CHAPTER XVI
A HEADQUARTERS CONFERENCE
By the time she had been admitted to Eldrick's private room, Nesta hadregained her composure; she had also had time to think, and her presentaction was the result of at any rate a part of her thoughts. She wascalm and collected enough when she took the chair which the solicitordrew forward.
"I called on you for two reasons, Mr. Eldrick," she said. "First, tothank you for your kindness and thoughtfulness at the time of mybrother's death, in sending your clerk to help in making thearrangements."
"Very glad he was of any assistance, Miss Mallathorpe," answeredEldrick. "I thought, of course, that as he had been on the spot, as itwere, when the accident happened, he could do a few little things----"
"He was very useful in that way," said Nesta. "And I was very muchobliged to him. But the second reason for my call is--I want to speak toyou about him."
"Yes?" responded Eldrick. He had already formed some idea as to what wasin his visitor's mind, and he was secretly glad of the opportunity oftalking to her. "About Pratt, eh? What about him, Miss Mallathorpe?"
"He was with you for some years, I believe?" she asked.
"A good many years," answered Eldrick. "He came to us as office-boy, andwas head-clerk when he left us."
"Then you ought to know him--well," she suggested.
"As to that," replied Eldrick, "there are some people in this world whomother people never could know well--that's to say, really well. I knowPratt well enough for what he was--our clerk. Privately, I know littleabout him. He's clever--he's ability--he's a chap who reads a gooddeal--he's got ambitions. And I should say he is a bit--subtle."
"Deceitful?" she asked.
"I couldn't say that," replied Eldrick. "It wouldn't be true if I saidso. I think he's possibilities of strategy in him. But so far as we'reconcerned, we found him hardworking, energetic, truthful, dependable andhonest, and absolutely to be trusted in money matters. He's had many andmany a thousand pounds of ours through his hands."
"I believe you're unaware that my mother, for some reason or other,unknown to me, has put him in charge of her affairs?" asked Nesta.
"Yes--Mr. Collingwood told me so," answered Eldrick. "So, too, did yourown solicitor, Mr. Robson--who's very angry about it."
"And you?" she said, putting a direct question. "What do you think? Doplease, tell me!"
"It's difficult to say, Miss Mallathorpe," replied Eldrick, with a smileand a shake of the head. "If your mother--who, of course, is quitecompetent to decide for herself--wishes to have somebody to look afterher affairs, I don't see what objection can be taken to her procedure.And if she chooses to put Linford Pratt in that position--why not? As Itell you, I, as his last--and only--employer, am quite convinced of hisabilities and probity. I suppose that as your mother's agent, he'llsupervise her property, collect money due to her, advise her ininvestments, and so on. Well, I should say--personally, mind--he's quitecompetent to do all that, and that he'll do it honestly, I shouldcertainly say so."
"But--why should he do it at all?" asked Nesta.
Eldrick waved his hands.
"Ah!" he exclaimed. "Now you ask me a very different question! But--Iunderstand--in fact, I know--that Pratt turns out to be a relation ofyours--distant, but it's there. Perhaps your mother--who, of course, ismuch better off since your brother's sad death--is desirous ofbenefiting Pratt--as a relation."
"Do you advise anything?" asked Nesta.
"Well, you know, Miss Mallathorpe," replied Eldrick, smiling. "I'm notyour legal adviser. What about Mr. Robson?"
"Mr. Robson is so very angry about all this--with my mother," saidNesta, "that I don't even want to ask his advice. What I really do wantis the advice, counsel, of somebody--perhaps more as a friend than as asolicitor."
"Delighted to give you any help I can--either professionally or as afriend," exclaimed Eldrick. "But--let me suggest something. And first ofall--is there anything--something--in all this that you haven't told toanybody yet?"
"Yes--much!" she answered. "A great deal!"
"Then," said Eldrick, "let me advise a certain counsel. Two heads arebetter than one. Let me ask Mr. Collingwood to come here."
He was watching his visitor narrowly as he said this, and he saw a faintrise of colour in her cheeks. But for the moment she did not answer, andEldrick saw that she was thinking.
"I can get him across from his chambers in a few minutes," he said."He's sure to be in just now."
"Can I have a few minutes to decide?" asked Nesta.
Eldrick jumped up.
"Of course!" he said. "I'll leave you a while. It so happens I want tosee my partner, I'll go up to his room, and return to you presently."
Nesta, left alone, gave herself up to deep thought, and to a carefulreckoning of her position. She was longing to confide in sometrustworthy person or persons, for Pratt's revelations had plunged herinto a maze of perplexity. But her difficulties were many. First of all,she would have to tell all about the terrible charge brought by Prattagainst her mother. Then about the second which he professed to--orprobably did--hold. What sort of a secret could it be? And supposing heradvisers suggested strong measures against Pratt--what then, about thedanger to her mother, in a twofold direction?
Would it be better, wiser, if she kept all this to herself at present,and waited for events to develop? But at the mere thought of that, sheshrank, feeling mentally and physically afraid--to keep all thatknowledge to herself, to brood over it in secret, to wonder what it allmeant, what lay beneath, what might develop, that was more than she feltable to bear. And when Eldrick came back she looked at him and nodded.
"I should like to talk to you and Mr. Collingwood," she said quietly.
Collingwood came across to Eldrick's office at once. And to these twoNesta unbosomed herself of every detail that she could remember of herinterview with Pratt--and as she went on, from one thing to another, shesaw the men's faces grow graver and graver, and realized that this was amore anxious matter than she had thought.
"That's all," she said in the end. "I don't think I've forgottenanything. And even now, I don't know if I've done right to tell you allthis. But--I don't think I could have faced it--alone!"
"My dear Miss Mallathorpe!" said Eldrick earnestly. "You've done thewisest thing you probably ever did in your life! Now," he went on,looking at Collingwood, "just let us all three realize what is to me amore important fact. Nobody would be more astonished than Pratt to knowthat you have taken the wise step you have. You agree, Collingwood?"
"Yes!" answered Collingwood, after a moment's reflection. "I think so."
"Miss Mallathorpe doesn't quite see what we mean," said Eldrick, turningto Nesta. "We mean that Pratt firmly believed, when he told you what hedid, that for your mother's sake and your own, you would keep hiscommunication a dead secret. He firmly believed that you would neverdare to tell anybody what he told you. Most people--in yourposition--wouldn't have told. They'd have let the secret eat their livesout. You're a wise and a sensible young woman! And the thing is--wemust let Pratt remain under the impression that you are keeping yourknowledge to yourself. Let him continue to believe that you'll remainsilent under fear. And let us meet his secret policy with a secretstrategy of our own!"
Again he glanced at Collingwood, and again Collingwood nodded assent.
"Now," continued Eldrick, "just let us consider matters for a fewminutes from the position which has newly arisen. To begin with. Pratt'saccount of your mother's dealings about the foot-bridge is a very cleverand plausible one. I can see quite well that it has caused you greatpain; so before I go any further, just let me say this to you--don't youattach one word of importance to it!"
Nesta uttered a heartfelt cry of relief.
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "If you knew how thankful I should be to know thatit's all lies--that he was lying! Can I really think that--after what Isaw?"
"I won't ask you to think that he's telling lies--just now," answeredEldrick, with a glance at
Collingwood, "but I'll ask you to believe thatyour mother could put a totally different aspect and complexion on allher actions and words in connection with the entire affair. Myimpression, of course," he went on, with something very like a wink atCollingwood, "is that Mrs. Mallathorpe, when she wrote that letter toPratt, intended to have the bridge mended first thing next morning, andthat something prevented that being done, and that when she was seenabout the shrubberies in the afternoon, she was on her way to meet Prattbefore he could reach the dangerous point, so that she could warn him.What do you say, Collingwood?"
"I should say," answered Collingwood, regarding the solicitor earnestly,and speaking with great gravity of manner, "that that would make anadmirable line of defence to any charge which Pratt was wicked enough toprefer."
"You don't think my mother meant--meant to----" exclaimed Nesta, eagerlyturning from one man to the other. "You--don't?"
"There is no evidence worth twopence against your mother!" repliedEldrick soothingly. "Put everything that Pratt has said against herclear out of your mind. Put all recent events out of your mind! Don'tinterfere with Pratt--just now. The thing to be done about Pratt isthis--and it's the only thing. We must find out--exactly, as secretly aspossible--what this secret is of which he speaks. What is this hold onMrs. Mallathorpe? What is this document to which he refers? In otherwords, we must work back to some point which at present we can't see. Atleast, I can't see it. But--we may discover it. What do you say,Collingwood?"
"I agree entirely," answered Collingwood. "Let Pratt rest in his fanciedsecurity. The thing is, certainly, to go back. But--to what point?"
"That we must consider later," said Eldrick. "Now--for the present, MissMallathorpe,--you are, I suppose, going back home?"
"Yes, at once," answered Nesta. "I have my car at the _Crown Hotel_."
"I should just like to know something," continued Eldrick again, lookingat Collingwood as if for approval. "That is--Mrs. Mallathorpe's presentdisposition towards affairs in general and Pratt in particular. MissMallathorpe!--just do something which I will now suggest to you. Whenyou reach home, see your mother--she is still, I understand, an invalid,though evidently able to transact business. Just approach her gently andkindly, and tell her that you are a little--should we sayuncomfortable?--about certain business arrangements which you hear shehas made with Mr. Pratt, and ask her, if she won't talk them over withyou, and give you her full confidence. It's now half-past twelve,"continued Eldrick, looking at his watch. "You'll be home before lunch.See your mother early in the afternoon, and then telephone, briefly, theresult to me, here, at four o'clock. Then--Mr. Collingwood and I willhave a consultation."
He motioned Collingwood to remain where he was, and himself saw Nestadown to the street. When he came back to his room he shook his head atthe young barrister.
"Collingwood!" he said. "There's some dreadful business afloat in allthis! And it's all the worse because of the fashion in which Pratttalked to that girl. She's evidently a very good memory--she narratedthat conversation clearly and fully. Pratt must be very sure of his handif he showed her his cards in that way--his very confidence in himselfshows what a subtle network he's either made or is making. I question ifhe'd very much care if he knew that we know. But he mustn't knowthat--yet. We must reply to his mine with a counter-mine!"
"What do you think of Pratt's charge against Mrs. Mallathorpe?" askedCollingwood.
Eldrick made a wry face.
"Looks bad!--very, very bad, Collingwood!" he answered. "Art and schemeof a desperate woman, of course. But--we mustn't let her daughter thinkwe believe it. Let her stick to the suggestion I made--which, as youremarked, would certainly make a very good line of defence, supposingPratt even did accuse her. But now--what on earth is this documentthat's been mentioned--this paper of which Pratt has possession? HasMrs. Mallathorpe at some time committed forgery--or bigamy--or--what isit? One thing's sure, however--we've got to work quietly. We mustn't letPratt know that we're working. I hope he doesn't know that MissMallathorpe came here. Will you come back about four and hear whatmessage she sends me? After that, we could consult."
Collingwood went away to his chambers. He was much occupied just then,and had little time to think of anything but the work in hand. But as heate his lunch at the club which he had joined on settling in Barford, hetried to get at some notion of the state of things, and once more hismind reverted to the time of his grandfather's death, and his ownsuspicions about Pratt at that period. Clearly that was a point to whichthey must hark back--he himself must make more inquiries about thecircumstances of Antony Bartle's last hours. For this affair would nothave to rest where it was--it was intolerable that Nesta Mallathorpeshould in any way be under Pratt's power. He went back to Eldrick atfour o'clock with a suggestion or two in his mind. And at the sight ofhim Eldrick shook his head.
"I've had that telephone message from Normandale," he said, "fiveminutes ago. Pretty much what I expected--at this juncture, anyway. Mrs.Mallathorpe absolutely declines to talk business with even her daughterat present--and earnestly desires that Mr. Linford Pratt may be leftalone."
"Well?" asked Collingwood after a pause. "What now?"
"We must do what we can--secretly, privately, for the daughter's sake,"said Eldrick. "I confess I don't quite see a beginning, but----"
Just then the private door opened, and Pascoe, a somewhatlackadaisical-mannered man, who always looked half-asleep, and was inreality remarkably wide-awake, lounged in, nodded to Collingwood, andthrew a newspaper in front of his partner.
"I say, Eldrick," he drawled, as he removed a newly-lighted cigar fromhis lips. "There's an advertisement here which seems to refer to thatprecious protege of yours, who left you with such scant ceremony. Samename, anyhow!"
Eldrick snatched up the paper, glanced at it and read a few words aloud.
"INFORMATION WANTED about James Parrawhite, at one time in practice as asolicitor."