She looked up almost radiantly, 'You have seen him?'
'Yes. I saw him yesterday,' and as she gazed as if the news were water to a thirsty soul-'he sent his love, and begged his mother and you to forgive the distress his precipitancy has caused. I did not think him looking ill; indeed, I think the quiet of his cell is almost a rest to him, as he makes sure that he can clear himself.'
'Oh, Sir Jasper! how can we ever be grateful enough!'
'Never mind that now, only tell me what is needful, for time is short. Your brother sent these notes in their own envelope, he says.'
'Yes, a very dirty one. I did not open it or see them, but enclosed it in one of my own, and sent it by my youngest brother, Petros.'
'How was yours addressed?'
'Francis Stebbing, Esq., Marble Works; and I put in a note in explanation.'
'Is the son's name likewise Francis?'
'Francis James.'
'Petros delivered it?'
'Yes, certainly.'
Here they were interrupted by Maura's stealing timidly in with the message that poor mamma had heard that Sir Jasper was here, and would he be so very good as to come up for one minute and speak to her.
'It is asking a great deal,' said Kalliope, 'but it would be very kind, and it might ease her mind.'
He was taken to the poor little bedroom full of oppressive atmosphere, though the window was open to relieve the labouring breath. It seemed absolutely filled with the enormous figure of the poor dropsical woman with white ghastly face, sitting pillowed up, incapable of lying down.
'Oh, so good! so angelic!' she gasped.
'I am sorry to see you so ill, Mrs. White.'
'Ah! 'tis dying I am, Colonel Merrifield-begging your pardon, but the sight of you brings back the times when my poor captain was living, and I was the happy woman. 'Tis the thought of my poor orphans that is vexing me, leaving them as I am in a strange land where their own flesh and blood is unnatural to them,' she cried, trying to clasp her swollen hands, in the excitement that brought out the Irish substructure of her nature. 'Ah, Colonel dear, you'll bear in mind their father that would have died for you, and be good to them.'
'Indeed, I hope to do what I can for them.'
'They are good children, Sir Jasper, all of them, even the poor boy that is in trouble out of the very warmth of his heart; but 'tis Richard who would be the credit to you, if you would lend him the helping hand. Where is the boy, Kally?'
'He is gone to call on Mr. White.'
'Ah! and you'll say a good word for him with his cousin,' she pleaded, 'and say how 'tis no discredit to him if things are laid on his poor brother that he never did.'
The poor woman was evidently more anxious to bespeak patronage for her first-born, the pride and darling of her heart, than for those who might be thought to need it more, but she became confused and agitated when she thought of Alexis, declaring that the poor boy might have been hasty, and have disgraced himself, but it was hard, very hard, if they swore away his liberty, and she never saw him more, and she broke into distressing sobs. Sir Jasper, in a decided voice, assured her that he expected with confidence that her son would be freed the next day, and able to come to see her.
'It's the blessing of a dying mother will be on you, Colonel dear! Oh! bring him back, that his mother's eyes may rest on the boy that has always been dutiful. No-no, Dick, I tell you 'tis no disgrace to wear the coat his father wore.' Wandering was beginning, and she was in no condition for Kalliope to leave her. The communicative Maura, who went downstairs with him, said that Richard was so angry about Alexis that it had upset poor mamma sadly. And could Alexis come?' she asked, 'even when he is cleared?'
'I will ask for furlough for him.'
'Oh! thank you-that would do mamma more good than anything. She is so fond of Richard, he is her favourite, but Alexis is the real help and comfort.'
'I can quite believe so. And now will you tell me where I shall find your brother who took the letter, Peter or Petros?'
'Petros is his name, but the boys call him Peter. He is at school- the Bellevue National School-up that street.'
Repairing to that imposing building, Sir Jasper knocked at the door, and sent in his card by an astonished pupil- teacher with a request to the master that he might speak to Petros White, waiting in the porch till a handsome little fellow appeared, stouter, rosier, and more English looking than the others of his family, but very dusty, and rather scared.
'You don't remember me,' said Sir Jasper, 'but I was your father's colonel, and I want to find some way of helping your brother. Your sister tells me she gave you a letter to carry to Mr. Stebbing.'
'Yes, sir.'
'Where did you take it?'
'To his house, Carrara.'
'Was it not directed to the Marble Works?'
'Yes, but-'
'But what? Speak out, my man.'
'At the gate Blake, the porter, was very savage, and would not let us in. He said he would have no boys loafing about, we had done harm enough for one while, and he would set his dog at us.'
'Then you did not give him the letter?'
'No. I wouldn't after the way he pitched into me. I didn't know if he would give it. And he wouldn't hear a word, so we went up to Rockstone to the house.'
'Whom did you give it to there?'
'I dropped it into the slit in the door.'
'You only told your sister that you delivered it.'
'Yes, sir. Theodore said I must not tell sister; it would only vex her more to hear how every one pitches into us, right and left,' he said, with trembling lip.
'Is Theodore your next brother?'
'Yes sir.'
'Was he with you?'
'No; it was Sydney Grove.'
'Is he here? Or-Did any one else see you leave the letter?'
'Mr. Stebbing's son-the young one, George, was in the drive and slanged us for not going to the back door.'
'That is important. Thank you, my boy. Give my-my compliments to your master, and ask him to be kind enough to spare this Sydney Grove to me for a few moments.'
This proved to be an amphibious-looking boy, older and rougher than Petros, and evidently his friend and champion. He was much less shy, and spoke out boldly, saying how he had gone with little Peter, and the porter had rowed them downright shameful, but it was nothing to that there young Stebbing ordering them out of the grounds for a couple of beastly cads, after no good. He (Grove) had a good mind to ha' give 'un a good warming, only 'twas school time, and they was late as it was. Everybody was down upon the Whites, and it was a shame when they hadn't done nothing, and he didn't see as they was stuck up, not he.
Sir Jasper made a note of Master Grove's residence, and requested an interview with the master, from whom he obtained an excellent character of both the Whites, especially Theodore. The master lamented that this affair of their brother should have given a handle against them, for he wanted the services of the elder one as a monitor, eventually as a pupil-teacher, but did not know whether the choice would be advisable under the present circumstances. The boys' superiority made them unpopular, and excited jealousy among a certain set, though they were perfectly inoffensive, and they had much to go through in consequence of the suspicion that had fallen on their brother. Petros and Sydney should have leave from school whenever their testimony was wanted.
As Sir Jasper walked down the street, his elder sister-in-law emerged from a tamarisk-flanked gateway. 'This is our new abode, Jasper,' she said. 'Come in and see what you think of it! Well, have you had any success?'
