Working in the Shade Part 8

"'I will talk the matter over with him,' he said. And he did so that day; and the result was that the young man proposed, with his father's full approbation, to pa.s.s through a course of training in medicine and surgery with a view to his becoming qualified for the post of medical missionary. So, on our return to Melbourne, the necessary steps were taken; and two years ago my nephew left us for a short experimental trip to one of the islands of the Pacific Ocean, under the guidance of an excellent and experienced missionary.

"And now I am coming to a very sad and wonderful part of my story; but as I have talked long enough now to weary myself if not to weary you, I will ask you to amuse yourselves for a while among the grounds and in the park till tea-time, and after tea I shall be happy to conclude my story, the most important part of which is yet to come."

CHAPTER TWELVE.

CLOUD AND SUNSHINE.

There was clearly much anxiety on the part of the guests to hear the conclusion of Colonel Dawson's narrative. So the bountiful tea which had been provided was speedily despatched, and every eye fixed intently on the speaker when he resumed his address, after the tables had been withdrawn and the hearers settled in their old places.

"You will remember," began the colonel, "that I had sorrowful things to tell you in continuing my story: and sorrowful indeed they are, though not without a mixture of brightness. Horace had been gone from the colony, on what I might call his missionary trial-trip, about a month, when I was one day sitting alone under the veranda of my country house, thinking over many things, and specially pondering the wonderful way in which I had gained two so dear to me as Horace and his father. Then my thoughts and heart went across the sea to my dear nephew,--when I was suddenly aroused from my day-dream by seeing just before me a stranger, who must have come up very silently, for I was quite unaware of his approach till I looked up and saw him gazing very keenly and not very pleasantly at me. It was now evening, and twilight, of which there is very little in those parts, would speedily be followed by darkness. The new-comer was dressed in bush fashion, and carried a rifle, and I could see the stocks of a brace of pistols peeping out from his blouse. The man's features and appearance altogether were most forbidding; and though a military man myself, I felt anything but comfortable with these ferocious eyes staring full upon me. However, in the bush open house is more or less a rule, and rough-looking fellows often turn up and request a night's lodging and food, which we do not think of refusing them.

Besides which, the wild-looking outside not unfrequently covers an honest heart beneath. So, while I did not at all like the looks of my visitor, I asked him what he wanted, and if he would sit down and take some refreshment. He replied, in a voice as rough as his appearance, that he was looking after some horses which had strayed as he was bringing them overland, and that he should be glad of a mouthful of bread and cheese and a drink. The refreshment was brought him by one of my men, whom he eyed all over; while all the time he was eating, those same fierce and restless eyes were taking in everything about the place, till he rose to go, with a muttered word or two which hardly sounded like thanks.

"No sooner was he out of sight than Horace's father joined me in the veranda. His voice was agitated as he asked,--

"'Do you know that man?'

"'Not that I am aware of,' I replied; 'indeed I may say, certainly not; for once seen, such a man is not easily forgotten. A more villainous face I never beheld.'

"'You may well say so,' said my friend. 'I know that man too well; he nearly succeeded in taking my life at the diggings,--he is somewhat older-looking, of course, but there is no mistaking him. He was an escaped convict when I knew him, and belonged to the most dangerous set in the place where I was working. I don't at all like his lurking about here. You may depend upon it, his presence bodes no good.'

"'I can well believe that,' I said; 'so we must take proper precautions, and see that the men are on the look-out.'

"'Yes,' he replied, 'I will see to that; and it will be as well to send a messenger to-night over to Melbourne to give the police a hint, as I fancy they would not be sorry to come across this fellow, as his doings are no doubt pretty well known to them.'

"Nothing more occurred that night to disturb us; but the following day four hors.e.m.e.n might be seen riding up towards the house at a dashing gallop, just about noon. I was prepared, however, for their coming and had caused all the men about the place to take refuge in my own house, which I had made provision for barricading if necessary. I had only three or four men on the place at that time, and their wives and children. These last I brought into an inner room when I saw the hors.e.m.e.n in the distance. Though a soldier by profession, I was exceedingly reluctant to shed blood, and had resolved on the present occasion not to do so if it could possibly be avoided.

"The strangers were soon at the veranda, evidently resolved to take us by storm. Foremost among them was my visitor of the day before. He sprang down from his horse in the most reckless manner, and began thundering at the door with the b.u.t.t end of his rifle. My house had not been built with the view of its sustaining a siege at any time, but was constructed of rather light materials, so that the door began to groan and creak under the a.s.saults of the bushranger, whose every movement I could see through a small opening in the shutters.

"'What do you want here, friend?' I asked.

"'Open the door,' was the only reply.

"'Tell me what you want,' I said again.

"'Open the door,' was all that was returned in answer; and then came a thundering blow, which fairly crushed in one of the panels.

"'Shall I fire?' asked Mr Jackson, in a hoa.r.s.e whisper.

"'No, no! Not yet, not yet,' I cried.

"Then came a united rush of three of the men, and the door came crashing into the outer room. The foremost villain then sprang at me, and we wrestled together, after I had knocked up his revolver. In a few minutes I had hurled him back from me, and he fell to the ground and was seized by one of my men. Gasping for breath, I paused and looked about me. A pistol was presented at me by another bushranger, but before it could be fired Horace's poor father had thrown himself in front of me; he received the bullet in his own breast, and fell to the ground grievously wounded. But now help was at hand; alas that it did not come sooner! A strong body of mounted police came up, and having secured all the robbers, carried them off in triumph.

"But what was to be done with my dear wounded friend, who had saved my life by perilling his own? I knew enough of surgical matters to ascertain by inspection that the injury, though severe, was not likely to be mortal. So, having bandaged up the wound with the best appliances I had at hand, I drove my friend as rapidly as he could bear it to my town house, where he was at once placed under the care of the best medical skill in the city. And for some time I had every hope that he would recover, and earnestly did I pray that it might be so, if it were the Lord's will. But it was not so to be. A const.i.tution once strong, but impaired in early youth, and much tried when he was at the diggings, had not sufficient vigour remaining to enable my poor friend to regain health and strength. But he did not pa.s.s away rapidly, nor did he lose any of his power of mind in his last days. And then it was, on his dying-bed, that he opened his whole heart to me, and told me what I am about to tell you, and, as nearly as I can remember, in these words:--

"'My name is really Horace Walters, and I am the owner of an estate called Riverton Park in my dear native country. But I ruined myself by my mad love for gambling, and when my poor wife died, and left me with Horace a baby, and my estate was become sadly enc.u.mbered, I resolved at once that I would leave my native land, go over to Australia, live a life of hard work and self-denial, and not come back again until, by the acc.u.mulated rents and by what I could earn, I could make my property absolutely and honestly my own, and leave it unenc.u.mbered to my dear child. You have seen enough of me to know that I have some strength of will in my character; and so, when I had made this resolution, I began immediately to carry it out. Taking with me our old nurse, whom I bound to secrecy, I came over to this colony, got employment, and then went to the diggings. There, by diligence, perseverance, and self-denial, I managed to acc.u.mulate a large sum, which is safely deposited in the bank. I had some thoughts of going back at once to England; but on learning what had happened to Horace, and about your n.o.ble and loving- care of him, I resolved to wait a while, and to get employment in your neighbourhood--at any rate, for a time. And that resolution I have never repented of; indeed, I have felt _my_ dear Horace's--ay, I will say _our_ dear Horace's--position in your house such a privileged one, that I have gladly delayed taking any further steps homeward, wishing to see him all that we both could desire him to be before I let him know his real name and position. You can easily understand why I changed my name to Jackson. I felt that I had brought shame and dishonour on my own name in my native land and I resolved that in this distant country I would change it for another, and not take it back again till I could do so with honour and credit to myself and my child.'

"And then, dear friends, he told me how he blessed G.o.d for bringing himself to the knowledge of his truth, and me for having been the instrument--an unworthy one indeed I was--of leading him to that knowledge. Of course, I told him what a privilege I felt it to have been permitted to guide him to his Saviour; and I added that I would gladly do anything I could to show my grat.i.tude to him for having sacrificed himself to save my life.

"'You have done more than enough already,' was his reply; 'and yet I will take you at your word. Horace knows nothing yet of his real name and prospects; I had made up my mind lately that I would wait till he came of age to tell him. And now I would ask you, dear friend, to take Horace with you to England and see him settled in his property when I am gone, which will be, I know, before very long. I have ample means in the bank here to meet all expenses, and will give you full power to act for me. You will understand now why I did not wish Horace to be a minister. I think G.o.dly laymen are as much needed as G.o.dly clergymen; and, as he in G.o.d's providence inherits an important property, I have a strong impression that he will be more free to do his duty to his tenantry and his estate as a Christian country squire, than he would be if he had taken upon himself the charge of a special sphere or parish at home or abroad. And my earnest wish and prayer is that he may soon, by his conduct as a Christian landlord, blot out altogether the memory of his unworthy father.'

"I stopped him here and told him that he was n.o.bly redeeming the past, so far as it was possible for man to do so, and that I would gladly carry out what he desired. This seemed to make him quite happy; and his one great wish now was to see his son once more, and this was granted to him. Horace returned to comfort him in his dying hours, and to receive his blessing, with his expressed wish that he should accompany me to England, whither I was going on his account to settle some matters of business for him. He said nothing further to his son, having already expressed his wish to me that I should first set the Riverton estate in thorough order, according to my own views of what was right--with one special injunction, that I should do everything that might be in my power to recompense John Price and his family for the loss they had suffered on his account.

"So, after my poor friend's departure to his better inheritance, we have come over here to carry out his wishes and instructions; and you have seen, and can now see, the results. My dear nephew has been kept in ignorance of his real name and prospects till yesterday, when I laid the whole matter before him; and it is by his father's earnest dying request that I have given you this full and minute history. To-day Horace Walters is of full age, and to-day I surrender up all to him.

"I would just add a word or two more. I have gone so fully into my story, not only because Mr Walters urged me to do so, but still more for two special reasons: first, because I know that rumour and fancy would be sure to put their heads together and circulate all sorts of foolish stories about your late squire, and about his dear son, your present squire, and some of these stories probably to the discredit of one or both. Now I have given you the true account of all, so that you can safely put down all slanderers' gossip and t.i.ttle-tattle on the subject. And further, I have gone thus particularly into my story, because it will show you what rare jewels there were in your late squire's character, and how brightly those shone out when the black crust of evil habits had fallen away from them. And, lastly, I have wished to show you how graciously G.o.d has been ordering things for the good of you all, and has brought blessings and peace out of a strange tangle of circ.u.mstances which he has unravelled for your happiness.

"And now, dear friends, having accomplished the work for which I came back to the old country, I am returning to the land of my adoption for a time. I think it will be only for a time; for my dear nephew here has got such a hold upon my heart, that I think I shall have to come back and settle near him, if I am spared. However, I have the satisfaction of knowing that I am leaving behind me two earnest, like-minded servants of the great Master to preside over the good work at Riverton and Bridgepath. I shall not leave the country till I have seen them made one; and then I shall feel a.s.sured that in Horace Walters and her who will, I trust, soon become his wife, I shall leave you those who, having long been working for G.o.d separately in the shade, will work together as devotedly, hand in hand, and heart in heart, in the light."

THE END.