Ranching For Sylvia Volume-554 by Harold Bindloss (chrome ebook reader .TXT) 📕

"I Wouldn't Think Of It, Only That Herbert's The Obvious Person To

Entertain Me," George Replied, Though He Was A Little Puzzled By The

Insistence, And Ethel Abruptly Began To Talk Of Something Else.

Darkness Came, But There Were Gleams Of Cheerful Light From Roadside

Cottages, And George Found The Fresh Moist Air And The Shadowy Woods

They Skirted Pleasantly Familiar.  This Was The Quiet English

Countryside He Loved, And A Sense Of Deep And Tranquil Content

Possessed Him.  He Failed To Notice That Ethel Cleverly Avoided

Answering Some Of His Questions And Talked Rather More Than Usual About

Matters Of Small Importance.  At Length They Reached The Brantholme

Gates, And Stephen Looked Down As George Alighted.

"We'll Expect You Over Shortly; I'll Send For Your Baggage," He Said As

He Drove Off.

George, To His Keen Disappointment, Found Only Mrs. Lansing Waiting For

Him In The Hall, Though She Received Him Very Cordially,

"Herbert Had To Go Up To London; He Didn't Get Your Wire In Time To Put

Off The Journey," She Explained.  "I'm Sorry He Can't Be Back For A Few

Days."

"It Doesn't Matter; He Has To Attend To His Business," George Rejoined.

"But Where's Sylvia?"

"She Hasn't Come Back From Susan's," Said Mrs. Lansing, Quickly

Changing The Subject And Explaining Why Herbert Had Re-Let The Lodge.

After That, She Asked George Questions Until She Sent Him Off To

Prepare For Dinner.

George Was Perplexed As Well As Disappointed.  Neither Ethel Nor Muriel

Seemed Inclined To Speak About Sylvia--It Looked As If They Had Some

Reason For Avoiding Any Reference To Her; But He Assured Himself That

This Was Imagination, And During Dinner He Confined His Inquiries To

Other Friends.  When It Was Over And Muriel Led Him Into The

Drawing-Room, His Uneasiness Grew More Keen.

"Herbert Thought You Would Like To Know As Soon As Possible How Things

Were Going," Muriel Said, As She Took A Big Envelope From A Drawer And

Gave It To Him.

"He Told Me This Was A Rough Statement Of Your Business Affairs."

"Thanks," Said George, Thrusting It Carelessly Into His Pocket.  "I

Must Study It Sometime.  But I've Been Looking Forward All Day To

Meeting Sylvia.  Wouldn't Susan Let Her Come?"

Mrs. Lansing Hesitated, And Then, Leaning Forward, Laid Her Hand On His

Arm.

"I've Kept It Back A Little, George; But You Must Be Told.  I'm Afraid

It Will Be A Shock---Sylvia Is To Marry Captain Bland In The Next Few

Weeks."

George Rose And Turned Rather Gray In The Face, As He Leaned On The

Back Of A Chair.

"I Suppose," He Said Hoarsely, "There's No Doubt Of This?"

"It's All Arranged." Mrs. Lansing Made A Compassionate Gesture.  "I

Can't Tell You How Sorry I Am, Or How Hateful It Was To Have To Give

You Such News."

"I Can Understand Why Sylvia Preferred To Leave It To You," He Said

Slowly.  "How Long Has This Matter Been Going On?"

Mrs. Lansing's Eyes Sparkled With Anger.

"I Believe It Began Soon After You Left.  I Don't Know Whether Sylvia

Expects Me To Make Excuses For Her, But I Won't Do Anything Of The

Kind; There Are None That Could Be Made.  She Has Behaved Shamefully!"

"One Must Be Just," George Said With An Effort.  "After All, She

Promised Me Nothing."

"Perhaps Not In So Many Words.  But She Knew What You Expected, And I

Have No Doubt She Led You To Believe--"

George Raised His Hand.

"I Think There's Nothing To Be Said--The Thing Must Be Faced Somehow.

I Feel Rather Badly Hit; You Won't Mind If I Go Out And Walk About A

Little?"

Mrs. Lansing Was Glad To Let Him Go; The Sight Of His Hard-Set Face

Hurt Her.  In Another Minute He Was Walking Up And Down The Terrace,

But He Stopped Presently And Leaned On The Low Wall.  Hitherto He Had

Believed In Sylvia With An Unshaken Faith, But Now A Flood Of Suspicion

Poured In On Him; Above All, There Was The Telling Fact That As Soon As

He Had Gone, She Had Begun To Lead On His Rival.  The Shock He Had

Suffered Had Brought George Illumination.  Sylvia Could Never Have Had

An Atom Of Affection For Him; She Had Merely Made His Loyalty Serve Her

Turn.  She Had Done So Even Before She Married Dick Marston; Though He

Had Somehow Retained His Confidence In Her Then.  He Had Been A Fool

From The Beginning!

The Intense Bitterness Of Which He Was Conscious Was Wholly New To Him,

But It Was Comprehensible.  Just In All His Dealings, He Expected

Honesty From Others, And, Though Generous In Many Ways, He Had Not

Bland's Tolerant Nature; He Looked For More Than The Latter And Had

Less Charity.  There Was A Vein Of Hardness In The Man Who Had Loved

Sylvia Largely Because He Believed In Her.  Trickery And Falseness Were

Abhorrent To Him, And Now The Woman He Had Worshiped Stood Revealed In

Her Deterrent Reality.

After A While He Pulled Himself Together, And, Going Back To The House,

Entered Herbert's Library Where, Less Because Of His Interest In The

Matter Than As A Relief From Painful Thoughts, He Opened The Envelope

Given Him And Took Out The Statement.  For A Few Moments The Figures

Puzzled Him, And Then He Broke Into A Bitter Laugh.  The Money That He

Had Entrusted To His Cousin's Care Had Melted Away.

During The Next Two Or Three Minutes He Leaned Back, Motionless, In His

Chair; Then He Took Up A Pencil And Lighted A Cigar.  Since He Was

Ruined, He Might As Well Ascertain How It Had Happened, And Two Facts

Became Obvious From His Study Of The Document: Herbert Had Sold Sound

Securities, And Had Mortgaged Land; And Then Placed The Proceeds In

Rubber Shares.  This Was Perhaps Permissible, But It Did Not Explain

What Had Induced An Astute Business Man To Hold The Shares Until They

Had Fallen To Their Remarkably Low Value.  There Was A Mystery Here,

And George In His Present Mood Was Keenly Suspicious.  He Had No Doubt

That Herbert Had Left The Statement Because It Would Save Him The

Unpleasantness Of Giving A Personal Explanation; Moreover, George

Believed That He Had Left Home With That Purpose.  Then He Made A Few

Rough Calculations, Which Seemed To Prove That Enough Remained To Buy

And Stock A Farm In Western Canada.  This Was Something, Though It Did

Not Strike Him As A Matter Of Much Consequence, And He Listlessly

Smoked Out His Cigar.  Then He Rose And Rejoined Mrs. Lansing.

"If You Don't Mind, I'll Go Over To Wests' To-Morrow," He Said.  "They

Pressed Me To Spend Some Time With Them, And There Are Arrangements To

Be Made On Which They Want My Opinion.  Edgar Is Taking Up Land In

Canada."

Mrs. Lansing Looked Troubled.

"Was There Anything Disturbing In The Paper Herbert Gave Me For You?

He Doesn't Tell Me Much About His Business, But I Gathered That He Was

Vexed About Some Shares He Bought On Your Account.  I Should Be Sorry

If They Have Gone Down."

"You Would Hardly Understand; The Thing's A Little Complicated," George

Said With Reassuring Gentleness.  "I'm Afraid I Have Lost Some Money;

But, After All, It Isn't My Worst Misfortune.  I'll Have A Talk With

Herbert As Soon As He Comes Home."

He Left Brantholme The Next Morning And Was Received By Ethel When He

Arrived At Wests'.

"We Have Been Expecting You," She Said Cordially.

"Then You Know?"

"Yes.  I'm Very Sorry; But I Suppose It Will Hardly Bear Talking About.

Stephen Is Waiting For You; He's Taking A Day Off And Edgar's Friend,

Singleton, Arrives To-Night."

Singleton Duly Made His Appearance, But He Was Not Present When George

And Stephen West Sat Down For A Talk After Dinner In The Latter's

Smoking-Room.  Presently George Took Out The Statement And Handed It To

His Host.

"I Want Advice Badly And I Can't Go To An Outsider For It," He Said.

"I Feel Quite Safe In Confiding In You."

West Studied The Document For A While Before He Looked Up.

"The Main Point To Be Decided Is--Whether You Should Sell These Shares

At Once For What They Will Bring, Or Wait A Little?  With Your

Permission, We'll Ask Singleton; He Knows More About The Matter Than

Anybody Else."

Singleton Came In And Lighted A Cigar, And Then Listened Carefully,

With A Curious Little Smile, While West Supplied A Few Explanations.

"Hold On To These Shares, Even If You Have To Make A Sacrifice To Do

So," He Advised.

"But They Seem To Be Almost Worthless," George Objected.

"Perhaps I Had Better Go Into The Matter Fully," Said Singleton.  "I'll

Do So On The Understanding That What I'm About To Tell You Reaches

Nobody Else."

George Looked At West, Who Nodded.

"Well," Explained Singleton, "I've Come Over On A Flying Visit About

This Rubber Business.  The Original Company--The One In Which You Hold

Shares--Was Got Up Mainly With The Idea Of Profiting By The Rather

Reckless General Buying Of Such Stock.  Its Tropical Possessions Were

Badly Managed, Though A Little Good Rubber Was Shipped, And When Prices

Reached Their Highest Point Mr. Lansing Sold Out."

"If He Had Sold My Shares At The Same Time, There Should Have Been A

Satisfactory Margin?"

"Undoubtedly.  Extensive Selling, However, Shakes The Confidence Of

Speculators, And A Man Desirous Of Unloading Would Accordingly Prefer

Everybody Else To Hold On."

"I Think I Am Beginning To Understand Now," George Said Grimly.

"Then," Singleton Went On, "A New Company Was Projected By The

Promoters Of The First One, And I Was Sent Out To Report On Its

Prospects.  At The Last Moment Mr. Lansing Withdrew, But His Associates

Sent Me South Again.  The Slump He Had Foreseen Came; Nobody Wanted

Rubber Shares In Any But Firmly Established And Prosperous Companies.

Lansing Had Cleared Out In Time And Left His Colleagues To Face A

Crushing Loss."

"I Don't See How All This Bears Upon The Subject," George Interrupted.