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The Two Lawyers: A Novel

Chapter IV

Chapter IV.

The castle of the late Lurtonshaw, whom Matthew Grant had so much reason to hate, is situated in Crawford, Kent, and thither I must ask my readers to accompany me. Another of the same name is now the possessor of the estate, but this time a better and wiser man. The servants are, in nearly every case, the same who occupied their positions in the time of the late squire, for the successor has considered all things, and out of respect to the memory of his deceased relative he has endeavoured to keep all the old servitors, and also all the old tenants. He has long since earned a name for liberality and consideration for all around him. The part of the castle with which we have to do is in the servants' quarters, a small but very comfortably-furnished room, in which are placed two beds. Both of these seem to be in use, and now at eleven in the morning one of them is occupied by a woman of about 38 years, who has all the appearance of having but a short time to remain in this world. She is extremely restive, and every now and then moves and exclaims, "Has he come yet?" to an old motherly-looking woman who sits at the bed-side trying to comfort the patient with an occasional kind word.

"No, Agnes, he has not come yet; but he will be here soon, and then you will be comforted. Keep of good heart, my child."

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"Mrs Ferris," observes the invalid, "the doctor said I could not live, you know, so that I ought to ease my conscience; don't you think I ought?"

"Yes, my child," answers the old dame; "but do not get uneasy. He will soon be here, and then you will feel better when you have spoken to him, for he will soon explain away all your trouble."

"No, Mrs Ferris, he cannot explain it away, no one can do that. Oh, I have been so wicked. Thirteen long years, but how I have suffered at times; and then, you know, she often comes to see me. Ah, she looks so reproachfully at me, too, but I could not help it, Mrs Ferris, for I too loved him, and I was fool enough to think that doing wrong would help me to get him."

"Now, like a good child, don't excite yourself, it will only make you worse. Keep quiet, as I must leave you now for two or three minutes, and we'll give you some beef tea and you will feel stronger."

"Neither beef tea nor anything else will make be better, Mrs Ferris. Oh, no, the only thing that will cure me is death. I know it now. I might have lived and been better; but I was selfish, and he, too, tempted me, for he promised gold and revenge, and I grasped at both; and now—now—."

With this she lay quite still, and the nurse, thinking she was but a little light-headed, left her to go to the kitchen and prepare some food for the invalid.

"How is your patient now?" asks Mr Lurtonshaw, who meets the nurse just as she is leaving the door. He has just come along the passage with the sole intention of asking after the sick one.

"Thanks, sir, she is very low; the doctor thinks she will not last another twenty-four hours. She is very feverish now and again, and sometimes I think she is delirious, for she talks inces-page 37santly about being wicked, and also says something about being tempted thirteen long years ago. She asked the doctor, when he told her she would die, to send over the minister, for she said she could not die until she had said what she had to say."

"Poor girl," he answered, "I will see to this;" and he left the nurse, proceeded at once to the butler's pantry, and requested him to see that the groom was sent over to the parsonage to fetch Mr Cruikstan, the Church of England clergyman.

While the groom is away on his errand, we will return to the sick room.

Mrs Ferris has just come back to her charge, who looks up and says impatiently, "Not come yet, Mrs Ferris? What a time he is."

"He will soon be here now, child. Keep quiet, and you will be better soon. Try and take this, it will do you good."

"No, thanks, I do not want it; but, Mrs Ferris, I am not as you told master, delirious. I heard you, but I am not; no, I must keep sensible a little longer, for I have much to do yet. Master is a good man! I only wish my last master had been as good, and then—"

At this the door gently opens, and Mr Lurtonshaw, after faintly knocking, walks quietly in.

"How is she, nurse? Better I hope."

"No, sir," the invalid replies, "I shall never be better, only in mind. But how I do long to do justice; and, sir, to do that I must say something of your late relative. You will forgive me, sir—say you will forgive me, for you know it must be said."

"I shall be only too glad for you to do any one justice, as I think you know," was Mr Lurtonshaw's answer, and as he spoke the footman announced Mr Cruikstan's arrival.

"Show him this way! Show him this way"! says Mr Lurton-page 38shaw, and almost immediately Mr Cruikstan enters the room, and after shaking hands and enquiring after the health of the host, which he evidently considered of more moment than that of the invalid.

"I am well, thank you; but there is one here unwell both in body and in mind, who wants your attention, I think, at once."

"Certainly," returned Cruikstan, rather piqued at Mr Lurtonshaw's tone; but he at once crossed over to the bed-side.

"I think, nurse, you and I had better now retire," said Mr Lurtonshaw.

"Not you, sir. I want you to do me one more kindness before you go, if you will," asks the invalid. "The nurse may go, if you wish, sir, but not you, please."

"Very well, then. Nurse, if you will leave us for a little we will call you if necessary"

"Now, my girl," said Mr Cruikstan, "what can I do for you? As you wished Mr Lurtonshaw to stay, I suppose you have something to tell me. Is it so?"

"Yes, sir, I have much to say, both to my own and another's shame. But it is only right that justice should at last be done to an innocent man who was thirteen years ago transported for life, and all through me."

"Thirteen years," both the listeners exclaimed in a breath; "What can you mean?"

"I mean," answered the invalid, "that Matthew Grant, now a convict on Van Dieman's Land, is as innocent as either of you; and that my late master, Mr Lurtonshaw, and I put the stolen property on his premises to procure his conviction."

"Good gracious, can this be?" exclaimed the minister.

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"Had we not better have pen and ink brought," added Mr Lurtonshaw. "This, I think, must be taken down."

"Yes, sir, it certainly must; and a magistrate will, I presume, be also necessary," answered Cruikstan; and Mr Lurtonshaw left the room to give the necessary orders.

"Now," said the squire in his return to the chamber, with the writing materials in his hands, "we had, I think, better take down what she has to say, so that when the magistrate arrives we can read it over to her, and he can attest."

"Certainly, sir," said Cruikstan; "you are far more clear on the matter than I. I feel overcome, for, I am sure, you would prevent, if possible, your relative's name being brought up again."

"There are those living, Mr Cruikstan, who demand our immediate attention; let justice first be done to them. So far as we can see, a great crime has been committed, and it is our duty to proceed with the matter in hand, instead of wasting idle words in lamentation over the dead, who would, if living, be now suffering the penalty his villainy merited."

"Certainly, sir; I did but speak out of consideration for your relative."

"And unfortunately," answered Mr Lurtonshaw, "I see no reason, I regret to say, for any commiseration in the matter."

Mr Cruikstan now seemed fairly silenced, for he at once proceeded with the writing materials to the bed-side, saying, "Now, if you will state all you have to tell slowly, I will take it down, and then justice to the innocent can be done."