudence. And now I have onlygot three hands left, with work enough for thirty, and them three onlystopped on, I do believe, to grumble of me if the Sawyer do come home!
"But what we all want to know--and old Suan took a black stick to makemarks for you--is why the old man hath run away, and where. Young Firm,who was getting a sight too uppish for me to have long put up with him,he was going about here, there, and every where, from the very firsttime of your going away, opening his mouth a deal too much, and askinglow questions how long I stopped to dinner. Old Suan said he wastroubled in his mind, as the pale-faces do about young girls, insteadof dragging them to their wigwams; and she would give him a spell to getover it. But nothing came of that; and when the war broke out, he hadwords with his grandfather, and went off, so they said, to join therebels.
"Sawyer let him go, as proud as could be, though he would sooner havecut his own head off; and the very same night he sat down by his fireand shammed to eat supper as usual. But I happened to go in to get someorders, and, my heart, I would never wish to see such things again!
"The old man would never waste a bit of victuals, as you know, Miss'Rema; and, being acquaint with Suan's way of watching, he hadslipped all his supper aside from his plate, and put it on a cleanpocket-handkerchief to lock it in the press till his appetite shouldserve; and I caught him in the act, and it vexed him. 'Ha'n't you themanners to knock at the door?' he said; and I said, 'Certainly,' andwent back and done it; and, troubled as he was, he grinned a bit. Thenhe bowed his great head, as he always did when he knew he had goneperhaps a trifle too far with a man in my position. I nodded to forgivehim, and he stood across, and saw that he could do no less than liquorme, after such behavior. But he only brought out one glass; and I said,'Come, Colonel, square is square, you know.' 'Excuse of me, Martin,' hesaid; 'but no drop of strong drink passes the brim of my mouth till thisgallivanting is done with. I might take too much, as the old men do,to sink what they don't want to think on.' 'You mean about bully-cockFirm,' says I; 'rebel Firm--nigger-driver Firm.' 'Hush!' he said; 'nobad words about it. He has gone by his conscience and his heart. What dowe know of what come inside of him?'
"This was true enough, for I never did make that boy out to my liking:and the old man now was as stiff as a rock, and pretty nigh as peculiar.He made me a cocktail of his own patent, to show how firm his hand was;but the lines of his face was like wainscot mouldings, and the cords ofhis arm stood out like cogs. Then he took his long pipe, as he may havedone perhaps every blessed night for the last fifty years; but thatlength of time ought to have learned him better than to go for to fillit upside down. 'Ha, ha!' he said; 'every thing is upside down since Iwas a man under heaven--countries and nations and kindreds and duties;and why not a old tobacco-pipe? That's the way babies blow bubbles withthem. We shall all have to smoke 'em that way if our noble republic isbusted up. Fill yours, and try it, Martin.'
"Instead of enjoying my cocktail, Miss 'Rema, I never was so down atmouth; for, to my mind, his old heart was broken while he carried on so.And let every body say what they will, one thing there is no denying of.Never was seen on this side of the big hills a man fit to walk in thetracks of Uncle Sam, so large and good-hearted according to his lights,hard as a grizzly bear for a man to milk him, but so
ft in the breastboneas a young prairie-hen for all folk down upon their nine-pins.
"You may be surprised, miss, to find me write so long. Fact is, thethings won't go out of my mind without it. And it gives me a comfort,after all I may have said, to put good opinions upon paper. If he nevershould turn up again, my language will be to his credit; whereas ifhe do come back, with the betting a horse to a duck against it, tohis pride he will read this testimonial of yours, faithfully, MARTINCLOGFAST.
"P.S.--Can't carry on like this much longer. Enough to rip one's heartup. You never would know the old place, miss. The heads of the horses isas long as their tails with the way they carry them; the moss is as bigas a Spaniard's beard upon the kitchen door-sill; and the old dog howlsall day and night, like fifty thousand scalpers. Suan saith, if you wasto come back, the lad might run home after you. 'Tisn't the lad I caresabout so much, but poor old Sawyer, at his time of life, swallowed up inthe wilderness."