The White Virgin Part 57

"Yes, I heard that. But no, it arn't that. It's business I want to settle about some one I know."

"Ah, well, we shall see," said the Doctor. "Be patient."

He walked back to the cottage, and not seeing either the Major or his child, hung up his hat, and went to Clive's chamber, where he stopped short at the door, startled by the scene within. For Dinah was in the act of advancing to the bed just as Clive lay half dozing.

The sharp crack of a floor board roused him into wakefulness, and he opened his eyes wonderingly, so that they fell upon Dinah's sweet, sad face.

The result was startling to the Doctor, and filled Dinah with agonising despair. For as the light of recognition came into the suffering man's countenance, his features contracted, his brow wrinkled and twitched, and he turned his eyes away with a look of disgust and horror, while Dinah uttered a low moan, covered her face with her hands, and fled from the room, her whole att.i.tude and every movement suggesting utter despair.

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE.

AFTER A LAPSE.

"Why, my dear child, it is one of the commonest of things. I've known plenty of cases of this kind, and I daresay your father has."

Dinah looked at the Doctor wistfully, with her face growing old and careworn; but she said nothing, only turned to her father, as he took and held her hand.

"Come, come, this will not do," continued the Doctor. "I don't want to have you upon my hands as a patient. Now, look here; I promise you that all will come right, and it is not the physic-monger speaking now, but your father's friend."

The Major darted a grateful look at the speaker, while Dinah did not stir, but sat hardly hearing him, alone with her despair.

"They do not know all," she said to herself; "they do not know all."

"You see, my dear," continued the Doctor, "he is rapidly mending, and he knows us all, and speaks sensibly; but he is not quite _compos mentis_ yet his brain had a nasty shock, from which it is recovering, but it must have time. You feel it bitterly, of course, but it is a natural, though only temporary, outcome of this ailment. Over and over again we doctors find that the one the invalid loves best--wife, mother, betrothed--is the one against whom he takes an unaccountable dislike, and in endless cases this is the one who has devoted herself to constant nursing. Ah, they re an ungrateful lot, patients, when they are a bit off their heads. I had one to whom I was administering nothing but beef tea, and water just flavoured with syrup of aurantia--orange and sugar, you know. Well, that ruffian swore that I was slowly poisoning him."

"But Reed has quite recovered his senses," said the Major uneasily; "it is six weeks to-day since he turned like this."

"He has not quite recovered his senses, or he would be upon his knees, asking pardon of an angel, sir. No, my dear, I'm not flattering you, for if ever woman displayed devotion and love for sinful man, you have done so for my boy Clive. Come, promise me that you will try and hold up, for your father's sake. Yes, and Clive's. He is rapidly growing stronger, but he wants your help to console him for his losses. That is what we want to get off his brain. Once he can bear that philosophically all will be well."

The Doctor's long speeches were cut short by a visitor in the shape of Wrigley, who was shown in by Martha, Dinah at the same moment escaping to her room, where, on approaching the window, she became aware of the fact that Jessop had accompanied the visitor. He was waiting at the bottom of the garden down by the river, and she shrank away in horror and dread as she trembled lest Clive should see him and it might bring on a fresh attack.

For a few moments she thought of going to Clive's room and telling him.

But the dread of meeting his cruel searching eyes, and experiencing another of those shrinking looks of horror and disgust, kept her away, and she sank wearily into a chair, shivering, and with the feeling of utter despair growing upon her more and more.

Meanwhile a scene was taking place in the little dining-room below, where the Major had made a sign toward a chair.

"Thank you," said Wrigley. "I will not detain you long."

"What is it, sir? Sturgess worse?" said the Doctor.

"Oh, no! The fellow is, thanks to you, Doctor, growing stronger and more impudent every day. The fact is, gentlemen, I have come over to see Mr Clive Reed. His brother is waiting down by the river. He would not come in, as they are not on good terms."

The Major frowned.

"As I am Mr Clive Reed's doctor, sir, I have a right to ask you what you want with him."

"Simple matter of business, sir. I want him to come over and inspect the mine."

"Not fit, sir. Too weak," said the Doctor sternly. "Bless my soul! my dear boy, are you mad?"

"I hope not, Doctor," said Clive, as he entered the room, looking very white, but quite able to dispense with the stick he held in his hand.

"Glad to see you about again, Mr Reed," said Wrigley at once, and he held out his hand; but it was not taken. "Mr Reed, I have come on behalf of the shareholders in the `White Virgin' mine."

"Including yourself, sir, and Mr Jessop Reed?" said Clive coldly.

"Of course," said Wrigley, with an a.s.sumption of frankness. "We stand to be heavy losers over the mine if the lost lode is not discovered.

But perhaps you don't know that the rich vein has ended suddenly?"

"I know everything in connection with the mine, sir," said Clive, as the Doctor watched him anxiously; but to his intense gratification saw nothing to cause him uneasiness.

"That's well, sir. Then I will be quite plain with you, and ask you to let bygones be bygones, for I am sure that you, as an English gentleman, and one of our princ.i.p.al shareholders, wish for nothing but what is fair and right by all concerned."

He ceased and waited for Clive to speak, but the engineer remained silent, and Wrigley went on--

"I should tell you, sir, that our foreman, Sturgess, has made the most careful investigations, both before his illness and since. He is hardly fit to be about."

"Not fit," said the Doctor.

"Exactly, sir; but he has insisted upon going down the mine during the past four days, and testing in different directions. Then, too, we have had the advice of an eminent mining engineer, Mr Benson, and unfortunately both give a decidedly adverse report. Well, sir, this is bad, but for my part I have great faith in your knowledge."

"Which you showed, sir, by scheming with my brother to get me ousted from the post!"

"An error in judgment, Mr Reed, due to an eager desire to make money.

I made the mistake of choosing the wrong brother. I apologise, and you know that I have suffered for my blunder. But let us repair all the past for the sake of everybody concerned. Mr Clive Reed, in perfect faith that you will restore the `White Virgin' to her former prosperity, I, as a very large holder of shares, ask you to resume your position as manager and engineer. Tell me that you will do this, and I will at once go back to town, call an extraordinary meeting, and get your reappointment endorsed."

A slight flush came into Clive's pale cheeks as he sat listening to Wrigley's words, and the latter took hope therefrom.

"I see that you feel that there is hope for the mine, sir," he said eagerly; "and that you will sink the past and join us in working heart and soul for every one's benefit."

The Major looked curiously at Clive, whom the excitement of the interview seemed to be rousing from his despondent state, but drawing himself up, the latter said quietly--

"I am sorry, of course, sir, for the innocent shareholders in the mine, but the interim dividends that they have received prevent them from being heavy losers. As to the speculators, they must thank fate that their losses are not greater."

"Yes, yes, of course, Mr Reed, but you will soon set all that right.

Take a month at sea, sir, at the company's expense, and come back strong as a lion, ready to go to work again, and make the `White Virgin' richer than ever."

"No, sir," said Clive coldly. "I lose more heavily than any one, and I am prepared to stand by my losses."

"Yes, yes, but you will soon recoup--there will be no losses. I know that you must naturally feel a jealousy of my friend, Jessop Reed."

Clive's face darkened.

"But he shall not be in your way, my dear sir. You can take it for granted that he will in future have no part in the management. You shall stand at the head, and your judgments shall be unquestioned."

"I thank you, sir, for this great display of confidence," said Clive coldly; "but I have ceased to take any interest in the mine--I may say in anything whatever in life. No, sir, I will have no dealings whatever with you and your partner in the cowardly scheme by which I was overthrown. I can only thank you for arranging that this collapse should not occur during my management. All right, Doctor; I have done.

I am not going to be excited, and this interview is at an end."

"Yes, this one," said Wrigley, rising. "You are still weak, Mr Reed, and I will not bother you more to-day. I shall stay at the mine, and be happy to run over on receiving a message, for that you will come round to my wishes I am convinced. Good morning, gentlemen, and I should advise you both to invest heavily in the mine shares, for this second panic has sent them down almost to zero."