Burr Junior Part 73

"And you went and lay down near the tent?"

"Yes, uncle; I had been very ill."

There was another pause, followed by a low murmur among those present, and then, in a fierce voice full of contemptuous rage, my uncle thundered,--

"Now, sir, have you any more to say?" and my mother sank back in her seat with a low moan.

CHAPTER THIRTY.

"Now, sir, have you any more to say?"

A simple enough question, but when spoken to me sternly before those present, in my uncle's fierce, military voice, and accompanied by looks that seemed crushing in their contempt, they were very hard to bear in that strange silence which followed.

There they all stood and sat about me, while I felt like a prisoner at the bar before my judge. It was terrible, and I wavered.

Should I speak, and accuse poor, weak, amiable Tom Mercer, and send him away in disgrace, or should I suffer now, and wait till the truth came out by and by?

I was deciding on the latter, when I heard a sob which seemed to echo in my throat, and I looked up quickly from where my eyes had rested on a particular spot in the pattern of the library carpet, to see my mother's convulsed face and yearning eyes fixed upon me, as Mrs Doctor stood by her side, holding her hand quite affectionately.

That look decided me.

"Poor Tom," I said to myself, "I must throw you over for her sake;" and my lips parted to speak, when my uncle checked me by his stern, harsh voice.

"Silent! The silence of guilt!" he cried bitterly. "I have--"

"Stop a moment, Seaborough," cried the General. "Let me have a word, for poor dead Burr's sake. Frank, boy, I've always liked you, and believed in you, as the bright, manly son of a dear dead friend. Don't let me go away feeling that I can never trust any one again. I won't believe it--I can't believe it--that the blood and breed in your young veins would let you stoop to be a miserable, contemptible thief, and for the sake of a paltry silver watch. Why, my dear boy, you must have known that, as soon as you were old enough to want a watch, you could have had a gold one of the very best. Why, hang it all, sir, for your father's and mother's sake, I'd have hung you all over watches. Come now, speak out before us all like a man, and tell us what all this mystery means. Tell us that you did not steal this watch."

"Why, of course he didn't!" cried a familiar voice, and as I started round at these hopeful words, which seemed to give me life, I saw Cook busily tying the strings of her best cap, the one my mother had sent her, before untying and s.n.a.t.c.hing off her ap.r.o.n, as if she had come to the library in such a hurry that she had not had time to prepare.

"Cook!" exclaimed Mrs Doctor sternly.

"Oh, yes, ma'am, I know," cried Cook defiantly, as she reached back and caught somebody's arm just outside the door. "Here, you come in, Polly 'Opley; there's nothing to be ashamed of, my dear. You come in."

Polly Hopley, dressed in her best, suffered herself to be dragged in, and then, after whispering, "Do adone, do, Cook," began to make bobs and courtesies to everybody in turn.

"Er--rum!" coughed the Doctor. "My good woman," he cried severely, "what is the meaning of this intrusion?"

"You may call it what you like, sir," cried Cook sharply; "and you too, mum," she continued, turning to Mrs Doctor, "and give me my month, or distant ismissal if you like."

Cook meant to say, "instant dismissal," but she was excited, and, giving a defiant look round, she went on,--

"I don't care, and I says it's a shame, not alone to keep the poor boy locked up like a prisoner, and badly fed, as does a growing boy no end of harm; and I will say it, mum," she continued, turning to my mother, "as dear and good a boy as ever came into this school, but to go and say he was a thief, as he couldn't be, sir. You look in his eyes and see."

This to the Doctor, who coughed again.

"My good woman, I must insist upon you leaving the room."

"A moment, Doctor," cried my uncle eagerly; "this person seems to know something. Stop!"

"I wasn't a-going, sir," said Cook sharply, "not till I've spoke out what I've come to say."

"Then, for goodness' sake, speak, woman, and go," cried the Doctor angrily. "We are engaged."

"Which well I know it, sir, and I'm going to speak," said Cook, with dignity; "and if I'd known before Polly 'Opley--your keeper's wife's daughter, Sir Orkus," she continued, turning to the General.

"Oh yes, yes, yes, I knew Polly when she was a baby," said the old gentleman, nodding at the girl, who courtesied to him; "but if you know anything about this--this terrible affair, speak out."

"Which I will, sir, and if I lose my place, and you do happen to want a good plain--"

"Cook, Cook, pray speak out," cried Mrs Doctor.

"Which I'm trying to, ma'am, only you all flurry me so. You see I knowed as Master Burr was shut up, something about some trouble or sc.r.a.pe--as boys will be boys, and always was, but being busy in my kidgen, and plenty to do, and the young gentlemen all forbid to say what it was about, so as I never knowed till this morning, when Polly 'Opley comes and tells me all about it, as Mr Lomax goes and tells her father--your keeper, sir--and Polly only this morning, and she never knowed it before, and then came on and told me something as'll make you all ashamed of treating a poor boy like that."

"Yes, yes, yes," said my uncle impatiently; "but do you know anything about the watch?"

"Which I'm telling you, sir," cried Cook, "though not a word did I know till Polly 'Opley comes just now, when I see it all as plain as pie-crust, and I says to her, 'Polly,' I says, 'they're all in the libery now, and you shall come and tell 'em the whole truth.'"

"Then you know, Polly, my child?" said the General eagerly.

"Yes, Sir Orkus, please, Sir Orkus," said Polly, blushing.

"Then, then, tell us all at once, there's a good girl."

"Yes, Sir Orkus. Not as I ever encouraged him a bit to come to our cottage."

"Humph!" said the Doctor; "you always bait your trap with sweets to get the boys to come, girl."

"Please, sir, I didn't mean the young gentlemen, I meant d.i.c.k Magglin."

"Eh, what?" cried the General.

"Please, Sir Orkus, if I've ordered him away once, I've done it fifty times, and father's threatened him and beat him, but he would come."

"What! did he want to marry you?"

"Yes, Sir Orkus, but I wouldn't demean myself to listen to him."

"Of course not! a poaching vagabond. Go on, go on." Every eye was fixed on Polly, whose cheeks were scarlet, as she gave me a sharp look, full of encouragement.

"Yes, Sir Orkus, and he was always bringing me his rubbish, and wanting me to have it, hankychies, and ribbings, and a gilt brooch, as you could see wasn't gold."

"And you wouldn't take them?"

"No, Sir Orkus, never nothing, and then he said it was because I was too proud, and thought they wasn't good enough for me, and then he didn't come any more till one day when he brought me a silver watch."

A curious murmur ran through the room, and my mother ran to my side and threw her arms about my neck.