King of the Castle Part 73

"Ah!" said Trevithick, rising from a chair at the table covered with papers, and looking like the great, heavy, bashful Englishman he was, as he placed chairs opposite to where he had been seated, "I am sorry to trouble you, Miss Gartram, Miss Dillon too," he said with a smile, as he beamed upon her.

Mary gave him an angry, resentful look, and he turned chapfallen on the instant, and became the man of business again, then cold, and seeming to perspire figures.

"Miss Dillon takes part in our little conference, Miss Gartram?" he said, rather stiffly.

"Of course. My cousin is, as it were, my sister, Mr Trevithick."

"Yes, of course," he said, as he slowly resumed his seat, pursed up his lips a little, and then he took up a pen, with the holder of which he scratched his head as he studied a paper before him on the table. "Are you ready, Miss Gartram?"

"Quite."

"Well, then, I have very bad news for you, I am sorry to say."

"I am used to bad news, Mr Trevithick."

"My dear madam, I spoke too bluntly. I meant bad news as to money matters. Forgive me my rough way. I am a man of business--a mere machine."

Claude smiled her thanks, for the words were uttered with a manly sympathy that was pleasant to her ears, and Mr Trevithick felt better, and beamed again at Mary.

Mary once more resented that beam, and Trevithick pa.s.sed his hand through his hair, which more than ever resembled a brush, and sighed, and said--

"I have gone over all papers and accounts, Miss Gartram, over and over again, and an auditor may perhaps find an error, but for the life of me I can't tell where, for I have studied the figures night and day ever since I came here last, and I cannot bring them right. I was wrong to the extent of one, seven, eight; but I found a receipt afterwards, evidently carelessly thrown into the drawer before entering, and I wish I could find the other."

"What other?" said Mary sharply.

"That other," said Mr Trevithick, beaming at her again, being silently snubbed, and collapsing once more. "As I make it, Miss Gartram," he continued, in the most stern and business way, "you inherit from my late respected client, your father, the freehold quarry, this residence, also freehold and of great value, while the quarry is almost inexhaustible; the furniture and plate, good debts, etcetera, and five hundred and twenty-seven thousand eight hundred and forty-nine pounds, seven shillings and four-pence, including half-a-sheet of stamps."

"Indeed?" said Claude, with a sigh.

"What bad news!" said Mary, with preternatural solemnity.

"That is to come, Miss Dillon," said Trevithick, with a look of triumph which met so sharp a glance that it was turned aside on the instant, and he took refuge in his papers.

"Yes, madam," he repeated, "that is to come. There is a very serious deficit, Miss Gartram. I find that there should have been five hundred and sixty-eight thousand, eight hundred and forty-nine, seven and four-pence--a deficit, you see, of forty-one thousand pounds--I need not add, a very large sum."

"Yes," said Claude quietly.

"Yes," said Trevithick. "Well, madam, what have you to say?"

"Nothing, Mr Trevithick."

"But really, my dear madam, I think you ought to say something about this sum, and give me some instructions what to do to recover it."

Claude shook her head gravely.

"No," she said, "I cannot regard this as a loss in the presence of one so much greater. Thank you very much, Mr Trevithick, for all that you have done; and now, pray, give me some advice as to what to do with this money."

"Good, my dear madam, and that I am sure you will do."

"I mean as to its investment."

"To be sure. I was coming to that, for the sooner this heavy amount is out of your hands the more comfortable you will be."

"I said something like this to my cousin a little while back, Mr Trevithick," said Mary sharply. "Pray give her some better advice than that."

The solicitor looked disconcerted, but he recovered himself.

"Well, Miss Gartram, I have plenty of clients who want money, and would agree to pay five per centum; but, excuse me, you don't want to make money, and, as your father's trusted legal adviser, I shall give his daughter the most valuable advice I can."

"And what is that, Mr Trevithick?"

"Let me at once invest all this money for you in Consols. Only two and a half now, but there will be no fluctuations, no heavy dividend one year, nothing at all the next, and some day perhaps failure. It is very poor advice, perhaps, but safe as the Bank of England."

"Take the necessary steps at once, Mr Trevithick," said Claude decisively.

"Thank you, madam," making a note; "it shall be done."

"And that is all?" said Claude.

"Oh, no, my dear madam. The next question is this residence. If you will part with it, I have a client who will give a very handsome sum-- its full value--and take it, furniture and all. Cash."

"And is that all?" said Claude quietly.

"No, madam, there is the quarry. I should advise you to sell that to a small company. You can get your own price, for it is very valuable, and retain shares in it if you liked; but I should say no--sell; add the purchase money to that for this house, and let me invest it in Consols also."

"No," said Claude, rising, and speaking firmly, though with tears in her eyes; "the opening of that quarry was my father's dearest enterprise, and the building of this house his greatest pleasure. While I live, his quarry and his people shall be my life business, and nothing shall be touched, nothing shall be changed in this his house."

"My dear Miss Gartram," said the lawyer, colouring like a girl, as he rose and stretched out his hand to take Claude's, which he raised reverently to his lips, "I feel proud of the confidence you placed in me. I feel far more proud now, and I honour you for what you have just said. Your wishes shall be carried out. One word more. You will require some a.s.sistance over the commercial matters of the quarry--a gentleman learned in stone, and--"

"No, Mr Trevithick, I shall only want help as to the monetary affairs of the business. That I hope you will oblige me by supervising yourself. The workpeople will help me in the rest."

The lawyer bowed, and once more beamed on Mary, but looked stern again.

"Now, have you done, Mr Trevithick?" said Claude.

"Not quite. The deficit."

"If, as you say, there is a deficit, it must remain. There is enough."

"But my late client would not have rested till it was put straight."

"No," said Claude dreamily; "but my father may have had some project of which we are ignorant. We had better wait. You will stay with us a few days longer?"

"I should say no," replied Trevithick; "but I cannot conscientiously leave these premises till this money is safe. Till then, my dear madam, I am your guest."

Claude would have spoken again, but the look she cast round the study brought up such a flood of painful memories that she could only make a sign to Mary to follow, as she hurried from the room.

"A woman any man might love," said the lawyer, as soon as he was alone.

"I hope no money-hunting scoundrel will catch her up. No; she is too strong-minded and firm. Now, what have I done to offend little Mary?"