A KNIGHT OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY by Edward Payson Roe (red seas under red skies .TXT) 📕

His Own Admissions Were Now Used against Him, For The Confidential

Clerk, And, If There Was Need, The Broken-Nosed reporter, Were On Hand

To Testify To All That Had Been Said. The Young Man Made No Attempt To

Conceal, But Tried to Explain More Fully The Circumstances Which Led to

The Act, Hoping That In them The Justice Would Find Such Extenuating

Elements As Would Prevent A Committal To Prison.

The Judge Recognized and Openly Acknowledged the Fact That It Was Not A

Case Of Deliberate Wrongdoing, And He Ordered the Arrest Of The Superior

Young Gentleman Who Had Introduced the New York Gamblers To Their

Victim; And Yet In the Eye Of The Law It Was A Clear Case Of

Embezzlement; And, As Mr. Arnot'S Friend, The Magistrate Felt Little

Disposition To Prevent Things From Taking Their Usual Course. The

Prisoner Must Either Furnish Bail At Once, Or Be Committed until He

Could Do So, Or Until The Case Could Be Properly Tried. As Haldane Was A

Comparative Stranger In hillaton There Was No One To Whom He Felt He

Could Apply, And He Supposed it Would Require Some Little Time For His

Mother To Arrange The Matter. Upon His Signifying That He Could Not

Furnish Bail Immediately, The Judge Promptly Ordered his Committal To

The Common Jail Of The City, Which Happened to Be At Some Distance From

The Building Then Employed for The Preliminary Examinations.

It Was While On His Way To This Place Of Detention That He Heard Mrs.

Arnot'S Voice, And Encountered her Eyes And Those Of Laura Romeyn. His

First Impulse Was To End Both His Suffering and Himself By Some

Desperate Act, But He Was Powerless Even To Harm Himself.

The Limit Of Endurance, However Had Been Reached. The Very Worst That He

Could Imagine Had Befallen Him. Laura Romeyn Had Looked upon His

Unutterable Shame And Disgrace. From A Quivering and Almost Agonizing

Sensibility To His Situation He Reacted into Sullen Indifference. He No

Longer Saw The Sun Shining In the Sky, Nor The Familiar Sights Of The

Street; He No Longer Heard Nor Heeded the Jeering Rabble That Came

Tramping after. He Became For The Time Scarcely More Than A Piece Of

Mechanism, That Barely Retained the Power Of Voluntary Motion, But Had

Lost Ability To Feel And Think. When, At Last, He Entered his Narrow

Cell, Eight Feet By Eight, The Wish Half Formed itself In his Mind That

It Was Six Feet By Two, And That He Might Hide In it Forever.

He Sat Down On The Rough Wooden Couch Which Formed the Only Furniture Of

The Room, And Buried his Face In his Hands, Conscious Only Of A Dull,

Leaden Weight Of Pain. He Made No Effort To Obtain Legal Counsel Or To

Communicate His Situation To His Mother. Indeed, He Dreaded to See Her,

And He Felt That He Could Not Look His Sisters In the Face Again. The

Prison Cell Seemed a Refuge From The Terrible Scorn Of The World, And

His Present Impulse Was To Cower Behind Its Thick Walls For The Rest Of

His Life.

Mr. Arnot Was So Disturbed by His Wife'S Visit That He Found It

Impossible To Return To The Routine Of Business, And, Instead Of

Maintaining The Cold, Lofty Bearing Of A Man Whose Imperious Will Awed

And Controlled all Within Its Sphere, He Fumed up And Down His Office

Like One Who Had Been Caught In the Toils Himself. In the Morning It Had

Seemed that There Could Not Have Been A Fairer Opportunity To Vindicate

His Iron System, And Make It Irresistible. The Offending Subject In his

Business Realm Should Receive Due Punishment, And All The Rest Be Taught

That They Were Governed by Inexorable Laws, Which Would Be Executed with

The Certainty And Precision With Which The Wheels Moved in a Great

Factory Under The Steady Impulse Of The Motor Power. But The Whole

Matter Now Bade Fair To End In a Tangled snarl, Whose Final Issue No One

Could Foretell.

He Was Sensitive To Public Opinion, And Had Supposed that His Course

Would Be Upheld And Applauded, And He Be Commended as A Conservator Of

Public Morals. He Now Feared, However, That He Would Be Portrayed as

Harsh, Grasping, And Unfeeling. It Did Not Trouble Him That He Was So,

But That He Would Be Made To Appear So.

But His Wife'S Words In reference To The Withdrawal Of Her Large

Property From His Business Was A Far More Serious Consideration. He Had

Learned how Resolute And Unswerving She Could Be In matters Of

Conscience, And He Knew That She Was Not In the Habit Of Making Idle

Threats In moments Of Irritation. If, Just At This Time, When He Was

Widely Extending His Business, She Should Demand A Separate Investment

Of Her Means, It Would Embarrass And Cripple Him In no Slight Degree. If

This Should Be One Of The Results Of His Master-Stroke, He Would Have

Reason To Curse His Brilliant Policy All His Days. He Would Now Be Only

Too Glad To Get Rid Of The Haldane Affair On Any Terms, For Thus Far It

Had Proved only A Source Of Annoyance And Mortification. He Was Somewhat

Consoled, However, When His Confidential Clerk Returned and Intimated

That The Examination Before The Justice Had Been Brief; That Haldane Had

Eagerly Stated his Case To The Justice, But When That Dignitary Remarked

That It Was A Clear Case Of Embezzlement, And That He Would Have To

Commit The Prisoner Unless Some One Went Security For His Future

Appearance, The Young Fellow Had Grown Sullen And Answered, "Send Me To

Jail Then; I Have No Friends In this Accursed city."

To Men Of The Law And Of Sense The Case Was As Clear As Daylight.

But Mr. Arnot Was Not By Any Means Through With His Disagreeable

Experiences. He Had Been A Manufacturer Sufficiently Long To Know That

When A Piece Of Machinery Is Set In motion, Not Merely The Wheels

Nearest To One Will Move, But Also Others That For The Moment May Be Out

Of Sight. He Who Proposes To Have A Decided influence Upon A

Fellow-Creature'S Destiny Should Remember Our Complicated relations, For

He Cannot Lay His Strong Grasp Upon One Life Without Becoming Entangled

In The Interests Of Many Others.

Mr. Arnot Was Finding This Out To His Cost, For He Had Hardly Composed

Himself To His Writing again Before There Was A Rustle Of A Lady'S

Garments In the Outer Office, And A Hasty Step Across The Threshold Of

His Private _Sanctum_. Looking Up, He Saw, To His Dismay, The Pale,

Frightened face Of Mrs. Haldane.

"Where Is Egbert?--Where Is My Son?" She Asked abruptly.

At That Moment Mr. Arnot Admitted to Himself That He Had Never Been

Asked so Embarrassing a Question In all His Life. Before Him Was His

Wife'S Friend, A Lady Of The Highest Social Rank, And She Was So

Unmistakably A Lady That He Could Treat Her With Only The Utmost

Deference. He Saw With Alarm Himself The Mother'S Nervous And Trembling

Apprehension, For There Was Scarcely Anything Under Heaven That He Would

Not Rather Face Than A Scene With A Hysterical Woman. If This Was To Be

The Climax Of His Policy He Would Rather Have Lost The Thousand Dollars

Than Have Had It Occur. Rising From His Seat, He Said Awkwardly:

"Really, Madam, I Did Not Expect You Here This Morning."

"I Was On My Way To New York, And Decided to Stop And Give My Son A

Surprise. But This Paper--This Dreadful Report--What Does It Mean?"

"I Am Sorry To Say, Madam, It Is All Too True," Replied mr. Arnot

Uneasily. "Please Take A Chair, Or Perhaps It Would Be Better For You To

Go At Once To Our House And See Mrs. Arnot," He Added, Now Glad To

Escape The Interview On Any Terms.

"What Is Too True?" She Gasped.

"I Think You Had Better See Mrs. Arnot; She Will Explain," Said The

Unhappy Man, Who Felt That His System Was Tumbling In chaos About His

Ears. "Let Me Assist You To Your Carriage."

"Do You Think I Can Endure The Suspense Of Another Moment? In mercy

Speak--Tell Me The Worst!"

"Well," Said Mr. Arnot, With A Shiver Like That Of One About To Plunge

Into A Cold Bath, "I Suppose You Will Learn Sooner Or Later That Your

Son Has Committed a Very Wrong Act. But," He Added hastily, On Seeing

Mrs. Haldane'S Increasing Pallor, "There Are Extenuating

Circumstances--At Least, I Shall Act As If There Were."

"But What Has He Done--Where Is He?" Cried the Mother In agony. Then She

Added in a Frightened whisper, "But The Matter Can Be Hushed up--There

Need be No Publicity--Oh, That Would Kill Me! Please Take Steps--"

"Mr. Arnot," Said A Young Man Just Entering, And Speaking In a Piping,

Penetrating Voice," I Represent The 'Evening Spy.' I Wish To Obtain From

You For Publication The Particulars Of This Disgraceful Affair" Then,

Seeing Mrs. Haldane, Who Had Dropped her Veil, And Was Trembling

Violently, He Added, "I Hope I Am Not Intruding; I--"

"Yes, Sir, You Are Intruding," Said Mr. Arnot Harshly.

"Then, Perhaps, Sir, You Will Be So Kind As To Step Outside For A

Moment. I Can Take Down Your Words Rapidly, And--"

"Step Outside Yourself, Sir. I Have Nothing Whatever To Say To You."

"I Beg You To Reconsider That Decision, Sir. Of Course, A Full Account

Of The Affair Must Appear In this Evening'S 'Spy.' It Will Be Your Own

Fault If It Is Not True In all Respects. It Is Said That You Have Acted

Harshly In the Matter--That It Was Young Haldane'S First Offence,

And--"

"Leave My Office!" Thundered mr. Arnot.

The Lynx-Eyed reporter, While Speaking Thus Rapidly, Had Been

Scrutinizing The Veiled and Trembling Lady, And He Was Scarcely

Disappointed that She Now Rose Hastily, And Threw Back Her Veil As She

Said Eagerly:

"Why Must The Whole Affair Be Published? You Say Truly That His Offence,

Whatever It Is, Is His First. Surely The Editor Of Your Paper Will Not

Be So Cruel As To Blast A Young Man Forever With Disgrace!"

"Mrs. Haldane, I Presume," Said The Reporter, Tracing a Few

Hieroglyphics In his Note-Book.

"Yes," Continued the Lady, Speaking From The Impulse Of Her Heart,

Rather Than From Any Correct Knowledge Of The World, "And I Will Pay

Willingly Any Amount To Have The Whole Matter Quietly Dropped. I Could

Not Endure Anything Of This Kind, For I Have No Husband To Shelter Me,

And The Boy Has No Father To Protect Him."

Mr. Arnot Groaned in spirit That He Had Not Considered this Case In any

Of Its Aspects Save Those Which Related to His Business. He Had Formed

The Habit Of Regarding all Other Considerations As Unworthy Of

Attention, But Here, Certainly, Was A Most Disagreeable Exception.

"You Touch My Feelings Deeply," Said The Reporter, In a Tone That Never

For A Second Lost Its Professional Cadence, "But I Much Regret That Your

Hopes Cannot Be Realized. Your Son'S Act Could Scarcely Be Kept A Secret

After The Fact--Known To All--That He Has Been Openly Dragged to Prison

Through The Streets," And The Gatherer Of News And Sensations Kept An

Eye On Each Of His Victims As He Made This Statement. A Cabalistic Sign

In His Note-Book Indicated the Visible Wincing Of The Enraged and

Half-Distracted manufacturer, Whose System Was Like An Engine Off The

Track, Hissing and Helpless; And A Few Other Equally Obscure Marks

Suggested to The Initiated the Lady'S Words As She Half Shrieked:

"My Son Dragged through The Streets To Prison! By Whom--Who Could Do So

Dreadful?"--And She Sank Shudderingly Into A Chair, And Covered her Face

With Her Hands, As If To Shut Out A Harrowing Vision.

"I Regret To Say, Madam, That It Was By A Policeman," Added the

Reporter.

"And Thither A Policeman Shall Drag You, If You Do Not Instantly Vacate

These Premises!" Said Mr. Arnot, Hoarse With Rage.

"Thank You For Your Courtesy," Answered the Reporter, Shutting His Book

With A Snap Like That Of A Steel Trap. "I Have Now About All The Points

I Wish