He explained how the letter could be traced to Mr. Stebbing's house, and then consulted her whether to let all come out at the examination before the magistrates, or to induce the Stebbings to drop the prosecution.
'It would serve them right if it all came out in public,' she said.
'But would it be well?'
'One must not be vindictive! And to drag poor Kalliope to Avoncester would be a dreadful business in her mother's state. Besides, Frank Stebbing is young, and it may be fair to give them a chance of hushing it up. I ought to be satisfied with clearing Alexis.'
'Then I will go to the house. When shall I be likely to find Mr. Stebbing!'
'Just after luncheon, I should say.'
'And shall I take the lawyer?'
'I should say not. If they hope to keep the thing secret, they will be the more amenable, but you should have the two boys within reach. Let us ask for them to come up after their dinner to Beechcroft. No, it must not be to dinner. Petros must not be sent to the kitchen, and Ada would expire if the other came to us! Now, do you like to see your house? Here is Macrae dying to see you.'
The old soldier had changed his quarters too often to be keenly interested in any temporary abode, provided it would hold the requisite amount of children, and had a pleasant sitting-room for his Lily, but he inspected politely and gratefully, and had a warmly affectionate interview with Macrae, who had just arrived with a great convoy of needfuls from Silverfold, and who undertook to bring up and guard the two boys from any further impertinences that might excite Master Grove's pugnacity.
It was a beautiful day, of the lamb-like entrance weather of March, and on the way home Miss Adeline was met taking advantage of the noontide sunshine to exchange her book at the library, 'where,' she said, 'I found Mr. White reading the papers, so I asked him to meet Jasper at luncheon, thinking that may be useful.'
If Sir Jasper would rather have managed matters by himself, he forebore to say so, and he got on very well with Mr. White on subjects of interest, but, to the ladies' vexation, he waited to be alone before he began, 'I have come down to see what can be done for this poor young man, Mr. White, a connection of yours, I believe.
'A bad business, Sir Jasper, a bad business.'
'I am sorry to hear you say so. I have seen a great deal of service with his father, and esteemed him very highly-'
'Ay, ay, very likely. I had a young man's differences with my cousin, as lads will fall out, but there was the making of a fine fellow in him. But it was the wife, bringing in that Greek taint, worse even than the Italian, so that there's no believing a word out of any of their mouths.'
'Well, the schoolmaster has just given me a high character of the younger one, for truthfulness especially.'
'All art, Sir Jasper, all art. They are deeper than your common English sort, and act it out better. I'll just give you an instance or two. That eldest son has been with me just now, a smart young chap, who swears he has been keeping his mother all this time-he has written to me often enough for help to do so. On the other hand, the little sister tells me, 'Mamma always wants money to send to poor Richard.' Then again, Miss Mohun assures me that the elder one vows that she never encouraged Frank Stebbing for a moment, and to his mother's certain knowledge she is keeping up the correspondence.'
'Indeed,' said Sir Jasper. 'And may I ask what is your opinion as to this charge? I never knew a young man enlist with fifteen pounds in his pocket.'
'Spent it by the way, sir. Ran through it at billiards. Nothing more probable; it is the way with those sober- looking lads when something upsets them. Then when luck went against him, enlisted out of despair. Sister, like all women, ready to lie through thick and thin to save him, most likely even on oath.'
'However,' said Sir Jasper, 'I can produce independent witness that the youngest boy set off with the letter for the office, and the porter not admitting him, carried it to the house.'
'What became of it then?'
'Mr. Stebbing will have to answer that. I propose to lay the evidence before him in his own house, so that he may make inquiry, and perhaps find it, and drop the prosecution. Will you come with me?'
'Certainly, Sir Jasper. I should be very glad to think as you do. I came prepared to act kindly by these children, the only relations I have in the world; but I confess that what I have seen and heard has made me fear that they, at least the elder ones, are intriguing and undeserving. I should be glad of any proof to the contrary.'
Carrara was not far off, and they were just in time to catch Mr. Stebbing in his arm-chair, looking over his newspaper, before repairing to his office. Mrs. Stebbing stood up, half-flattered, half-fluttered, at the call of this stately gentleman, and was scarcely prepared to hear him say-
'I have come down about this affair of young White's. His father was my friend and brother-officer, and I am very anxious about him.'
'I have been greatly disappointed in those young people, Sir Jasper,' said Mr. Stebbing uneasily.
'I understand that you are intending to prosecute Alexis White for the disappearance of the fifteen pounds he received on behalf of the firm.'
'Exactly so, Sir Jasper. There's no doubt that the carter, Field, handed it to him; he acknowledges as much, but he would have us believe that after running away with it, he returned it to his sister to send to me. Where is it? I ask.'
'Yes,' put in Mrs. Stebbing, 'and the girl, the little one, changed a five-pound note at Glover's.'
'I can account for that,' said Mr. White, with somewhat of an effort. 'I gave her one for her sister, and charged them not to mention it.'
He certainly seemed ashamed to mention it before those who accounted it a weakness; and Sir Jasper broke the silence by proposing to produce his witnesses.
'Really, Sir Jasper, this should be left for the court,' said Mr. Stebbing.
'It might be well to settle the matter in private, without dragging Miss White into Avoncester away from her dying mother.'
'Those things are so exaggerated,' said the lady.
'I have seen her,' said Sir Jasper gravely.
'May I ask who these witnesses are?' demanded Mr. Stebbing.
'Two are waiting here-the messenger and his companion. Another is your porter at the marble works, and the fourth is your youngest son.'
This caused a sensation, and Mrs. Stebbing began-
'I am sure I can't tell what you mean, Sir Jasper.'
'Is he in the house?'
'Yes; he has a bad cold.'
Mrs. Stebbing opened the door and called 'George,' and on the boy's appearance, Sir Jasper asked him-
'Do you remember the morning of the 17th of last month-three days after the accident? I want to know whether you saw any one in the approach to the house.'
'I don't know what day it was,' said the boy, somewhat sulkily.
'You did see some one, and warned them off!'
'I saw two little ca-two boys out of the town on the front door steps.'
'Did you know them?'
'No-that is to say, one was a fisherman's boy.'
'And the other?'
'I thought he belonged to the lot of Whites.'
'Should you know them again?'
'I suppose so.'
'Will you excuse me, and I will call them into the hall?' said Sir Jasper.
This was effected, and Master George had to identify the boys, after which Sir Jasper elicited that Petros had seen the dirty envelope come out of his brother's letter, and that his sister had put it into another, which she addressed as he described, and gave into his charge to deliver. Then came the account of the way he had been refused admittance by the porter.
'Why didn't you give him the letter?' demanded Mr. Stebbing.
'Catch us,' responded Sydney Grove, rejoiced at the opportunity, 'when what we got was, 'Get out, you young rascals!''
