CHAPTER XXVIII
LEFT IN SOLE POSSESSION
Although Ralph Darrell was to all appearance dead, the doctorpronounced him to be still alive, and caused him to be lifted back tothe bed, where he dressed his wound, at the same time administeringrestoratives. While this was being done, Major Arkell, taking chargeof Peveril, led him to another room, in which his things, brought fromthe Trefethen house, had been placed. The young man was stilltrembling from his recent awful experience.
"In another minute all would have been over with me," he said, indescribing the incident to his friend. "For I could no more loosen hisclutch than if it had been a band of steel."
"That fall was a mighty lucky thing, then," commented the other.
"Yes, I suppose it was, for apparently nothing else could have savedme. At the same time, think how unpleasant it would have been for meif it had killed him, and I had been charged with his murder!"
"Oh, pshaw! no one would have imagined such a thing."
"His daughter did," replied Peveril, in whose ears Mary Darrell'sterrible accusation was still ringing.
"She didn't know what she was saying. You must remember the tryingcircumstances of her position, and forgive and forget everything else.If I am any judge of human character, she is just the girl to bitterlyregret her hasty words, if she ever recalls having uttered them."
"Of course I forgive her," said Peveril; "but I doubt if I can forgetas long as I live."
A bath in water as hot as he could bear it, followed by a cold doucheand a brisk rubbing with the coarse towels procured from Aunty Nimmo,restored the young man to his normal condition. Then he exchanged theragged garb of a miner, that he had worn ever since leaving RedJacket, for a suit of his own proper clothing. With this thetransformation in his appearance was so complete that when, a littlelater, Mary Darrell passed him in the hall, it was withoutrecognition. She only regarded him as one of the many strangers whoseemed suddenly to have taken unauthorized possession of her home.
At breakfast-time the doctor reported that his patient was sleepingquietly and doing wonderfully well. "In fact," said the medicalgentleman, "I believe the blood-letting that resulted from his fallwas just what he needed; and, as he seems to have a vigorousconstitution, unimpaired by intemperate living, I predict for him aspeedy recovery."
This prediction was so far fulfilled that, within two days, RalphDarrell was sitting up, and, by the end of a week, he had very nearlyregained his strength. At the same time his excitability had whollydisappeared, leaving him very quiet and as docile as a child, but withlittle memory of past happenings. His daughter was the one person whomhe recognized, and to her he clung with passionate fondness, readilyaccepting her every suggestion, but always begging her to take himback to his Eastern home.
His rapid convalescence was largely due to her devoted care, and tothe capital nursing of Nelly Trefethen, who proved most efficient inthe sick-room. During that week the night-watches were taken by MikeConnell, whom Miss Darrell engaged expressly for the purpose, butPeveril was not asked to share them.
On the few occasions when he and Mary chanced to meet she treated himwith formal politeness, but rarely spoke, and never gave him theopportunity of exchanging with her more than a few commonplaceremarks. At the same time she watched him furtively, and he seldomleft the house or entered it without her knowledge. She had learnedhis history, so far as Nelly Trefethen knew it, and, by her readinessto listen, encouraged the girl to talk by the hour on this theme.
She also learned one thing about him that was not told her, and thatwas that he was engaged to be married. One evening Nelly and Connell,coming back from a walk, encountered Peveril near the house, and closeunder a window at which Mary happened to be standing. As the young manwas about to pass them the Irishman stopped him, saying:
"Oh, Mister Peril, would you mind telling Nelly here the thing youtold me down the new shaft that time?"
"I don't think I remember what it was."
"About your being bespoke."
"Oh! about my engagement? Yes, I remember now that you did want me totell Miss Nelly of it, though I am sure I can't imagine why it shouldinterest her."
"Arrah, Mister Peril, don't every young woman be interested to know ifshe's to smile on a young man or give him the cold stare?"
"If that is the case," laughed Peveril, "I am afraid all the girlsmust give me the cold stare, for I certainly am engaged; and, by theway, Miss Nelly, do you know if there is a letter awaiting me at yourhouse? I received one from my sweetheart on the very day that I leftRed Jacket, and, with most unpardonable carelessness, managed to loseit without having even opened it."
"I don't know, Mr. Peril--I mean, I didn't hear mother, speak of it,"stammered the girl, so frightened that for a moment she had no idea ofwhat she was saying. "I do mind, though, seeing one advertised in thepost-office with a name something like yours," she added, morecoherently.
"Then I must have dropped it on the street, and whoever found it musthave been honest enough to return it to the post-office. I will writeat once for it, and am much obliged for your information."
Some days later Peveril did write to the Red Jacket postmaster, andreceived prompt answer that the bit of mail-matter in question hadbeen sent to the dead-letter office. So he wrote to Washingtonconcerning his missing letter, and in due time learned that it hadbeen returned to sender. Then, as he had no idea of "sender's" presentaddress, he decided to wait until hearing from her again beforeattempting to forward his explanation of how it all happened.
In the meantime he was extremely interested in other affairs thatengrossed more and more of his attention. On that very first morninghe had shown to Major Arkell several papers that came to him with hisbaggage. Among these were Boise Carson's letter, lawyer Ketchum's noteof identification, and the famous contract under which he claimed ahalf-ownership in the Copper Princess.
At a later date he also attempted to show these papers to MaryDarrell, but she declined to look at them, saying that, as she did notdoubt the validity of his claim, she had no desire to discuss it.
Major Arkell, however, examined the papers carefully, and expressedhimself as thoroughly satisfied that his young friend was a half-ownerin the mine heretofore known as "Darrell's Folly."
"And now," he said, "let us examine the property, and see whether itis worth anything or not."
So these two set forth on a tour of inspection. They found the severalbuildings to be in fair order, and all machinery in an excellent stateof preservation. Then they descended the shaft and examined thematerial through which the several galleries had been driven, andwhich the White Pine manager pronounced as barren even of promise asany rock he had ever seen.
"The trouble seems to be," he said, "that they persistently drifted inexactly the wrong direction, and went away from the true vein--which Ibelieve to be indicated by those ancient workings over yonder--insteadof towards it. Thus the engineer who laid out this mine eitherdisplayed great ignorance, or else your property does not include thatstrip of territory. But I'll tell you what we'll do. You stay here andhold the fort for a few days while I go and look the thing up."
"I don't like to have you take so much trouble," protested Peveril.
"No trouble at all, my dear fellow--purely a matter of business. Iwant, if possible, to become associated with you in this proposition.As it now stands, your mine is worthless, unless it includes, or canbe made to include, those old workings. I believe they will make itextremely valuable, for I am persuaded that the vein indicated by themcan be reached at a lower level from this very shaft."
So the major took his departure, and Peveril waited a whole week forhis return. In the meantime he familiarized himself with his property,and, by means of a careful survey, established the relative positionsof the prehistoric mine and the shaft of the Copper Princess.
During this week, as has been said, he saw very little of MaryDarrell, and often wondered how she occupied her time.
Finally there came a day w
hen Miss Darrell informed Mike Connell that,as her father was now so much better, it would no longer be necessaryto watch with him at night. So the honest fellow, who had been workinghard with Peveril on his measurements, and was rejoiced at theprospect of an unbroken night's rest, retired early to the quartersthat he and the young proprietor occupied together at some distancefrom the Darrells' house.
Very early on the following morning the two men were awakened by aloud knocking at their door, and the voice of Nelly Trefethen callingas though in distress.
"Coming!" shouted Peveril, as they both sprang from bed and hurriedlydressed. As they emerged from the house the girl exclaimed:
"They're gone, Mr. Peril! gone in the night, and I never heard asound. How they went, no one can tell, for all the outer doors wereleft locked, with the keys on the inside. But they're gone, for I havehunted high and low without finding a sign of them."
"Who have gone?" demanded Peveril.
"Miss Mary and her father and the old colored woman."
That these three had taken a mysterious departure was only tooapparent when the two men returned with Nelly to the house andsearched it from top to bottom.
Then, under Connell's guidance, they went through the secret passageto the cavern. There they found a lighted lantern hung on the stuntedcedar just outside the entrance, the canvas curtain drawn aside, thederrick swung out, and its tackle hanging down to within a foot ofthe black ledge, but that was all.
Three months after that time Peveril received the following letter:
"DEAR MR. PEVERIL:
"I feel it a duty to tell you that my dear father has at length passed peacefully away, and so will never trouble you again. At the very last he spoke lovingly of Richard Peveril, and said he was a splendid fellow; but I am inclined to think he referred to your father rather than to yourself. He was also perfectly rational on all subjects except that of the Princess, which he persisted in declaring was one of the richest copper mines of the world. I, of course, know better, for I realized long ago how truly the name 'Darrell's Folly' described that unfortunate venture.
"Whatever pleasure you may find in owning such an unremunerative piece of property you may enjoy without any fear of molestation, for I, as my father's sole heir, shall never lay claim to any share in it, and hereby authorize you to do with it as you think best.
"We have been very happy since we left you so suddenly and unexpectedly. The opportunity for departure came, and we embraced it.
"I have but one more thing to say before closing this one-sided correspondence forever--I humbly beg your pardon and crave your forgiveness for the cruel injustice that I once did you in a moment of agony.
"Trusting that you are happy (I knew of your engagement) and prosperous,
"I remain, always under obligations, your friend,
"MARY DARRELL."
With this letter there was no date nor address, and its only post-markwas the stamp of the railway postal-service on a distant Easternroad.